You carry your little miracle around, all safe and cozy, for nine months, and what do you get in return? (Aside from the heart-melting blob of cooing, gurgling adorableness who becomes your ... everything.) If you're like most women, you get a brand new body -- one with stretch marks, a new human's worth of sagging skin around your belly and, post-breastfeeding, deflated boobs that hang dangerously close to what used to be your waistline.

The professional assessment? "Pregnancy wreaks havoc on a woman's central torso," says Barry M. Weintraub, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City. Enter: the mommy makeover, a series of plastic surgery procedures that target those post-birth trouble spots.

A "mommy makeover" is a marketing term for a number of procedures done at one time, usually a combination of tummy tuck, breast lift, breast augmentation and liposuction, according to Dana Khuthaila, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon who performs several mommy makeovers a month.

Combining these procedures into one surgery has pros and cons. On the plus side, it's less expensive than spreading it into multiple surgeries, you spend less time out of commission, and you don't have to go under anesthesia multiple times.

"Taking the time off work and organizing help while recovering can be much simpler with one surgery," says Dr. Khuthaila.

Mommy makeovers run from $12,000-20,000, depending on where you live and the number of procedures you're having done. RealSelf, an online forum where users share their plastic surgery experiences, reports an average cost of $12,475. Because the surgeries are grouped together, the cost is less expensive than if each surgery were performed separately.

Is it ever covered by insurance?

No. These surgeries are considered cosmetic, elective procedures. Some doctors offer payment plans, like CareCredit, a medical credit line.

Dr. Weintraub says anyone can get a mommy makeover (especially those who have lost a lot of weight over a short period of time), but the combination of surgeries is named as such because it addresses common concerns women face after giving birth.

Khuthaila notes that women should be realistic about the results that they will be able to achieve. "A good candidate is someone who has clear objectives about what she wants corrected and has realistic expectations of the results. It is imperative to have an extensive consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon who knows how to deliver these results," says Dr. Khuthaila.

Dr. Weintraub says that skin can still accommodate a child after a mommy makeover, though he recommends that women wait until they're done having children to have the procedure.

Recovery time following these extensive procedures is extremely important. Khuthaila says that initial recovery (meaning, you can get out of bed, walk around on your own, and be relatively independent) can take one to three weeks. She recommends taking at least two weeks off of work, and plan to have help at home for those first weeks, especially if you have an infant or toddler. Lifting heavy objects (anything over 10 pounds -- including your kiddos) is a no-no. Typically, it takes four to six weeks to resume your normal exercise routine.

Complications aren't uncommon, and can range from minor (delayed wound healing) to long-term (loss of feeling in nipple area). Other complications include hematoma (internal bleeding), infection, asymmetrical breasts, scarring or seroma (leaking fluid).