From an 8-9 finger gap to a 1-2 finger gap!!

Big Tummy updates for those that are interested or going through your own journey of healing after giving birth. This is long...and conversational....

For a few days, I totally believed I would need tummy surgery, and wouldn’t be able to pick Chase up for 6 weeks. The first doctor (sports doc) I talked to that actually KNEW what diastasis recti was told me I wouldn’t be able to support another baby without the surgery. Because he was the first doctor to actually address the issue, I believed everything he said. I posted on Facebook to get surgeon recommendations, and I had more doctor appointments for more opinions scheduled but not for a few weeks.

As the next few days went by I started to calm down and gather more information. I found moms through my mommy facebook page that have had the surgery, but I found most of them waited until AFTER they were done having kids. Many told me they tried PT only to find that the gap just wouldn’t close. I also found another woman who had a 6 finger gap and healed it back to a 3 finger gap in 18 months. There were so many kinds of stories out there. While small gaps are common (most don’t even know what it is or how to heal it), larger ones certainly aren’t that rare either (I found a lot of women online dealing with issues similar to mine). However, with so many different stories out there, I still didn’t know what to expect with my particular case.

I called my lactation specialist who was my angel the first few months with Chase. I couldn’t have breastfeed without her and valued her opinion. She told me to breathe and that I could have a baby whenever I wanted to and that I just might have to wear a girdle to support my belly (which I did with the first pregnancy anyway because my belly was HUGE). She said I am super strong and my body can definitely handle it. Okay, that isn’t so bad….still more info to go...

In the meantime, I am trying to get a damn script for PT. I wanted a freaking physical therapist to look at me and see what he/she thought about it. You would think I was trying to get a script for vicodin.

I called the OB office, and they refused to give me one since this was a post baby issue. The sports doctor refused to write me a PT script and told me if could heal this on my own then he would write an article about me.

I went back to the primary care doctor I saw. She told me originally that they “don’t do that” for DR since nothing is “wrong.” She did tell me after I saw the surgeon she recommended to me to call back if I still wanted the script. Okay, great….. I’ll have a surgeon feel around in there and see what they say.

I called the surgeon’s office, and they don’t want to see me without a CT. A CT???? I mean sure if I NEED a CT I will get one but can’t someone just FEELING MY F@#$ING STOMACH and give me an opinion first? If nothing is “wrong,” why do I need a CT? The hunt continues….

Next up...I had TWO really good PTs recommended to me that specialize in women issues, and they both knew the size of my gap and STILL wanted to see me. There was hope! I realized that I might need surgery but why not at least TRY to do it on my own or at least get an OPINION from someone that works with muscles all the time. With shaking hands, I called back the primary care office and asked for the script….I had to wait a day to see if it went through and it did. Thank goodness.

I met my PT. She really knew her stuff, and she also had been Crossfitting for 6 months and loving it. This helped because she could tell me what to do/not to do at the gym. For the most part I was on the right track with my Crossfit modifications- that was good news! I left the first appointment hopeful but realistic. She said she can’t make any promises but that we could try a few things. 1) she did some muscle release and massaging of my c section scar. The problem was that my abs were in the wrong place AND they were really strong and tight (so they weren’t moving). 2) She gave me some more intense stuff to do than the MuTu program I was doing at home. Basically, I squeeze together my fat, skin, and rectus abdominus muscles and do a slight sit up using my transverse abdominus. I started just barely lifting my chin but now she has me actually lift up my shoulders. I do this a few times a day.

Next up...an appointment with my old gynecologist (she doesn’t do deliveries anymore). She is amazing, so I had to wait 3 weeks to see her but it was well worth it. She knew what DR was and was so calm and helpful. The good news was I didn’t have a hernia (which was my other big concern- that would be surgery for sure). She told me to continue PT and see what comes of it, but she also suggested I also talk to a surgeon. She gave me the name of a plastic surgeon that is excellent but will not pressure surgery if it is not needed. Also, she said since my back hurts that he will be able to get the insurance to cover it (the other thing I was freaking out about). The most important news..I can have another baby whenever I want (not that we are ready yet). Another piece to the puzzle…and no surgery for now. Whew! I scheduled an appointment with the surgeon anyway just to gather more information for the future.

