This past year has been a doozy. Really.
Both physically, mentally & emotionally.
Obviously moving away from some place you LOVE would be devastating, and it was. Too hard really. Something I didn't want to face so I kept it inside. Then on top of that, trying to lose the baby weight and your stomach that doesn't want to budge.
So as we said good bye to our home in WA, I tried my darnedest to be positive and hopeful for the what was ahead of us in Memphis.
Luckily the move was a distraction that I really needed. All that unpacking and settling in helped me not deal with what I was feeling inside.
Another "distraction" was Emma's baptism at the end of September. That event motivated me to get my house in order as I would be having family come and stay with us. It also helped me to start moving and lose some weight.
So things were really good.
I lost weight, enough to be satisfied at the moment.
My house was set and ready.
And not to mention that my oldest was growing into a beautiful girl who was making a wonderful covenant with Heavenly Father.
So when my beloved distractions were gone, there was nothing else to hold back what I was feeling. So immediately after Emma was baptized and family left (except my mom, who stayed for a week, which was a BIG help adjusting back to the mundane), all the pain and sadness I felt from everything that had happened the past year kind of exploded in my mind. Happiness & motivation was no where to be found. Something moved in that I couldn't replace. I just didn't enjoy anything. Depression had settled in.
So I started finding things to fill in the voids that appeared. Start a business? okay. Be part of a craft DT? sounds good. Organize a huge craft night just for fun? sweet.
And let's not forget all the Holiday fun that time of year holds. Life was busy...too busy. But I didn't want it to stop. I didn't want a pause or I might feel that pain inside that I didn't know what to do with.
Come December.
I think it was my birthday, maybe a day or two after, but really, it doesn't matter. What matters is that I had a break down. It felt like I finally succumbed to the depression that had developed and faced it. I finally had to start breaking apart my brain. So I first started with grieving from moving away and the friends I missed. I faced the reality of how things will be while Joe is in school. I faced the reality that I had to start over again. Joe was my sounding board as I tried to figure out how to get out of the slump I couldn't get out of. It was so frustrating because I have never felt this way before. It was so unfamiliar. I hated it. I hated how I felt, thought, did, not to mention looked etc etc. I hated me.
It's sad to hear that now as I recall all of this. But that's how I truly felt. But luckily, Joe was very receptive and understanding. He's gone through his own bouts of depression so he was definitely the person to talk to. And since then, he's been helping me more than he knows to get back to where I want and need to be as a woman, wife & mother.
Sooo along with how I felt during this time, of course exercise was the last thing I wanted to do. And of course I gained back the weight I had lost plus more. So as the new year came, I started to realize I needed to stop what I was doing. I needed help and I needed to change my habits.
As you can imagine, my body went through hell carrying Jake over full term and then birthing out an 11.1 lbs baby. My stomach & back was and still is so weak. Right after having him, and seeing what the heck was going on with my body, I started researching. Come to find, I had Diastasis Recti.
View picture below:
So how did I know I had it? I did the test:
Q. How to test for Diastasis Recti
A: Lie on your back with your knees bent + your feet flat on the floor. Relax your head + shoulders + place your fingers (palm facing you) just above your belly button.
Lift your head, neck + shoulders slightly off the floor + press down with your fingertips. If you feel a gap, that’s the diastasis. You will feel the muscles close in around your fingers as you lift your head + neck. Don’t lift your shoulders up too high. Repeat the test in two other place: directly over the belly button, + a couple of inches below.
A diastasis recti gap is measured in finger width’s. You are aiming for a 1-2 finger gap or less, but don’t panic if it’s much bigger at first! (taken from mutusystem.com)
Yep, that is me. I am still affected by it.
You see, even when I lost some weight before Emma's baptism, I still struggled with strength in my back and core. Every day, my back would be on fire. It would hurt so bad. I also could not flatten my stomach for the life of me!
Right after Jake was born, I googled the term and found some YouTube videos but it was all over the place. Then I found MUTU System at the end of November, around black Friday. They were doing a great deal. I had been looking for something new to do. But when I saw their main focus and also diet too? I was sold.
So as the new year started, I began doing this system. I'm a few weeks into it and I have to say that I have found lots of improvement with how I feel. They are true to what they say. They focus on getting rid of the Diastasis Recti by doing exercises that strengthens your back, pelvic floor and core.
And I'm one of those who, if exercising, will feel better about things. So it has helped tremendously with how I feel inside. There are still times/days that I have to fight myself from reverting back but it's less than what it was.
Anyways, I guess I wanted to write this post because I know I had this problem back after Luke in 2009 but I had no idea. A high percentage of women have it and don't realize it. So I thought I should share this to others so that, if they have this issue, that there is a place to get help!
Visit today if this is something you struggle with! Click on the image above. It will send you to the MUTU System website.
And I wasn't paid or given anything to write this post. I have loved it so far. So much so that I became an affiliate! So please let me know if you have any questions!
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