Discovering my diastasis recti, and how I am healing it, Part 2

A couple of weeks late, but I am finally back for my 6 week update on my diastasis recti and how I am using the Tupler Technique to heal it.  If you read Part 1 of my journey you might be curious about my experience over the last 6 weeks.  If you haven't read it, please do, as it explains WHAT diastasis recti is, why it is important to check for it, how I discovered I had it, why I chose the Tupler Technique to attempt to heal myself, etc. 

Doing the Exercises
As I mentioned in Part 1, the Tupler Technique is no small commitment.  That became more and more true the further I went with the program.  You are expected to complete the specified exercises 3 times a day.  The number of "reps" and sets of exercises gradually increase (as your transverse muscles get stronger and can handle more challenge) and therefore take a little bit more time to complete as time goes on.  I would say that at first it took me 5-7 minutes to do the exercises (3 times a day).  By week 6 I would say it usually took me more like 15-18 minutes to do them.  That is no small thing when you're home with 4 small kids, homeschooling, and barely have enough time to take a bathroom break during the day as it is!  Making time for the exercises required planning ahead and prioritizing them over other things some days.  I found that I just HAD to do the morning ones before my kids got up and we started our day.  Otherwise I would never pause long enough to do them.  I tried to do the mid-day exercises as soon as I put the kids down for afternoon naps.  Defintely NOT what I wanted to do as soon as I finally had a few quiet minutes to myself, but I did it anyway.  Healing the diastasis was just that important to me.  I knew that I was committing to the program, wanted to do it the right way, all the way, and have no excuses to not see results. I did the evening exercises after the kids went to bed while I watched part of a show or something (little reward for myself, if I had to sit there and do them, I might as well be pleasantly distracted ;-).  Of course there were days here and there where I didn't fit all of the exercises in!!  That usually happened with the middle of the day sets if we were out and about or just too busy.  But I very rarely (as in, almost never) just let myself be lazy if I was at home and just didn't "feel like" doing them.  That's where my competitive nature comes in handy for once, ha!  I wouldn't let myself just not do them without a good reason.

Splinting
The splint is annoying.  It just is.  However, it definitely loosens up after the first week or two and you just get a lot more used to it!  At first I couldn't imagine how I would wear the thing for months on end, but it really wasn't that bad after the first week or two.  I started in summertime in Colorado.  It's hot here, man!  I had envisioned trying to wear a thin, tight-fitting tank top, then the splint, then another loose-fitting tank top or t-shirt over to "hide" the splint.  But after the first day I realized that I actually didn't care at all what it looked like.  I probably only covered it up with another layer a couple of times in 6 weeks!  I bought the tan color and the black color (not necessary to buy 2, but I wanted to be able to wear both colors and work out in them so I needed to be able to wash them easily without worrying about not having one be dry, etc).  I bought a few tight-fitting tank tops from Target.  Just basic, black, wife-beater style (what an aweful description!) and one with prettier lacy straps.  I wanted them to be fitted so that I could wrap the splint over them and not make them bunch up and look weird.  A lot of the time people didn't even notice I was wearing the splint when I wore the black one over a fitted black tank top!  And if someone asked, it was just a good opportunity to share about an issue that people need to be more aware of anyway.  I don't worry about covering it up or hiding it.  I just don't care that much what it looks like....and it's hot in Colorado!  I really did wear the splint around the clock (except for showering) for the whole 6 weeks.  Like I've said, if I was going to go to all this effort, I wanted to do it right!  Do the exercises diligently, and wear the splint as directed.  Here is a picture of how I wore it just around the house every day.  If I went out I usually wore the black one with a black tank, but I never took a picture wearing that one, apparently.

The Ups and Downs
The ups...  As the weeks went on I definitely felt my TA (transverse abdominals) getting increasingly stronger.  I got into more of a habit of engaging my core constantly during all of my daily activities.  My bellybutton went back in after being "out" post babies.  My low back stopped bothering me.  And honestly I was finally more than just "hopeful" about having a fairly flat stomach after 4 kids.  My abs looked BETTER in the mirror, even though I had completely stopped exercising for the time being.  (It's always nice to exercise less and look better...ha!  If only that worked all the time...)  I could definitely tell it was working and as I checked myself (at the bellybutton, and about 3 inches above and 3 inches below) I saw the finger width begin to close.
   