Well, I guess I should give the sports doctor a call back because…. my gap is down from 8-9 fingers to almost a 1. Yes… ONE!!?? I still can’t believe the progress that I had made in less than 2 months going to PT twice a week. The PT was beyond thrilled and called in other PTs to come check out this crazy story. And no one thought PT was going to do anything, huh?

I canceled my appointment with the surgeon for now, anyway.

Along with seeing the PT this is what I do each day:

~doing my special sit ups a few times a day

~lots of perfect planks

~I wrapped my stomach during the day for awhile. Now that I have healed my PT has told me to stop doing this since my abs are functioning better and she wants them to gain strength again.

~using PT tape on my stomach (see pictures). First, she did the cross taping, but now that I have healed more we just do the 3 strips across.

~still doing some of the MuTu exercises. Why not? anything that can help!

~laying off lifting heavy at the gym (staying moderate weight), no sit ups, no kipping pull ups, ring dips, or hspus (only strict in these movements), burpees on my knees, no T2b, no o lifting...doing extra KB work (sub this for barbell a lot of the time) and lots of lunges and squats! (Now that I am pretty much healed I get to slowly go back to doing all of these exercises which is so exciting for me. My PT is monitoring my every move :) )

~sitting up straight. This is way harder than you might imagine if you don’t pay attention to it. I don’t even sit that much during the day since I am not back to work yet…. but when I am sitting in a chair feeding chase, or sitting on the ground, or typing this blog… you better believe I am sitting up really damn straight.

~ no heels

~ I also just weaned completely, which I personally thinking helped me heal as my hormones re-regulated themselves.

~positive attitude

Even at a 1, my stomach still sticks out from extra skin, trauma, and who knows what else. I am trying hard to accept this, and it isn’t easy as no amount of working out and eating clean (which I do anyway) is going to make this better. So, I will post the pictures here in hopes that other moms are learning to love those post-baby bellies too. It sure as hell isn’t easy, but Chase is sure as hell worth it.

You have to advocate for yourself and fight hard for answers. Everyone that has DR, whether it is a 2 finger or an 8 finger, is going to have a different experience with the healing process along with other possible complications. However, there is not nearly enough education about this out there at ALL. Please pass along this information to any mothers you know. Both the during and after of my next pregnancy will be so much different with the knowledge I have gained. Stay tuned ;)

This is with 8-9 finger gap before I started this process. I posted this in my last blog.

These are the two different taping methods we have tried:

This is how I look right now:

Longer the journey, sweeter the success!

Well, it has been about month into my rehab to heal my tummy! I got upset just a few days ago wishing that progress would be a little faster. There is some progress that has been made, but it is smaller than I would like it to be. However, tonight I realized two things.

I should probably get a waist cincher! I was against this after my c section. I had a light binder I got from the hospital that I wore so I didn’t feel like my insides would fall out, but I never got anything more intense. I wanted to strengthen my abs more organically. After talking to Brianna Battles from Birthfit in California, I realized that these cinchers can help hold my split abs together and really help the healing process. So I am going to give the Squeem a try, wear it around the house while bending down and picking up Chase all day, fix my posture (been trying to be more aware but this thing won't allow me to hunch over), and keep an open mind. I am actually kind of excited about something else I can add into my healing practice. I’ll let you all know what happens. I hope I can breathe! :)

