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.

Violence in the World, What Do I Tell My Kid?

A question came up recently among my friends of what do you tell your children about what is going on in the world?  In recent months there have been horrific attacks both at home and abroad. Abroad the attacks have been perpetrated by Isis and are clearly evil. Here in the United States however, the lines have been blurred, especially in the Christian community. 

When the LGBT night club in Orlando was attacked there were Christians mourning with them and so called "Christians" saying it was deserved. As a conservative Christian I want my boys to know that it is NEVER acceptable to hurt another person because they believe something different than you do. The Christians that were mourning with the LGBT community were right. God cares about even the sparrows (Matthew 6:26) Of course he cares for those that were killed in that senseless attack. The "Christians" saying that they deserved to die were incredibly wrong, and shouldn't call themselves Christians. Christ says to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31) he doesn't say, "love your neighbor if you agree with their lifestyle choices". 

Most recently it has been the racial/police issue. This topic is an incredibly delicate one. Tempers on both sides of the line are flared and things are quickly escalating. I will confess, I am a white female that grew up in the VERY conservative south, so I cannot pretend to understand the plight of the black male. That does not mean that I think they deserve to die unjustly. My heart breaks for the families of the men that have been killed unnecessarily. Were they killed unjustly? I don't know. That is for a jury to decide after hearing all of the evidence. But just as I know that not all black men are criminals, I also know that not all cops are bad. In fact, 99% of cops are good men (and women) out to protect us from the bad guys, just as 99% of black men are good members of society that have a great deal to bring to the table.  

So what will I tell my boys? 

Murder is a sin, and it is wrong, no matter what. (Exodus 20:13) God has called us to be set apart. So rather than giving in to all of the race baiting, on either side, we should be standing up and saying enough. This division among Christians makes us weaker and less effective in our ministries. 

Enough hatred. 

Enough evil.

Our mission here on Earth is to bring Him glory and make Him known to all the world (Mark 16:15). It is hard to do that if we are killing each other off because we don't look the same. 
Jesus did not die on the cross for our skin color, sexual orientation, or political ideology. Jesus died on the cross to absolve us of our sin, so that we can be with God the Father in eternity. We are all children of God, skin color doesn't matter.   

C-Section Saturday: Trolls and Giving Up

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! 

After having my C-section recovery stuff up for a while now I have received a lot of feedback. Some of it has been positive and encouraging (thank you gym ladies!) and some of it has been truly awful. When a group of internet trolls found my blog they left a bunch pf hateful comments here on this page and on my personal blog I have heard comments like, "You should be ashamed of yourself" "Hideous" "Lost cause" "disgusting" and worse. 

I will confess, it hurt my heart deeply. In fact, I almost stopped my project all together. However, after a lot of prayer and I talking with B and one of my favorite mentors, I was left with a choice. 

Do I go on and continue writing to encourage and uplift other C-Section moms, or do I stop because some lonely, miserable people said the exact things to me that I am fighting against? 

The answer is: I will continue. 

I will continue to write and document my recovery because I believe in my cause. 

A c-section is a horrific, barbaric surgery that literally cuts your body in half, but it is also a life-saving necessity for some of us. It is a gift that allows us to get to experience our children, and continue to live when 100 years ago we would not have been able to do so. That is not to say that I would recommend it. In fact, having experienced two C-sections first hand I can honestly say that I would strongly discourage any woman from having a C-section unless it was a medical necessity. This is not to "shame" anyone but rather to acknowledge the seriousness of major abdominal surgery and the amount of recovery that is required from it. 

That is why I believe in my cause. Because you can recover from it, no matter what anyone else says. 

I believe that every single woman that has had a C-section deserves to know what it will be like. She deserves to see what her body will be like. She deserves to know that she is not alone. I will continue to write so that other athletes, other women will be able to say, "I know I can do this, I have seen it done". 

C-Section Saturday: 6 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 five and six have been good. I got my incision checked again and so far it looks a lot better. I am getting up and down the stairs like a champ. I am going grocery shopping with both boys. I am getting William (yes, 34 pound William) in and out of is crib on my own. I know this is a little sooner than expected but when you are an Army wife, you have to learn to improvise. With Brian having some special training this week he just can't be here to get William so we are making it work. 

When you have a C-section your skin that normally hangs down over your abdomen after birth can become problematic. Since it is heating up keeping my incision clean and dry is super important. My doctor told me to buy this soap and to use in specifically on my incision. When he first said it, I thought he was crazy but he says it will help everything "stay the wt it is supposed to". I'm taking his word for it and giving it a shot. 

I am able to walk more and for longer duration, but pushing that double stroller around is NO JOKE. Bracing my abdomen on the turns seems to be the hardest part. That, and the fact that one of my two seems to hate our daily walks. Does anybody have any tricks for helping kids to enjoy the infant carrier? 