The downs...  As the reps/sets increased each week it was harder to make time for them.  Still doable!  But challenging.  I also found that it is extremely important to keep your neck and shoulders relaxed while doing the exercises.  It is easy to tense up and hunch your shoulders as you're concentrating on counting and thinking about which core muscles you're using, etc.  I make a very conscious effort every time I do them to keep my shoulders down and relaxed.  Otherwise you run the risk of building up too much tension in your upper back and neck which can cause problems.  I was aware of this all along so tried to prevent that from happening.  I could tell that I was still getting really tight in my neck about weeks 4/5 and I was about due for a trip to my chiropractor.  It depends on how you feel about "alternative" treatments, but I think chiropractic and massage are important, or at the very list beneficial, while doing this program. The human head is heavy!  When you add in a lot of "head lifts" 3 times a day it's bound to put stress on the neck and shoulders from dead lifting that weight (even if you're using correct form).  Having your spouse do a few minutes of deep massage on your neck and shoulders helps a ton!  And if you're feeling that it's still tightening despite that, a chiropractic adjustment and some of their pressure point work to release tension is key!  I learned my lesson the hard way.  I felt my neck and shoulders getting more and more stressed and I kept putting off a visit to my chiropractor because we were busy starting the school year and I put myself on the back burner.  Then during week 6 I tilted my head back in the shower to rinse my shampoo and totally tweaked my neck!  It was under a lot of strain already and I hadn't been good about loosening it up with massage.  That little movement in the shower was just the last straw and I heard a few little pops and knew what I had done (been down that road before).  Couldn't turn my head without pain!  Anyway, went to my chiro that afternoon and took and few days off of doing the head lifts (kept up the seated contracting exercises) to let things settle down in my upper spine.  Just something to be aware of!  The exercises work, but they do put consistent stress on your neck and shoulders 3 times a day!

My 6-week check in
When I started the Tupler Technique I asked Brooke (the licensed Tupler Technique gal I saw in Denver - check www.diastasisrehab.com for someone local to you!) if it usually takes the whole 18 weeks to heal it, or if it really varies between clients.  She thought I could potentially heal mine closer to 6-10 weeks with the program.  That is because I already had some core strength built up (not great transverse, but not starting from zero, either), I have been a life-long athlete, familiar with how to isolate and use particular muscles, wanted to be disciplined following the program, etc.  I also exercised throughout a couple of pregnancies, and in between pregnancies when I had time (not too long because my kids are all fewer than 2 year apart!).  I had also been working out hard for 6 months or so prior to discovering that I had diastasis recti, so I wasn't concerned about losing weight or changing my diet.  I really just needed to heal the diastasis and that was the only issue. Brooke does a great thing with her practice in that she does free "belly checks" for anyone who wants to come by.  Fabulous way to know for sure if you have diastasis, how bad it is, and what your personal plan could look like to fix it (group class, DVD's on your own, 1 or 2 private sessions with her, etc).  I paid for a 1-hour consultation with her to begin the program, but then went back to see her at 6 weeks for a free "belly check" so she could check my diastasis progress, write down my updated measurements, and take a second set of pictures.  I was nervous to go because it was kind of my "moment of truth" for someone to officially tell me if my work was paying off, and how much further I needed to go for complete healing. 

Well, let me tell you, that was a shocking appointment!  First she looked at my guide book where you log all of your check marks each day for the exercises.  She said I had been extremely consistent (I missed some here and there, but I guess she could tell that I was very intentionally about sticking to the program).  She checked my abs (as you are supposed to do while lying down on the floor) and hesitantly, but excitedly, pronounced me "healed" from the diastasis!!!!  After only 6 weeks!  I was stunned!  If you remember from Part 1, I started with a 4 finger gap at all 3 spots (bellybutton and 3 inches above and below) and my connective tissue between the gap was considered "deep" (as in you can press deep in between your abdominals when you're checking for diastasis) on bottom and middle and "medium/deep" at the top (out of shallow, medium, and deep options).  After 6 weeks my measurements (top to bottom) were now 2 fingers wide and "shallow" depth, 2.5 fingers and medium/shallow, and 2 fingers and shallow.  If you've been pregnant then anything approximately 2 fingers wide or less is considered normal.  Some separation occurs naturally during pregnancy and no one ever has zero gap between their abdominals.  That's why the connective tissue functions to keep them together and strong.  So even though there is still a slight gap, it is considered healed and normal.  The connective tissue is a major factor so going from deep to shallow is a big improvement!  The middle place you measure, right at your bellybutton, is always going to be a little different than above and below it because the bellybutton is there and is always going to make the connective tissue  slightly weaker there, so a shallow/medium depth in the very middle is "normal" for me after 4 pregnancies!

