Testing 1, 2, 3

I've heard people say to give yourself at least 9 months to get "back to normal" after having a baby. I understand where this is coming from because so many of us are anxious to get back into those pre-pregnancy jeans and pre-pregnancy workouts, but for many of us, 9 months is still way too quick. Luca is a little over a year old and I'm just starting to feel ready to run again. I've been doing exercises my physical therapist recommended to strengthen my pelvic floor and core. They are both so weak and I have diastasis recti (my abdominal muscles haven't joined back together). I thought I would jump back into doing videos at home. After I had Gideon, I would do a quick workout video while dinner was cooking or with him crawling all over me. My gal at FemFusion fitness (who is also a pelvic health physical therapist) has an incredible selection of workout videos that are all safe for pelvic floor prolapse and diastasis recti. Two kids is such a game changer. I haven't had time to do many videos and I found myself skipping exercises that were down on the floor. I made a list of exercises I could do all standing up. For whatever reason, that made it so much easier to fit them in during the day. I also wrote the list on a marker board on our wall so that it was staring at me all day.

In addition to daily walks, here is my list: 

1. W stretch: The Most Famous Physical Therapists on the Internet demonstrate this stretch in the video below. If you haven't watched them, they are pretty funny and have great stretches and exercise videos on youtube.

2. Hip Circles: I've talked about this one before from FemFusion fitness:

3. Calf Raises: The goal is not to hold on to something for balance but when I first started doing these I definitely held on! 10 on each side. 

 4. Squats with Luca and Gideon: They love this! 30 squats holding Luca or Gideon. Keep your knees behind your toes. 

 5. 5 deep breaths: Maybe not an "exercise" but just as important! Take time each day for belly breaths-at least 5! A deep belly breath can completely change how I feel at any given moment. 

6. Deep squat: This is sitting in a deep "baby" squat with your feet flat on the floor. I try to sit this way when I'm getting down on the floor with the boys. I've worked really hard to be able to sit like this. When I first started, I couldn't get my feet flat on the floor and I couldn't hold the position for very long. Yoga with Adrienne demonstrates the deep squat in this "yummy" video.

7. Side leg lifts: This is standing and lifting your leg straight out to the side. Works the hip muscles. 10 each side. 

8. Knee raises: This is just lifting your knee straight up to your chest. 10 on each side. 

9. Knee to elbow: This one is lifting your knee up to the side and touching your elbow. 10 on each side. 

10. Kegels: Not too few, not too much. I don't know why these are so hard to do. Half the battle is just learning where these muscles are located and how to activate them. The other big deal is learning how to fully release and relax them. Does anyone else hate doing these? I really don't do them often...which is why my pelvic floor is so weak! I'm much more likely to do them when following a video or guided routine. I've posted it before, but FemFusion has "Kegel Camp" and it explains how to do these correctly and then guides you through a series of videos.

That's it! I've been doing these every day or every other day along with one more exercise that is on the floor called "prance". It's laying on your back with your knees bent and lifting and lowering one leg at a time. The key is to brace your core and not let your belly pooch out. This is the best exercise for diastasis recti and there are different levels as you grow stronger with it. These exercises are where I started to get ready to get back into running. I finally went on my first run on Memorial Day! A one mile "test" to see how everything felt.

It felt great! I felt a little weak around my middle (core) so I know I still have a lot of work to do. I took it really easy and ran half a mile, walked, and then ran another half a mile. It helped that the weather was surprisingly cool and I was in Dasher where everything is flat. The success of the test mile got me excited to attempt a 5K today. Probably a bit ambitious, but it was the Parkrun 5K in Oak Grove. They do a timed 5K every Saturday and this was the first Saturday back after COVID. It was great to get out and run with RWB and other runner friends. Luca came with me and enjoyed his ride in the stroller. I ended up just doing 2 miles. I ran most of one mile and walked most of the second. It was HOT, but I was happy to be out running again! Hopefully this means more blog posts are in the near future as well.

The Story of Baby Luca

I would describe Luca's arrival into the world as both agonizingly slow and suddenly very fast. About a week before his due date I started having prodromal labor. Every night I would wake up in the middle of the night with contractions that would become pretty regular but never were very intense. Sometimes I could fall back to sleep, but usually, either because of discomfort or anticipation, I would get up and move around thinking, "this might be it!" Several times I went for a walk outside around 3 am, and every time the contractions would die down and I would go about my day still pregnant.    