Cyndi Burnstein posted my video talking about the advisory program at New School High. A few of my former students wrote some nice things that made me cry. I literally just stood in the shower tonight and cried for like two minutes (so dramatic, typical). In the crazy high school teaching schedule you just keep moving along, wondering if anyone is really listening to you. Well, they are! Really! Similarly, I have been trucking along the last month doing my exercises, modifying at the gym, and wondering if it is going to help and wondering when I can do a heavy squat clean again. However, I keep reminding myself that once I am fully healed the success will be even sweeter since the journey has been much longer than expected. There is a reason I will never forget the day I got my first muscle up. I remember what I was wearing, who was there, what time it was, what the rings looked like...basically everything. That is because it took me six months to get there, along with mental and physical struggles along the way. These kind, thoughtful comments from my former students reminded me just how blessed I am to have been able to teach for the past ten years at three different schools, to be a part of the amazing New School High, to have such a happy son, to have a husband that is supportive of these goals in my life, and to have loving friends and family. Once my current goals are reached, I will feel AMAZING... and but then it will be on to new goals in fitness, career, and life. The journey is never ending. I cannot forget that.

** Since my last post I have talked to at least three other women that have realized they have DR that had no clue about it before...please help me spread the word! Here is the link to a GREAT article on diastasis recti by Brianna Battles!! Please send this around!!!!! I wish someone sent this to me before/during my pregnancy!

Part-time teacher next year, Mother all day, Crossfitter at noon

I’ve been thinking about writing something for the past few months to talk about my journey back into Crossfit after having my son Chase. I normally leave the gym each day with all these inspirational ideas in my head, then by the time night rolls around and Chase is asleep I feel like my head is just one big blur. I am still adjusting to stay at home mom life. I am sure once I get it all down, it will be time to start working again :) All of my inspirational thoughts probably would have only accumulated into a short little Facebook post. However, a few days ago I had a setback that demanded a blog post to actually happen.

Let’s start with this photo. This is a photo of my post-baby stomach in all of its glory (it used to be much larger). It isn’t pretty, but it bore human life (and a pretty cute one at that:) ). The reason I am showing you all my stomach that I normally spend so much time trying to hide with cute baggy blouses (thank god that style is in right now!) is to educate you. If you are a woman that likes to lift heavy and/or crossfit and also wants to have a baby, listen up!

When I got on the scale at the doctor I noticed I lost all but 4 damn pounds of my pre-baby, crossfit regional competitor, in-shape self. Damn! Well, that is exciting. I have been eating well and working out….. but….. WTF?! Why do I still look 5 months pregnant? I mean I plan to fully embrace the stretch marks, loose skin, and my c section scar. I don’t expect to have a 6 pack right now, and I am not asking for a miracle! However, having a weird, large, round, and hard belly (no, it isn’t even flabby fat which would totally make sense...) is unsettling.

I went to my new OB in Michigan, since I couldn’t see my doctor in LA, of course. She said everything looked fine, no hernia, uterus was good. I asked her to check my abs...yup, all was good. Hmmm.. I wondered...okay, well I did gain 50 pounds in the pregnancy, I have a short little torso, and I was pretty huge (a few friends told me they “feared for me” when she saw me around 40 weeks prego) ...so fine….I am just kinda screwed up and need more time to get back to normal. Makes sense! I am also still nursing so that can mess with hormones and whatnot. Plus, it hasn’t even been a year yet so I told myself to suck it up and move on, ...... back to Crossfit. I felt blessed that I recovered from major stomach surgery well (that is scary stuff!) and patted myself on the back for coming back slowly and not going too fast and hurting myself. I felt like I had EARNED all of my PRs that I was getting at 10 months postpartum. I was patient and now I finally get to push harder and harder! Bring it!! I was PRing like crazy during this #comeback process and feeling like I was getting MY body back. I felt fresh, fun, and free and would get excited to see what each day would bring. I was truly enjoying the journey because I had no deadline, no competition, no pressure but my own goals. It was invigorating.

Little did I know... I WAS hurting something .... I was separating my abs more and more, and I had no clue because everything felt totally fine. And this comes from someone that got pretty good at listening to her own body over the years of competitions. After talking to some more women, I learned I have diastasis recti. This is why my stomach was stuck. It isn’t serious but actually very common. I have a huge creepy gap in my abs. Lots of movements I do at crossfit like lifting heavy weight, preforming toes to bar, and doing sit ups makes this problem worse (Anything that pushes your abs outward). Instead, I needed to be strengthening my transversus abdominis muscles to bring the abs back together. If I would have known, I would have treated my recovery so differently. 2 steps forward, 1 step back….

