C-Section Saturday: 12 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! 

This post is going to cover weeks 9-12 of my recovery. This last month I have learned a lot about taking care of myself and my family while I'm trying to train. Here are a few of the things that I have learned.

It is July here in North Carolina and it is HOT. The heat index for today is 105. Let me tell you, I feel it.  

I am also relearning how to train through menstrual pain. Having our boys so close together, I didn't have a period between Having William and getting pregnant with Henry. That means that I haven't had to deal with this issue since December of 2013! I had forgotten what it can be like. 

Training when you have a 3 month old isn't easy. In fact it takes everything that I have to get up each day and make it happen, especially on nights when Henry doesn't sleep through the night. 

But, if I don't do it now I will spend years of my life hating my body. 

So for me it really is a question of how badly do I want it? Do I want it badly enough to train when it isn't easy?

Yesterday for example I did my standard strength training and the conditioning workout Rachel, which is: 

6 RFT (Rounds For Time). 

15 KBS (Kettlebell swings) 

1 loop run 

I swung a 25 pound kettlebell American (meaning overhead) 90 times and ran the loop 6 times despite the fact that I was up every hour and half with my son the night before. 

I won't lie to you, it was hard. 

It was ugly. 

I did it in 8 minutes and 25 seconds. Next time that I do it (which will be in about 6 weeks) I want to have it down to 8 mins flat. That is how you train with a 3 month old. You accept that there will be things that you cannot change, like Henry waking up a bunch. What I can control is my willingness to suck it up and train hard anyway. 

So here is the scary part. From here on out I will post up pictures of my physical progress once a month. Part of this is accountability and part of it is to help other C-section moms see what normal looks like. Twelve weeks post C-section, this is what I looked like: 

Weight- 194.3 lbs

Body Fat Percentage- 42.77%
Waist (narrowest point)- 38 inches
Navel- 38 inches
Hips- 45.5 inches
Thigh- 26 inches
Neck- 15 inches
Bicep- 12.75 inches
Forearm- 11 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.