The day before my due date I started having contractions that evening and they lasted ALL NIGHT. Still not very intense but I started getting excited that this was different and maybe Luca was ready to make his arrival! We called the midwife and she told us to head down to the birth center. We took our time gathering our things, making arrangements for Gideon, and driving down to Nashville. This leisurely drive was completely different from Gideon's labor day...

Gideon was born a little over a week before his due date. I wasn't expecting him that early so when my water broke that morning I was actually unsure of what was happening. I wasn't having contractions so I took a shower and went for a walk around the neighborhood. That's when the contractions started and I knew this was it! They were manageable and coming regularly so we called the midwife and let her know. She gave us a plan to come down when they were happening more regularly for about an hour. We thought we had lots of time to get everything together and wrap up last minute things. The contractions started to get more intense and then...I threw up. I looked at Luke and told him, "I can't do this." We thought we were still early on in labor, but I actually was going through transition and getting ready to push. I told Luke we needed to go to the hospital, NOW.

We drove the hour to Nashville and because they were doing construction at Vanderbilt we had to park what felt like miles away, but probably wasn't as far as it felt at the time. We walked from the parking garage to labor and delivery and I stopped every so often to lean against the wall and get through a contraction. We arrived at the Labor and Delivery front desk and the nurse called the midwife. She said, "Your patient is here, and she looks very uncomfortable." The midwife asked if I was ready to push...I was trying not to push in the car, so yes, I was ready!

The support I received from Luke, the midwife, the nurse...they were all fantastic. Gideon came into the world quietly, which apparently is not a great thing. They placed him on my belly and I remember just soaking in his sweet little body while they vigorously rubbed him with a blanket trying to get him to cry. He was breathing, but they wanted him to yell and get those lungs open. The beauty of being at Vanderbilt was how quickly the NICU team was able to arrive and take care of him. I don't know if someone pinched him or what, but eventually he was hollering and they left the room. Gideon has been a happy kid, even from birth.

Luca, however, tested my patience in drawing out labor night after night, so when the midwife suggested they break my water, I was more than ready. I was progressing but my contractions just kept starting and stopping. It was maddening. I was so ready for him to arrive and so ready to not be pregnant any more!! Luke and I had spent the day walking West End in Nashville, getting food from a local coffee shop, taking a nap back at the birth center, doing the "Miles Circuit" to try to speed labor along. All of this during the COVID pandemic. It was actually quite a pleasant day spending time together just the two of us, but that afternoon I was ready for things to move along. They broke my water at 6:00pm and Luca was in my arms at 8:50pm.

Our Baby + Co Suite

Taking a nap before Luca arrives

Baby+Co has beautiful birth suites with queen size beds, large showers, and birthing tubs. I did not want to have a water birth but was able to labor in the tub which made a huge difference when the contractions got more intense. When I told the midwife I was about to throw up, she said I better go ahead and get out of the tub unless I changed my mind about having a water birth. I think I pushed for about 20 minutes and right when I thought I was almost done, I heard the midwife make a call and she was talking to 911. She was coaching me though pushing, my nurse was encouraging me, and Luke was right there holding my hand and cheering me on, but something in the room changed and the calm encouragement took on an urgency to push the baby out right now! 

Luca had shoulder dystocia and he was stuck behind my pubic bone. His head was out which was why I felt the finish line was so close, but he wasn't coming the rest of the way. It all happened very quickly and hearing the midwife talk to the 911 operator was terrifying. Later, Luke and I said we both thought we lost Luca. The midwife and nurse took action and had me get onto my hands and knees and then flip back over. This is called the Gaskin maneuver, named for Ina May Gaskin, an amazing midwife who lives/works right here in Middle Tennessee. The nurse pushed on my belly while I pushed as hard as I possibly could and I'm pretty sure the midwife reached in and pulled him out! He was screaming his head off. No worries about his lungs! We are so very thankful that everything turned out fine. Luca was a bit bruised but otherwise he was perfect. We were able to send the paramedics packing-we didn't need them at all.

Our midwife knew exactly what to do and I am very thankful she was there to take care of us. We brought Luca home the next morning. Gideon was absolutely thrilled and it was very sweet to watch them meet one another. 

 
I am so happy to be done being pregnant. Not just because I have my sweet baby. I'm happy to be able to walk and not waddle, to sleep in any position I want, to pick up Gideon and hold him on my lap. 

