Considering MIL is around to remind me I am "soft" in the middle, I did NOT need to read this article in Brain, Child magazine about mommy makeovers, or "mom jobs."

In the "Mom Job," 41-year-old writer Melissa Stanton visited various plastic surgeons to fix her tummy, which was stretched beyond recognition after the birth of twins. You would be surprised by how common the procedure is:

I decided to just see what a plastic surgeon would say about my situation. I met with the top surgeon in a prominent cosmetic surgery practice near where I live in suburban Washington, D.C.

Yes, my condition could only be fixed with surgery, said the physician I’ll call Dr. Barry. He confirmed that because I’m small (barely five foot, two inches), my midsection had been stretched to the extreme in order to accommodate my full-term twins. My skin’s elasticity was shot. Internally, I had a vertical split in my abdominal musculature (diastasis recti), which meant I had an exceptionally wide gap where my muscles had once touched. Diet and exercise wouldn’t restore the skin’s tightness or reposition my spread muscles. An abdominoplasty—a surgical procedure that corrects a protruding or loose and sagging abdomen—would do the trick, though, he said.

Then the conversation took an unexpected turn—unexpected to me, at least. Dr. Barry asked if I had any interest in breast augmentation, in addition to the abdominoplasty. When I said I didn’t want implants, he noted that since my breasts were full, just fallen, I could have a lift without implants.

I was taken aback. I was okay with my breasts, I assured him. It was my belly I was upset about. He accepted that, yet went on to explain how I could use the opportunity presented by the tummy tuck to liposuction some excess flab from my flanks (those pesky “love handles”) and thighs (to remove my “saddlebags”). I’d already be paying for the anesthesia and operating room, Dr. Barry pointed out; the liposuction could be added at a reduced rate. I left the consultation feeling even more self-conscious about my body. I knew my belly was a mess, but I had no idea so much else was wrong with me.

It was only later that I realized what had happened in that room. It’s called “upselling”—using a customer’s desire for a particular product or service as a springboard to sell them more than what they came in for. I had gone in to inquire about a tummy tuck; Dr. Barry saw an opportunity to sell me a “Mom Job.” Also known as a “Mommy Makeover,” this three-part surgical package typically includes breast reshaping (implants and/or a breast lift), abdominoplasty, and liposuction (also called “body sculpting” or “body contouring”) to remove fat from thighs, waistline, and other trouble spots. The package features a discount and an enticing get-it-all-over-with-at-once opportunity.