The proof is in the pictures...
Well, I kept debating whether or not I really felt like posting a picture of my stomach online for who knows how many people to see.  Not exactly something I was looking forward to.  However, when I began researching diastasis recti I had a really hard time finding any articles or blogs that showed before and after pictures of people who stuck with the program.  A number of them posted pictures and measurements when they started out, but usually they dropped off and didn't continue with the splint and exercises.  So, in the spirit of hopefully helping someone else on a similar journey, here are the pictures for you.  The first two are the day I started.  Herniated bellybutton and it's pretty obvious that I have diastasis recti!  These pictures show what I looked like being back down to my pre-pregnancy weight, working out hard for 6 months, and my stomach looking WORSE the more crunches I did.  This is as bad as it's ever looked after losing baby weight.  That's how I knew something was wrong: exercise was only exacerbating the problem.

Day 1 of the Tupler Technique

 The second set of pictures were taken at my 6 week check in with Brooke.  Same camera, same lighting, same room as the first set of pictures.  And these were after NOT working out at all for 6 weeks.  Obviously all those crunches I was doing were making the situation a lot worse!!! (If only I had known about this before and saved myself a lot of time and head ache!).  These pictures are after 6 weeks of doing the Tupler Technique exercises, but no exercise beyond that.  In fact, I think I even gained a pound since I stopped working out during the program.  My bellybutton went back in after only a couple of weeks.  (SIDE NOTE: in the second set of pictures I still think my bellybutton looks a little jacked up at the top even though it's back "in."  That's because during college I made the very wise decision to pierce my bellybutton.  Not that uncommon, right?  But when you're a college soccer player...not so smart.  Even with it all taped up it got ripped out during one of my soccer games, which left a nice little scar, which then stretched during 4 pregnancies.  Live and learn....Dad, be proud that I'm finally admitting it was stupid - and thanks for not disowning me at the time).

Week 6 of the Tupler Technique

 Here is a side-by-side of just the front shots so you can see the difference.  Of course it doesn't always look exactly like this and may look different depending on the time of day, if I've been doing the exercises, etc.  It is normal for your muscles to stretch out as the day goes on and your stomach to bloat a little bit by later in the day.  So even though it won't always look exactly like this, I am looking forward to learning more core exercises that are not crunching, in order to continue to improve my core strength and keep definition consistently.  There are plenty of ways to work your core with stabilizing exercises, planks/push ups, standing and side lying exercises, etc.  I am just now on a mission to learn as many of those as I can to replace traditional ab workouts!

Day 1 vs. Week 6

Where I'm at now...
Honestly?  I'm totally paranoid that the diastasis is going to open back up again now that I'm not splinting.  Brooke assured me that all I need to know is that I have a great measurement for what to do and what not to do in order to make sure it doesn't separate again: as long as you can keep your transverse at 5th floor when exercising, that exercise is fine!  If you can't keep it at 5th, then don't do it.  Those terms make sense once you start the program ;-)  I am doing the TT exercises 2-3 times a day, and also starting to add in total body workouts again (slowly!).  I have never had to exercise with modifications in mind or really having to think that hard about what I'm doing.  It's a whole new world now!  My brain hurts just thinking about holding my TA correctly during each repetition of every exercise, making sure I'm doing "belly breaths" (so as not to add extra strain on the connective tissue), etc.  But it's inevitable that I need to learn to work out with these muscles in mind, so I might as well get used to it.  I am attempting to return to the Bikini Body Guide (aka My Favorite Workout).  However, it does incorporate quite a bit of core work on the floor (crunches, jackknifes, leg lifts, etc) which I will need to swap out for "diastasis friendly" core work.  If I go along and decide it's just too much work to change so many things in the routine, then I will try a different work out program which uses primarily standing/stabilizing/side-lying core exercises.