I gained A LOT of weight with Luca, but I'm very slowly getting back into shape by walking a ton, doing simple and safe exercises, and eating good food! I'm also trying to get as much sleep as possible, but discussions about sleep are fighting words in our house right now. We are obsessed with sleep. It is one of the most important things for our health and brain function, yet so hard to get enough when you have a newborn and toddler in the house. It's just mean to talk to a new mom about sleep, yet people always want to ask how your baby is sleeping. Just stop asking this, ok? Put it on the list along with asking people when/if they'll have another baby. Just shush people. 

I definitely feel like I'm starting over again with marathon training. I saw a physical therapist for a few sessions and have some great exercises to work on getting my body ready to run. This website has a great article and checklist to determine if you are ready to run postpartum: Ready to Run?  

I also have to share a couple of resources from my fave, FemFusion Fitness:

Here is a great podcast for new moms about prolapse.

And this is Kegel Camp! A YouTube series to learn to gradually strengthen your pelvic floor.

I remember with Gideon I felt this same contradiction of feeling like my body was fat, sore, tired, weak...but at the same time feeling like I was super mom-I pushed giant babies out of me-I can do anything! It’s going to be baby steps, but I’ll get back to running eventually. Right now I’m building a strong foundation and I’m trying not to give myself a timeline but just keep one foot in front of the other and when given the opportunity, take a nap!

One BIG change though many SMALL steps

I have plenty of goals aimed at becoming healthier:

• I want to eat better and exercise more.
• I want to cut out highly processed foods and eat only "real" food.
• I want to run a marathon.
• I want to become stronger and more flexible.
• I don't want to feel like I'm going to die when I do certain workout videos.
• I want to be able to do even one push-up.
• I want to run a mile in 7 minutes. 

That's a pretty long list, so where do I start? 

Poster at Results Physiotherapy

I propose a new way of thinking about making a BIG change stick. Break that BIG change up into many SMALL changes and conquer each step, one at a time. 

One BIG change through many SMALL steps. 

What does that look like?  For my goal of cutting out highly processed foods, it meant choosing one action to take. Just one.  

It is overwhelming at the starting line of a new routine. It's tempting to try to do it all at once. Just throw all the "bad" food away and only eat the "good" food. This is easier said than done. I had a hard time figuring out what in the world I was going to eat! 

To begin, I simply bought more fruits and vegetables. I didn't worry about the processed food I was already eating, but bought, cooked, and ate lots of veggies. The main way this was achieved was by joining a local CSA. Luke and I picked up a box a organic produce from a local farm each week. Often it contained vegetables I had never eaten or even heard of including all different kinds of squash like acorn, delicata and butternut, and lots of different greens like swiss chard, bok choy, and kale. Here's a link to the CSA in case you live in Middle Tennessee and want to join.

Eating lots of veggies is a good start, but I was still eating a lot of food that is highly processed. That meant I needed to take one more small step.

I began taking one food out of my cabinet and either stopped buying it completely, or found a replacement that was less processed. For example, I stopped buying cream of chicken soup and learned to make it from scratch. It's also cheaper. 

I didn't add the next step until I felt comfortable with the last one and little by little I've changed my diet to eat less highly processed foods and more simple, real food. Lisa Leake's blog at 100 days of real food was very helpful in defining real food and why I should eat it.


Adding one small step at a time applies to my goals for exercise as well. I created a segment on Strava called the "Kimbrough Mile" to keep track of how fast I can run a mile. At this point I'm running as much as I can, but 1/2 mile has been my starting place and I'm adding a little bit more each day.

Strava run through the hood

Especially after surgery the concept of one small step at a time has been important for me. My body needs me to take it easy and my desire to do more can cause me to push myself a little farther than I should. I have been feeling a TON better after my surgery. The biggest improvement has been a huge decrease in pain. Unfortunately, the nausea continues. Most days I wake up and feel incredibly nauseous. I don't usually throw up, only when it is very bad. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to throw up any moment and I stick close to home, other times I know I won't throw up, but I just feel queasy. I'm still going for a run and if I have to stop and throw up, so be it.

Luke actually took a picture of this pit stop on a run at the Greenway!

Luke and I also went on a bike ride together, which was a blast despite the fact that I ended up in a lot of pain. I think being hunched over irritated my abdomen, so I may have to take it easy on the bike riding. After our ride we headed over to Dunbar Cave and tried out our new trail running shoes. Running through the woods just might be my favorite thing ever. I think Cody loves it too, which made me wonder, has Cody developed a personality more like Luke and I the longer he has lived with us? All three of us are happy running (or biking: Luke) around outside and then crashing on the couch with a blanket and some yummy food. Luke says it's just that he and I have a personality like a dog. I think I'm ok with that! ;) 

Dunbar Cave trail run with Cody

Time for a nap!

