“Mommy’s getting new boobies for her birthday,” my 5-year-old casually announced to the babysitter the night before my breast reduction surgery. I was mortified and speechless at first. But then, I felt proud that my daughter was talking so openly about it. Despite more celebrities and social media influencers opening up about elective changes they’re making to their body, it’s still somewhat of a taboo to talk about the ‘work’ you’re getting done.
So I confidently told my daughter she was right, and that I was excited about my birthday present. I’m a bit more than three months post-‘boob job’ now, and really glad that I went through with the surgery.
If you’ve ever been curious about what breast reduction surgery and recovery are like, read on for my honest take on what to expect and how to talk to your kids about it.
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Why I wanted a breast reduction
Simply put, I didn’t like my breasts. They were never perky to begin with, and after two kids, they were large and saggy. I struggled to find clothes that I felt good in, especially in the summer.
No amount of working out ever seemed to change my breast size.
I knew the perkiness problem would only get worse as I got older. As my 40th birthday started approaching, I finally started thinking more seriously about getting the surgery done.
Read more: Here’s everything I considered before my breast reduction.
What I told my kids about my breast reduction
My husband and I had several conversations about how we would approach my breast reduction with my daughters. They’re young, 3 and 5, so I knew their ultimate understanding of what I was doing would be more limited than if they were older.
We didn’t want them to think I was ashamed of my body or that I needed or had to fix something about it. I know kids internalize a lot more than we think, and I didn’t want that to be the message. That’s why we decided to be open and honest about what I was doing, in the hopes that they would see that I had put a lot of thought into the decision and was doing something I wanted to do for myself.
“We didn’t want them to think I was ashamed of my body or that I needed or had to fix something about it.”
I told my girls that I was going to have surgery and that the doctor was going to cut some of my boobies away. I explained mommy’s boobies had done a lot of hard work and were tired, and needed a bit of a pick-me-up. And I told them that they’d have to be really careful with me for a little bit because of the surgery. We talked about how I wouldn’t be able to pick them up, but that we could still snuggle together.
They didn’t have many questions, but did want to see my breasts after the surgery. I showed them, pointing out the scars that I have now, which I think helped them understand what had happened.
For an older child, I’d probably stress that if there’s something you truly don’t like about your body, that there is nothing wrong with changing it if you’ve given it careful consideration and deliberation. I’d also stress that it’s important to make the decision for yourself and not based on what you think other people think you should do.
Leading up to a breast reduction surgery
Do your research on what you want your breasts to look like
You’ll have a consultation with a plastic surgeon, where you’ll discuss what your goals are for the surgery. Know that the outcome might not be exactly what you envisioned. I told my surgeon I wanted to go from a DD to a B; He couldn’t promise that I’d end up that small (spoiler alert, I didn’t), but promised he’d go as small as he could. Make sure you’re aligned on what the outcome will be so that you’re not surprised or disappointed after surgery day.
The Bustmob! Facebook group is a helpful resource to see boob job before and after pictures on different body types. Your surgeon should also have photos they can share to give you a sense of what their work looks like.
Be prepared to wait for your surgery
At your consultation, you’ll also pick a surgery date. Make sure you get on any sort of waiting list the practice has. My consultation was in early August, and at the time, the first availability was for March 2026. I’d heard from others that the wait time can be long, but I was still shocked by this.
Once I’d made the decision to have the surgery, I was impatient to get it done. However, a date opened for late September that I was able to snag.
What recovery from a breast reduction is like
You’ll need to take a couple of days off work
My breast reduction surgery was on a Monday morning. I took three days off from work, worked primarily from my bed on Thursday, and was back at my (remote) desk Friday. In hindsight, I wish my surgery had been on a Wednesday or a Thursday so that I would have gotten a bit more downtime with the same or fewer PTO days.
Getting a breast reduction hurts less than you probably think
The pain was much more manageable than I thought it would be. I took prescription narcotics for the first two days and never thought my pain was higher than a 3 or 4 out of 10. I switched to just Tylenol on day three with no trouble. By day five, I just felt a bit sore, and by day 10 I was pretty much pain-free.
I rotated ice packs consistently the first few days to help with swelling. Make sure you have at least two big ice packs or four smaller ones so that you’ll always have enough that are cold. I did have fairly extensive bruising from the surgery (pictured below), but it looked worse than it ever felt.
Everyone handles pain differently, but I’d held off on the surgery for so long in large part due to the fear around how much it would hurt. And while it was uncomfortable at times, I really feel like any pain resolved quickly. I was surprised by how quickly I felt back to normal.
Sleeping may be challenging
Sleeping was one of the most difficult parts of recovery for me. I’m a side sleeper, and you have to sleep on your back for about two weeks after surgery. My practice gave me a neck pillow, which was helpful, but I ended up taking a sleep aid at night. If I hadn’t, I don’t think I would have slept well at all.
Because nighttime sleep may be difficult, take advantage of any naps you can get during the day. It was actually kind of nice to lie low for a couple of days without any responsibility and to snooze throughout the day while watching reality TV.
Not lifting your kids is hard
Your doctor won’t want you to lift your kids for six weeks after surgery. I prepared for this by doing things like having my girls practice getting in and out of their car seats themselves. But it was still hard not to instinctively pick them up to speed things along.
It was also tough when they would start to cry, and I couldn’t pick them up to hug them. Instead, I’d get down on the floor on their level and give them a hug, but it was still tough. By the end of the fourth week, I would occasionally get them out of the car, but did try hard to limit any heavy lifting until after my follow-up appointment.
I wish I had gotten them done sooner
The first time I saw my new breasts, I nearly cried. I’m still pleasantly surprised every time I take off my bra and see perky, smaller breasts staring back at me in the mirror.
About a month after my surgery, I went to a wedding. I wore two dresses that weekend that I would have never been able to wear before. They were both cut low enough in the front that a bra wouldn’t work. Before my surgery, that would have ruled them out instantly. Instead, I confidently wore the dresses without a bra and was shocked that my breasts stayed in place the entire night. I felt more confident than I have in a long time.
I’m relishing wearing bralettes, something else I’ve never been able to do. While I know I’m not as small as a B cup size, I don’t know where I ended up, as I haven’t put on a real bra since my surgery (nor do I intend to). My breasts no longer feel like a hindrance.
Having a breast reduction or getting any sort of plastic surgery is a big decision. But I’m so glad that I finally said yes to something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. My ‘new boobies’ have definitely been the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten.
Elliott Harrell, Contributing Writer
Elliott is a mom of two little girls and is based in Raleigh, NC. She spends her days running a sales team and doing laundry and her nights writing about the things that she loves. She’s passionate about all things motherhood and women’s health. When she’s not working, writing or parenting you can find her trying a new restaurant in town or working on her latest needlepoint project.