Now you know one of my biggest fears: that the DR will return and go back to the way it looked before.  I guess actually writing that out is a form of accountability for me.  I will post pictures in 2 or 3 months once I've settled into a consistent workout routine, without splinting (except for during exercise, at first), and see how things are looking.  I'm curious, myself!  And a bit nervous.

Important Thought: 
You CANNOT heal the diastasis, then quit the program and not incorporate exercise into your daily life, if you expect it to stay healed.  Think about it.  You'll spend weeks and weeks building that transverse muscle and doing exercises 3 times a day.  If you just quit everything all together and return to life as you lived it before, of course the diastasis will re-open!  Any muscles that you build will not keep their strength without continued exercise.  Now I begin the journey of learning to modify every exercise I do.  Bicep curl include a TA squeeze from 5th to 6th (as they say with the TT).  A push-up includes a core tightening squeeze at the right point.  Everything from now on should incorporate a transverse muscle work out.  It's a bit overwhelming, but I am determined to keep the diastasis closed AND be in good shape!

Thanks for sharing in my journey.  I really hope that my story and the pictures are helpful for someone out there, since I myself had a hard time finding the type of step by step blog post that I was looking for.  Please feel free to share on Facebook, or leave a comment if you're in the same boat!  It always nice to know we're not alone in something new, and potentially discouraging at first :)  Blessings!

Heidi

Discovering my diastasis recti, and how I am healing it, Part 1

Hello!  So, my most recent post was all about my favorite new workout...and why it's awesome.  Today I'm going to tell you about why I've had to STOP working out.  Greeeeat, right!?  It's a major bummer, but a definite necessity.  I will try to keep it fairly short...but I'm not very good at that.  (HERE IS THE LINK TO PART 2 OF THIS POST)

I've been loving my workout (link above) for 6 months or so.  Post baby #4 I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I saw results.  So encouraging to have toned arms and legs again (after a lot of hard work!), and feel much stronger in my daily activities.  I could see more and more definition at the top and on the sides of my abs, but the mid-lower sections of my abs seemed to be looking WORSE the more core workouts I did.  "How is this possible!?" I thought.  All of the crunching, planks, leg lifts, etc., and I felt like I now looked 3 months pregnant, instead of (just!) 2 months pregnant as I always felt post baby #3 and #4...  And I should note that I was back down to my pre-pregnancy weight, and looking much more "fit" all around.  I was pleased with the muscle definition in my arms and legs and everywhere else!  I think that is exactly why I started to think that something wasn't right in my abs.  It wasn't a "baby weight" issue, and I was lean/muscular everywhere else.  It doesn't ad up to look worse with more and more exercise and strength.  I was also starting to have some low back pain.  Enter: Diastasis Recti.  Why this condition is not more common knowledge and something that EVERY woman is taught about during and after pregnancy is completely beyond me.  It is so very common, and yet almost never diagnosed.  And even if it is diagnosed, there's no suggestion that you could potentially heal it!  So what IS it, you ask?  Well, I am going to borrow someone else's definition since it's summed up better here than I could ever word it.  From www.diastasisrehab.com:

"Diastasis Recti, a condition often ignored by the medical community, is a problem that screams for more attention, and that is why Everybelly® should be checked for a diastasis recti. 
Everybelly® means all women (baby or no baby), men and children.  Many people have a diastasis recti and just don’t know it!
A diastasis recti is a separation of your outer most abdominal muscles. The job of these muscles (called rectus abdominis), is to support your back and your organs.
So why should you care if your muscles are separated? Because separated muscles are weak muscles. Separated muscles cannot do their job of supporting your back and organs. To achieve a strong core, your muscles must be close together.
When the muscles separate, the connective tissue (linea alba) joining these muscles stretches sideways.  This sideways stretching of the connective tissue causes it to become thinner and weaker.  So what happens is this weak saran wrap-like connective tissue is now ineffectively supporting your belly button, back and organs, instead of the muscles if they were close together.
The cause of a diastasis is from continuous stretching of, and intra-abdominal force and pressure on, this connective tissue that joins your outer most abdominal muscles. Right smack in the middle of this connective tissue is your belly button which is a weak spot. That is why when the connective tissue stretches sideways your belly button will become an “outie”.  Pregnancy and doing crunches are examples of intra-abdominal “force” on the connective tissue. Wearing a front loading baby carrier or being in a hands and knees position are examples of “pressure” on the connective tissue.  Movements where you arch your back will flare your ribs. This flaring will stretch your connective tissue. An example of this movement is swimming.   
Everyone is born with their muscles separated! Usually, the muscles come together when we are three years old after our nervous system has developed. But this does not necessarily happen with everyone.  Because our belly button is a weak spot in the connective tissue, even if the muscles do come together, there is always the risk that they may come apart again.  
A diastasis can be closed on anyone at any time.  It does not matter when you had your baby or even if you have had a baby at all! Closing a diastasis is all about healing the connective tissue.  Everyone’s connective tissue will heal at a different rate. It depends on the “condition” of your connective tissue.  The weaker your connective tissue the longer it will take.  Also, the connective tissue on people who have stretch marks will take longer to heal.
Healing the connective tissue is all about putting it in a better (narrow) position, bringing blood flow to it and protecting it when doing any type of activities so it is not being stretched nor does it have any intra-abdominal force or pressure on it.
 
So if you stuck with me through all of that reading, nice work!  You may have gathered what I learned, which is this: crunches and all traditional "jackknife" type core movements (like a crunch) are the absolute WORST thing you can do if you have diastasis recti.  Because I didn't know I had it, I had started making it worse with all of the ab work I was doing.  Depressing, right!?  The reason so many moms look a couple of months pregnant indefinitely after having babies is because the connective tissue is weak and your abdominal muscles don't hold your organs in as well as they should.  Kind of creepy to think that the little "mommy tummy," as it's often referred to, is your organs pushing out further than they are supposed to!  Also definitely explains the low back pain I was starting to experience.  If your core isn't strong and doing it's job, other parts of your body will definitely suffer.  And all the crunches in the world won't make your core truly strong if you have diastasis recti!  I've learned it has nothing to do with weight or how all around "fit" you are (unfortunately!).  It is easy to check yourself to see if you have diastasis recti (look it up online like anything else).  If you do, then you should definitely not be doing any jackknife exercises, which I learned the hard way!  And, I would strongly encourage you to look into how to "heal" it.  People do physical therapy for all kinds of injuries.  Think of this as physical therapy, to heal an "injury" you sustained from pregnancy.  And this could happen after 1 or 6 pregnancies!  Doesn't matter how many times or how long it's been since you were pregnant.

As I started researching and reading I continually came across the "Tupler Technique" (www.diastasisrehab.com) as a way to heal diastasis recti.  Plus I had one friend who highly recommended it and used it after each of her pregnancies for a quick heal.  I wish I had known before and during my 4 pregnancies so I could have healed it right away, instead of making it worse!!!  Google will give you diagrams and definitions, and there lots of exercises on Pinterest that you can do, but in my opinion, in order to truly heal it correctly and permanently, you HAVE to learn the correct way to do so.  Otherwise you risk re-opening your diastasis if it's not fully healed and if you haven't learned what movements to avoid (aside from just crunches).  There are a couple of other programs out there with a comprehensive healing plan.  After many late nights reading blogs and vlogs and reviews and websites, talking it over with my husband, and running it by my chiropractor, I decided on the Tupler Technique.  But you don't have to just take my word for it!  Do some digging and see what looks best to you! 