What is one SMALL step you could begin to take each day towards a goal you have? Maybe you could begin to do a plank every day. Give yourself permission to only add that one thing. That's it. Eventually, it will become part of your routine and you can add something else. It might take a little longer to get started, but you will be less likely to give up after a couple of months because you're overwhelmed. That kind of change will last because you've created a lifestyle. Let me know in the comments what your first small step will be. 

Running back and forth to Nashville

Taken from Results Physiotherapy website: The girl in the picture looks like she just finished a run! :)

I started Physical Therapy three weeks ago at Results Physiotherapy in Nashville. They have a pelvic health specialty clinic there, and while I'm truly thankful it is nearby, running back and forth to Nashville three times a week is not the kind of running I would like to be doing!

My very awesome physical therapist, Beth, is not allowing me to run at this point. I still say she is awesome because the woman is working magic in helping me. I confess that I really enjoy physical therapy. It is worth the 53 minute drive. My main issue is that most of my muscles are very tense and tight from the trauma of surgery. This means that the majority of my PT consists of massage, stretches, applying heat and some kind of awesome electric "Stim" pulses on my ab and back muscles, and basically learning to relax and take deep breaths. Sounds awful, huh?   

Yesterday, Beth told me I can finally start doing yoga again! I can do "restorative" yoga twice a week. Here is my go-to yoga gal: 

 

Yoga with Adriene Adriene doesn't take herself too seriously. She knows what she's doing and keeps things fun. Plus she's from Austin, so she's weird and awesome. She has great instructional videos for individual poses, plus different challenges, such as 30 days of yoga. If you are looking for something specific, she probably has a video for it. Go to her YouTube site at the link above and search for any topic you're looking for: back pain, for bedtime, for runners, relaxation, stress relief, tired legs, morning sequence, strength and focus, the list goes on...
 

Lots of walks with this guy

Right now the exercises I'm doing are nice and easy. I'm going on walks, which makes Cody very happy, but I'm not doing anything too strenuous. The goal is to reduce pain. I've been thinking about our bodies natural reaction to avoid pain. It is probably what keeps many people from sticking with exercise programs. Exercise is difficult, sometimes it hurts, and we have to push ourselves through feelings that we don't really enjoy. I'm a strong believer in finding exercise that you love and enjoy, but any time you are working your muscles, there is going to be some level of discomfort involved. Your muscles are basically being injured while you exercise, they are ripping apart and then, when you rest, are being built back together, to become even stronger. 



The same thing happens when we encounter a difficult situation in life. We do our best to avoid the discomfort. For me, I avoid things that I am afraid will be too much responsibility. I think it is a natural thing to do, but it isn't what God tells us to do as Christians. He often asks us to go into situations outside of our comfort zone. 

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands." 2 John 1:6

When Luke and I were considering becoming foster parents we experienced this natural inclination in our human nature of self preservation. We weren't sure what we were getting into and we knew it wouldn't be easy. We avoided it and made excuses, but eventually we were convicted to be obedient to what God was asking when we heard a sermon by Josh Phillips, our pastor at Community Life Church. The message in this particular sermon was to Be Faithful, Not Fearful. 

During our foster parent training we learned that 1 in 4 girls have been sexually abused. Not 1 in 4 girls in foster care, but 1 in 4 girls, period. Many children in foster care have experienced some kind of abuse, have emotional disturbances, behavioral difficulties, and have been in the juvenile justice system. The more we learned, the more there was to fear. 

The encouragement to Be Faithful, Not Fearful, stuck with us. At a similar time we also read a blog post by Jason Johnson. There was a kid out there living in hell and we could be a safe place for them. The cost to them if we chose not to do foster care, far outweighed what it would cost us to take them in. It put our fear, inconvenience, and selfishness into perspective. 

Maybe there is something you know God is asking of you, and it scares you, or just makes you feel uncomfortable. Our human nature will try to persuade us to stay on the easy path, but let me encourage you (and myself) that putting ourselves out there in those uncomfortable situations will bless us far more than staying where things are nice and easy.

"We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5

Just as our muscles are strengthened and built through physical exercise, God molds us, refines us, toughens us, and makes us into new creatures through our obedience to him. It's worth the struggle. 

What is God asking of you that makes you uncomfortable or fearful? 

Hold onto his promises and step out in obedience.