When I found this out I had a little pity party for myself for about 48 hours, talked to as many people as I could to gather information, and then was ready to move forward. I was angry my OB in LA didn’t warn me. She knew me well and knew about my Crossfit life! So I had to look for answers. I was posting to forums online looking around in a panic for answers. I didn't realize I had accidentally posted one of my frantic questions so people could see it on the Facebook feed. I felt bad for having a pity party all over Facebook because I have so much to be thankful for and this was just a set-back in my Crossfit game. It isn’t too late to fix it, and I most likely will be able to do it on my own since I will be very diligent in my rehab exercises. However, I realized once it went public that I should totally just write about it and help to spread awareness! So I decided I will share my journey of healing my DR.

I have included a few links to websites that have helped me this past week. I am doing the MuTu program at home each night, looking to the Breaking Muscle recovery plan exercises to help me modify the WOD each day at Crossfit, and following Brianna Battles and her “Everyday Battles” blog. The night I sat down to start the MuTu program I listened to the introduction video and all the symptoms of DR and CRIED!!! I had every. single. thing. she. described! I may have been alone at home, but I have never felt in better company! FINALLY, someone was talking my language. FINALLY, it all made sense. And with the next kid (God willing) l will be prepared with a better recovery plan!

I'm grateful for the competitive mindset that I have learned from my Valley Crossfit family for the five years I was in LA. While that mindset helped me be a great local and regional competitor, it translated to my everyday life. I made a plan to move forward and kick this DR! Even though I will miss the feeling of maxing out on lifts and will have to wait a little longer to get my muscle up back….. it will be a new and different kind of journey that will allow me to learn even MORE about my body and in the end, when I do make a full comeback- it will be just be that much sweeter.

****Please forgive the conversational writing, grammar, and typos. I am a tired momma :) ****

Negativity around Crossfit?! Here are my thoughts.

That's it. I normally avoid heated debates on Facebook but I am going to make a statement about the negativity circulating Crossfit lately. You know what I am talking about- the one article on the pregnant crossfitter and the other one on rhabdo as a "dirty little secret."

First, everyone has a different pregnancy because every single woman is DIFFERENT. Period. What one woman can do is going to be completely different from someone else. Exercise will vary with every single woman and what they were doing BEFORE they got pregnant, whether it is walking or lifting weights doesn’t matter. If I suddenly stopped crossfitting, that would be pretty UNHEALTHY for myself. So, let’s start worrying about the shit we are eating or decreasing stress in our lives or something that will actually help us make healthy babies.

Second, I have been crossfitting for around 9 years. I was around well before Crossfit has gotten big and my friends and coaches have turned into celebrities. That being said, I have NEVER been seriously injured, and I certainly wasn't an athlete before Crossfit. Why? I had excellent coaches that taught me correct form, when to push and when to back off. I can name so many life changing stories over these 9 years due to Crossfit, whether it was losing a bunch of weight or just gaining confidence in some way or another.

The volume I was putting in once I decided to compete was TOTALLY different than what I was doing before this switch. There is a big difference in these competitive programs, so if someone new comes in and tries to do what the competitive athletes are doing right away then they will probably get hurt! Now that Crossfit is much bigger there are more gyms and, therefore, some places and some coaches might not be that great. Shop around and find a gym you feel comfortable at! Find a place that isn’t going to push you to where you feel uncomfortable!!! Good coaches will keep a close eye on people that are new. You will find that most gyms will make you feel very comfortable. Why would you pay all that money for a place that makes you feel scared anyway? There are so many Crossfit gyms now that you actually DO have a choice of where to go!