So now that we all know WHAT diastasis recti is, how extremely common it is, and that it can be healed, I will touch on what it looks like to go through the program.  The TT (Tupler Technique) requires that you wear an elastic splint 24/7 (except in the shower).  Yeah, it sucks as much as it sounds like it might.  It's not painfully tight at all!  Just annoying to wear.  But I totally understand the importance of it now.  You also do exercises 3 times a day.  I think the easiest way to explain them is like doing kegals, but for your abs (all you moms out there know what I mean!).  Learning how to isolate and strengthen specific parts of your core.  The program is technically 18 weeks.  Extreme diastasis can take longer to heal, and on the other hand it can take fewer than 18 weeks to heal, as well.  I am praying I can heal mine closer to 6-10 weeks!  You can't do any exercising for the first 3-6 weeks (depending on the severity of your diastasis).  THAT is the part that kills me!!!  I finally did all this work to get back in shape...and then I had to stop.  Completely.  That's why I wish I had known about it sooner before I even started working out (I wait until baby is about a year old to start working out so I can be done breastfeeding since exercise compromises my milk supply).  When you start working out again it's gradual and you need to modify things so you don't make the diastasis worse.  It's too much to describe in this post, but the TT DVD shows you how to start exercising again, or you can do your own thing (like I plan on doing) if you have good body awareness and can isolate those transverse abdominal muscles correctly while you exercise. 

Even when I do start working out again, I will never be able to go back to doing "crunch" type exercises.  Ever!  It can reopen your diastasis very quickly.  So even once you're fully "healed" you can do all kinds of planks, stabilizing workouts, side lying and standing core exercises, but never crunches again.  If you can picture "hinging" at the waste, that movement is fine.  But lying on your back and curling upwards in a crunch motion makes it physically impossible (no matter how great of shape you're in!) to activate your transverse muscles, and that's how you widen diastasis recti.  Not good.  So for me....and many many many more people out there...goodbye crunches! (which, really, I am not that upset about, to  be honest, lol)  Once your diastasis is healed you can return to most regular exercise!  YAY!  The workouts I've been doing rely heavily on planks/push-ups/burpees/etc.  I will go back to doing the same workout program, but will significantly modify the "ab day" workouts.  Taking out jackknife movements and replacing them with diastasis-approved core work ;-)  Push-ups and those kinds of things are fine once you're healed!  As long as you can hold in your transverse, any exercise is fine.

I purchased the splint and DVD and guidebook (to track your exercises) all online.  I was going to put off starting the program until this fall.  I didn't want to wear the splint when it was hot outside, and selfishly I wanted to continue working out for a couple more months.  But after really thinking about it, I realized that was kind of stupid, ha!  I had stopped doing all of the core parts of my workouts.  So I was getting stronger in my arms and legs and pushing myself, but my core was getting weaker.  That's a recipe for injury, right there!  Your core is vitally important for all kinds of exercise.  But I couldn't strengthen my core until I healed the diastasis.  Plus, my husband and I play co-ed indoor soccer and it was scheduled to start in a couple of months.  I couldn't play soccer during the 6 weeks of no exercising.  As much as I didn't want to, I realized there was no point in delaying once I knew what was inevitable.  So I got ready to start!

A friend of mine in Seattle realized she also had diastasis recti.  She went on the TT website and actually found a local Tupler Technique Licensee.  I decided that after watching the DVD I still had some questions I wanted to be able to ask someone, and I also wanted someone to check my diastasis and measure how bad it was to make sure I was doing it correctly.  I didn't need a "class" to do the program with - I am pretty self-motivated and am very aware of different forms of exercise.  But I wanted someone to just make sure I was doing the exercises correctly, check my measurements, and then I could go do it on my own.  I found a local TT Licensee in Denver and reached out to her for help.  If I was going to give up working out for a period of time, and wear the darn splint, I wanted to make sure I was doing EVERYTHING right so I could heal it as quickly and completely as possible.  No "trying" the program and half way getting it right, and then wonder why I didn't see the results I wanted.  I wanted to do it well.  We set up a 90 minute meeting so I could ask all my questions, she could check my diastasis, and we could walk through the exercises together to make sure I was on the right track.  She was fabulous.  Worth every penny.  I got my questions answered and it felt a little more legit than just buying the DVD and products off of a website ;-)  You can start through a Licensee and get the products you need through them.  You can have group accountability if you need.  I had just already purchased the DVD and what I needed so I was only looking for a little bit of help getting started.

