C-Section Saturday: 8 Weeks Post-Op

Welcome to the Farr Fitness' C-Section Saturdays. 

As I have mentioned before I will be using Saturdays to discuss, teach, and learn about C-Section recovery for athletes. Be prepared, some of the information that we discuss will be graphic, but I assure you that I will do my best to cover each topic with the grace of the true southern lady that I am. With that being said lets jump in! 

Weeks seven and eight have been a bit of a blur. I was cleared to train last week so I've been working hard at that. Henry is sleeping through the night (mostly). He typically does cluster feeding from 7-9 and then goes down for bed at 9:30. He wakes up at around 4:30 in the morning and we do a dream feed and he goes back to sleep. At this point it is usually somewhere around 5:30-45 in the morning so instead of going back to bed and awkwardly waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle, I go train.   

Running with a whole bunch of loose skin on my stomach feels pretty gross. I am not a fan of it at all. In fact it was so difficult for me at first that I almost quit running all together. But that kind of defeats the purpose of running doesn't it?!? So, instead I am using these special underwear designed for C-section recovery. My sister-in-law, Dr. Kate is a Physical Therapist that specializes in Women's Health. After my first C-section with William, Kate told me about compression clothing and how helpful it can be postpartum, especially for C-Section moms. I didn't believe her and I thought they were ugly. No way was I going to wear old lady compression clothing....

Now however, I am a convert. 

Don't get me wrong, they are not going to be gracing the cover of Victoria's Secret anytime soon, but they do a great job of helping to pull my belly button to my spine and engage my abdomen. Which makes following my training plan much more enjoyable. I strongly encourage you to consider purchasing at least on pair of these for your post C-section recovery. 

While we are on the subject of training, make sure that you are wearing good shoes and clothes that fit well. The last thing you want to do is fall when you are recovering from a major surgery. 

Here are some of the things I wear when I run:

Underwear- C-Panty
Sports Bra- Motherhood Maternity
Pants- Danskin Capri
Shirt- A tank like these 
Headband- I have thick curly hair, this is a necessity!
Socks- These are great
Shoes- I LOVE THESE SHOES!

So here is the scary part. Ever two weeks or so I will post up pictures of my physical progress. Part of this is accountability and part of it is to help other C-section moms see what normal looks like. Four weeks post C-section, this is what I looked like: 

Weight- 203 lbs

Body Fat Percentage- 44.93%
Waist (narrowest point)- 39.5 inches
Navel- 39 inches
Hips- 46 inches
Thigh- 27 inches
Neck- 15 inches
Bicep- 12.75 inches
Forearm- 10 inches
Wrist- 7 inches

I will admit that seeing this is hard for me. But I don't have to stay here. Yes I had major abdominal surgery so I need to train smart and safe You can read the training plan that I am following here. 

The real question isn't if I can do it, it is how badly do I want it?

Psalm 139;19 says that "God knit me together in my mother's womb". Isn't it amazing to be a part of the miracle of birth? Isn't it amazing what God made our bodies to do? Your body will look different. Your body will feel different. But your body is incredible and don't you let anyone tell you otherwise.