My Kids are the Reason Pt.2
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Here’s a bit of my story..
I have had 4 babies and 4 C SECTIONS! I have been active with all of my kids, maybe too active with the last 2 as that’s when my issues started happening. With my 1st, Justin, I gained 45lbs, didn’t get any stretch marks, had an easy pregnancy but then had an emergency c section. It took me just under 2 years to feel that my body felt & looked the way it did pre pregnancy. Once I recovered from my c section I slowly starting adding exercises in and then exercised the same way I did before having Justin – did bootcamp classes, crunches, planks, ran, etc. I didn’t know any better and everything appeared to be ok.
Ava was my next pregnancy. At 20 weeks we were told she had some life threatening health issues and if the pregnancy went fullterm there was only a small 10% chance she’d survive. So pregnancy was emotionally awful and near the end I gained a lot of amniotic fluid when I should have been losing it. I had a c section and Ava was with us for 6 hours. I gained 50lbs, was an emotional wreck, had Justin to look after, had to face everything that comes with having a baby but had no baby to bring home. My “getting my body back” was a slower process this time and again I exercised the same as before pregnancy.
Jaxson was my 3rd. I was really active in my fitness biz and for myself as well. I had awful heartburn and could really only eat bread. I started noticing around 20 weeks that my stomach looked a bit strange when I would sit up of do some core work…that lead me to really research pre natal fitness and final specialist in the area that had the latest training / info. I stopped doing a lot of the ab exercises I was doing in hopes that this ab separation wouldn’t get worse. I again had a c section and really struggled with how to fit exercise in and what exercise to do, I had no feeling around my incision. PLUS, Jax screamed for 6-8 hours a day for 5 months…colic?!?! I had STRESS and felt so helpless. I went back to work at 6 weeks teaching fitness classes, personal training, etc.. My body was not near ready but I didn’t have a choice. Through demonstrating 2-3 reps of an exercise to my clients when my body wasn’t healed, I did a lot of damage and made it so my core muscles got weaker, not stronger.
Aiden, our surprise 4th was born 2 years after Jax. Pregnancy was very difficult and I suffered from a lot of pregnancy related issues. I was also working in fitness world 30 hours a week which was incredibly hard on my body. I got to a point half way through that I had to stop exercising completely. My 4th c section was a breeze, I was so anxious to get the pregnancy done. I was out of the hospital in less then 48 hours (not normal after a c section!). So, now I had 3 boys that demanded my attention, I had to go back to work 4 weeks after Aiden was born, my body was a mess. When could I fit exercise in and what should I do?! Between Jax & Aiden I had gone through the “proper” pre post natal exercises, etc so I thought. But there was actually a lot more I needed to know. So, after trying what I knew I should do, I turned to some core fitness experts and a pelvic floor physio! This is where I learnt that some of my core muscles were too toned, others were not doing anything, you could fit 6 fingers in between my abs – yes 6!!! I also found out that my internal core related muscles that only a pelvic floor physio can check were not functioning together and I had a minor prolapse! I put it all together, backed off all of my exercising except for some key core breathing exercises and BASIC core moves for 3 months…this killed me to not be so active. But I knew if I went back to bootcamps, or planks, or running, or squats & lunges, my core would get worse, my prolapse would get worse, my back ache would destroy me, and I would be left with a body I did not like.
Aiden was 15 months before I was able to start back at some “normal” activity and here I am at 18 months postpartum, doing “normal” exercises, proper core exercises which I stop as soon as I feel I don’t have control of my ab muscles anymore. High intensity jumping, running, wide squats, ab curls, etc will remain out of my fitness routine PERMANENTLY! I really need to pay attention to my body…just becaue I can hold a plank for 3 minutes doesn’t mean I should…the opposite actually. I know that when I get to about 45 sec, I can’t keep my core tight and I no longer have control of my pelvic floor muscles which means…STOP and progress 5 sec each time.
I love talking about fitness with women, especially in the pre post natal stage. Did you know that if you’ve had a baby you’re always post natal?!
If you are interested in working with me I do take on a 2 clients for 4-6 weeks at a time to lay a good foundation and educate so you don’t make the mistakes I did. I also lead a 4 week core prep and 4 week core recover class a few times a year. Send me an email and I can let you know if I’m accepting any new clients!
I hope my story gave you some things to think about, question, maybe learn some new info, etcI believe we should have access to the resources we need to live our optimal selves!