That being said, I know Crossfit isn’t for everyone. There are lots of ways to stay healthy and exercise!! Wahoo! However, Crossfit CAN be scaled to any level and I have seen extremely overweight people come in barely able to move and come out healthy, strong, and confident. This is because they aren’t alone; there is a sense of community; and everyone cares for each other. You might not get this same motivation at the gym when you are alone. So if you feel like you are not getting results with what you are doing, think about changing it up, whether it is Crossfit or something else with a community!

There are many more success stories with Crossfit rather than scary rhabdo stories. There is injury in every sport. If you don’t want to do Crossfit, then don’t do it….but talking crap about it doesn’t help promote fitness, whether you are a trainer yourself or someone that just heard some rumors. Just because a teacher is certified to teach doesn’t mean he or she will be really good at it. Think about all the crappy teachers you’ve had in your life. Yeah, they all had the same exact training as many of the good teachers. There are tons of trainers and coaches out there for all kinds of exercise and sport but unlike with school sometimes, you have a choice of who you pay to coach you.

Our bodies are meant to move, so let’s stay healthy folks!!!

Transitions

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. ~C. S. Lewis

I love to feel stable, secure, and in a routine. This past year of training has been awesome and helped me keep my shit together between teaching and grading essays and training and getting stronger. Jesse helped me with my performance nutrition; Katie sent programming along with helping me with my mental game; and Kris, Becca and my teammates helping me with my movements. Yup, it has been a pretty kick ass year. Training to be a regional competitor in Crossfit is no small task and can feel overwhelming at times, especially during weeks where PRs seem far away. One thing I learned was to allow myself to be sad when results didn’t go my way BUT shake it off quickly knowing that next week was going to be better. Learning to deal with the ups and downs of training allowed me to grow as a person and an athlete, be able to compete on our amazing team, and have a blast while doing it all.

Ever since regionals last year I have proclaimed to the world that I would compete one more year and then I wanted to start trying for a family, change priorities, spend more time with my husband and a little less time in the gym, see LA, and experience other things with my extra time not spent at school or grading papers. Well, that time has come. Regionals is over, another school year is drawing to a close, and....it’s time to transition..... and... it's weird.

Historically, this gal REALLY hates change. I'd rather stay in my little comfort egg. Luckily, I have grown a lot these past few years and learned how to embrace the unknown. I think back to the skills that I used to feel were impossible like muscle ups, rope climbs, hand walking, and even trying to balance all of my extra training with my job. I think back to how nervous I was for my very first competition. While I still get nervous for competitions (who doesn’t?!), somehow in the midst of it all, I have turned into a fierce competitor who can stay calm and focused and truly believe in myself in the heat of battle. Who knew this emotional, crazy, anxious girl could stay so composed out there on the competition floor? I sure didn’t when I started this journey.

Just in the past few days I found that once I let go of the pressures of competing, new passions instantly rose to the surface. For example, I want to finally get my Crossfit certification, so I can figure out how I can bring Crossfit to high schools. Teenagers need to learn how to be healthy, of course. However, most importantly, the lessons Crossfit teaches about perseverance and integrity are invaluable and I want to be a part of it.

I believe now more than ever that Jared and I can accomplish anything we set our minds to in the future. A family. A school. A company. Anything. The future isn’t as scary as it used to be because I plan to attack it head on, as the fierce competitor that I have grown to become.