As of today, I am 2 weeks in to the program.  You guys, I can't even tell you amazing it is to see results within the first 4 or 5 days.  This program HAS to be done consistently and with dedication, otherwise you will NOT get the results they talk about.  My stomach is already flatter just after the first week.  In my second week I noticed another crazy thing.  Post-pregnancy my bellybutton had gone from "in" to being flat and weird looking.  Again, you moms know what I mean...  Nothing jacks up your stomach like pregnancy, lol.  A herniated bellybutton can be no big deal, but can also turn in to a bigger deal!  Something to have checked out.  Well in the second week of the program, my bellybutton was back in again.  It hasn't looked like that in 7 years, ya'll.  Such a random and unexpected "perk" of healing diastasis!  Anyway...

I am going to continue doing the program myself at home, and then go back to Brooke (my TT "person") at 6 weeks so she can check my diastasis, re-do all of my measurements, compare before and after pics, and just get a report of how I am doing and how close I am to being healed.  She took side and front view pictures of my stomach the day we started, and she will take pictures again at 6 weeks.  If I get up the courage to post those, I will ;-)  I plan to do another blog post after my 6 week "check up" to show my personal progress and discuss other bumps in the road or discoveries along the way.  I am hopeful for no more low back pain, and a fairly flat stomach after having 4 kids!  Both of which I thought might never happen - no matter how hard I worked out. 

Once you're at your goal weight and working out regularly, it's so discouraging to realize you may not be able to get your body back as much as you'd hoped.  And OBVIOUSLY I will NEVER look the same as I did before babies.  Nor do I want to!!  I love to be in shape, but that looks different after babies, which is perfectly normal and expected.  I honestly don't mind the few stretch marks and other "changes," because my body has been used exactly as it was intended, to grow and deliver and feed 4 precious little people.  It's miraculous, actually, when you think about it.  And it is an honor and a gift to experience.  However, I honestly did hope to not look 2-3 months pregnant for the rest of my life ;-)  And I hoped my low back pain would stop once I wasn't carrying tiny humans inside my uterus all the time, lol.  I read another blog post about "body after baby" issues.  I don't remember all it was about, but the title was one I think of often: "My Body, Broken for You."  As a Christian that phrase is very significant.  A reminder that Christ's blood was shed, his body pierced, and his life given, to pay for my sins.  To give me eternity in heaven.  But I also now think of it as a tiny tiny way in which our bodies, as mothers, are broken for our babies.   It is worth the sacrifice 100%.  It's kind of a cool reminder that as moms (and dads!) we set our own needs and desires aside on a daily basis, and put our kids needs above our own.  It pales in comparison to Jesus' sacrifice for us, but I think being a parent gives us a glimpse of His sacrifice for us in the same way we make sacrifices all day long for the sake of our kids.  Parenting is definitely a humbling way to begin to understand our Heavenly Father's love for us.  Anyway, I know that was a RANDOM tangent in this post, but I think it ties in well when we think about our bodies after pregnancy.  I am not striving for some kind of perfection - just strength and no more back pain!  Sometimes when I look at my kids, or if I look at myself in the mirror, I smile and think , "my body, broken for you, and it was so worth it."  I would do it 1,000 times over.  I can still be okay with that, while at the same time having a strong core to take care of and play with my kids and exercise without fear of injury. 

One more note and then I will wrap up this jumbled mixture of thoughts.  I wish everyone knew about diastasis recti, even before and during pregnancy!  It is crazy to me that there are post-natal workout DVD's that are full of crunches, without any mention of diastasis recti.  And that there are some DVD's out there that may mention diastasis, and what to not do if you have it (which is better than nothing!), but do not offer alternative exercises or any mention of the possibility of healing it.  Please, spread the word!  Encourage friends and relatives to do their research and check for diastasis.  Share this post if you think someone might benefit from my story.  Check in again later when I do my 6 week follow up post.  It's not something I was dying to post about - showcasing my own insecurity with this issue, ha!  But I think it's invaluable information and something I wish I had known a long time ago, so I am happy to share if it will help someone else with their body image or back pain or whatever other side affect they are experiencing.  Hopefully my next post will contain some pictures and measurements to compare from before the program, to 6 weeks in!  Feel free to share.  And stay tuned :)