Balance is the key

"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance." ~Brian Tracy

Everyday at around 3:40pm I start to hear the voices inside my head. I am so tired. School is so stressful. I have so much to do. I am exhausted. The kids took it all out of me. The stack of essays is starring at me. The laundry still isn’t folded, and I don’t know when I will have time to grocery shop. I feel a little nutty by this point of the day. However, unless I am really sick or something is wrong, I drag my ass to the gym. Most of the time, as my friends/coaches will attest, I won’t even say HI when I first get there. Certainly, those that know me well may be confused by this because….welll…I like to talk…a lot!! In fact, since my husband’s job has changed, he is home when I get home from school and is often confused (but maybe happy?!) by my silence. I need some time to completely shut down and reboot. During this reboot, I tell those voices to shut up because I know what awaits me at the gym. Whether I get a PR and have a great workout or have a shitty workout and feel disappointed, I am rejuvenated nonetheless. I feel like everything that I gave all day at school is now returned to me in some way. By the time the next morning comes around, I am ready to be Mrs. Ryan again. This balance, although hard to achieve, is something I have grappled with for the past few years. Isn’t balance something we all strive for? It isn’t easy. Things always need to be adjusted and it doesn’t always work. However, when it does, I am at my happiest and think that is probably true for most people. I took some time off of competing for a while for this very reason. While I was still putting in the same hours at the gym training hard, competitions on the weekends started to feel like a chore. I didn’t have my weekends to regroup, catch up on grading, and get good sleep. However, after a long hiatus, I competed on the VCF team (my first team competition) at the Winter ShakeDown! It was SO FUN; we got 3rd place, and my team was amazing! Competition was fun again for me, and it got me excited for the Open (thank goodness). Woot!

My own Hero's Journey! GO RUCK.

Go Ruck. It’s hard to put into words what we all went through- even for me, Ms. Chatterbox. However, it IS easy to fit it into the Hero’s Journey chart and made a GREAT lesson plan for The Odyssey Unit at school. So…here it goes!

Call To Adventure~Invites the initiate into the adventure, offers the opportunity to face the unknown and gain something of physical or spiritual value

A few months ago my friend Sagi had asked me if I every wanted to do Go Ruck. I asked what it was and then responded “maybe.” A few months after that Katie said she was asked to do it and was considering it. At this point, I decided my answer was YES. I emailed Sagi and committed to doing it.

Refusal of the Call~Often when the call is given, the hero temporarily refuses to heed it.

After I committed to do this, I started regretting it. I began to worry it was too much money, or too close to my camping trip and would interfere with my Crossfit training too much.... worried about the end of the trimester with school and too much grading..…but I realized that this was THE time to do it because I WAS scared. So I paid my money and got the confirmation email.

Threshold~The “jumping off point” for the adventure

1am. Venice Beach Fishing Pier. Anton and Mike stuck around for a little while watching us get wet and miserable doing bear crawls in the ocean…but Mike left…then shortly afterwards so did Anton…then shit got real.

Challenges~Situations that put the initiate at risk, emotionally and physically, forcing him to change and grow. Strike the initiate’s greatest weakness, poorest skill, shakiest knowledge, most vulnerable emotions.

Katie and I were chosen to lead the group early on. I was scared shitless! They took us out of the line and I had NO idea why because we weren't in a routine OR working as a team just yet. While Katie was the one that really took charge and got into her awesome coach mode with organizing movement of the huge log, I still had responsibilities and had to get rid of fears and weaknesses to help Katie lead the group.

Revelation~A sudden, dramatic change in the way the initiate thinks or views life; an insight or discovery about himself or life

Once the sun came up and we were done with the log, I thought everything would get better....but....it got worse as I realized we had hours left to go... so I had to change my mindset to get through the journey ahead.

Abyss~The greatest challenge of the journey.

For me, this was the last few miles. Everything hurt. So much pain. I hated all the people looking at us on Venice Beach. Just when I thought we were almost done, the cadre made us run through the sand to the ocean. This is when I cried.

Transformation~A moment of death and rebirth, a part of the initiate dies so that a new part, the hero, can be born

Shortly after this moment and also feeling like I was going to drown in the ocean, the cadre yelled at us to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and keep our chins up…so I got it together and kept my chin up for the last mile.

Atonement~The hero is “at one’ with his new self and life; the changes caused by the journey are at an end, and the hero is content with who he has be come

I was damn proud to get that GO RUCK patch 12.5 hours later, even if it was just after I got done crying….

Return~The hero returns to the known and his everyday life with a boon bestowed upon him based on his new level of skill and awareness.

Well, this about sums it up. Going to work on Monday was a strange feeling. I talked to a few other friends while they were at work and they ended up telling their co-workers that they slept all weekend because it was too hard to explain what the hell we just did. One thing was for sure though- we sure FELT different! Cheers to Troop 307!