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. Six weeks post C-section, this is what I looked like: 

Weight- 210 pounds

Body Fat Percentage- 47.56%
Waist (narrowest point)- 41 inches
Navel- 42 inches
Hips- 47 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. I will soon (NEXT WEEK Y'ALL!) be cleared to start training (lightly) again! I will be sure to post up the workout that I am doing soon.  

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.

Happy 4th of July!

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! 

I know that it isn't Saturday, but this does relate to my C-Section, so we are going to go with it. 

Today is a hard day for me. 

Our gym is dong an awesome 4th of July workout that I really wish I could take part in. 

Obviously I am still not cleared to lift things overhead yet which means I cannot do the BEAR complex that is programmed. 

So this morning I got up and got my elliptical (it was raining so I couldn't go outside to run) and did my training for my 5k. It isn't where I want to be, and that is ok. I don't have to stay here. Each day that I choose to get up and train is a day closer to being able to get back to the barbell. 

Soon... 

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.

C-Section Saturday: Hello World, Meet Henry

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!

As many of you know, Henry was born on a Thursday evening by C-section and I have to admit I was more than a little disappointed by the fact that I didn't get my VBAC.

Let me give you a quick bit of background information. 

I trained my ENTIRE pregnancy. I ate very well and kept my total weight gain below 25 pounds. I did yoga (grated it was off of YouTube, but you do what you can) to keep my stress levels, and therefore my blood pressure, down. I took my prenatal vitamins and I went to every single doctor appointment. And yet somehow despite all of my careful planning, research, and training, the doctors determined that a VBAC was not a viable option for my sweet boy. 

Basically I went in for a stress test the day before we were set to induce labor and they realized that my water had broken and been doing a slow leak for quite a while. I had been having contractions on and off for several days, but because of my prior experience with Pitocin contractions, I wasn't sure if these contractions were real or not. I expected natural contractions to feel like Pitocin contractions and they DO NOT AT ALL. After confirming for a while with another doctor my physician came back in and told me there wasn't a chance for a VBAC, Henry had to come out NOW. 

Let me tell you, the mamas that face down the reality of a C-section their entire pregnancies are incredibly brave. I've had a few surgeries in the past for injuries and my appendix so I am not a stranger to the realities of the operating room, but there is something about being numb from the chest down while a handful of doctors cut you open and pull out your kid that would make even a Spartan woman nervous. 

I didn't really get a chance to see what was going on with my first C-Section due to the fact that I was unconscious on the way in and while it was going on. I have fuzzy memories of a nurse telling me to calm down, and being strapped to a table while shivering... not the best way to go. To this day, despite my best efforts, I find myself unable to write about my first son, William's birth. So, when the docs asked me if I could feel "that" and I couldn't, I realized that I could not run if I wanted to... and I had a minor moment of panic. Thankfully my awesome team of ladies had prayed with me earlier that week and I recalled  verse that my friend Carrie had said during our prayer about claiming victory in the Lord. That helped a lot. 

I also had the WORLD'S BEST NURSE. She talked to me and held my hand. She explained ever single sound, sight, and smell. If I could have bottled her up and made sure that she was available to every C-section mom, I would have. Every nurse should be like she was. 

All in all the surgery took about 45 mins from start to finish. As uncomfortable as the whole operation was, it wasn't anything compared to the recovery. After a C-Section with a spinal block, you cant move the lower half of your body for quite sometime. I spent about four hours in recovery, only two of those hours was I allowed to hold my son and nurse him. Then, when they have determined it is safe you are wheeled in to your room. There, I had a nurse come check on me every two hours for the first 24 hours. The second 12 hours she only came every four hours. Needless to say, at that point I was ready to go home and get away from all the people at the hospital. Henry was born on Thursday evening and I lef the hospital Saturday morning, not a full 48 hours later. 

That was when the "fun" part started. On the drive home I realized how much my abdomen hurt. Every single bump (and even some turns!) hurt my incision terribly. 

I got to the house only to discover my 17 month old son desperately wanted to be picked up, and I couldn't do it. Then came the stairs. Climbing the stairs to our bedroom was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Once I got there I realized I still smelt like the hospital so my wonderful husband held my arms while I stood in the shower and washed off as much as I could. That was a pretty humbling experience.

Finally, I remember getting out of the bathroom and sitting on our bed. My husband was sitting in the rocking chair holding Henry. My son William was bringing Henry toys from his bedroom and chattering to my husband all about getting to see our neighbor's "pup" while we were gone. Seeing my little family together for the first time I realized we had entered a new chapter in our lives. In this chapter we were a family of four. 

C-Section Saturday: Baby Weight

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! 

So, we spend a lot of time talking about C-section recovery, but recovery from birth in general is very hard. Almost every woman wonders at some point how to get rid of the baby weight. That really depends on your fitness prior to pregnancy and during your pregnancy. So, assuming that you were healthy prior to getting pregnant, how much weight is appropriate to gain during a pregnancy? This info-graphic does a very good job of explaining where the "baby weight" comes from.  

Ideally you won't gain more than 35 pounds. However, I want to make it very clear that no matter much weight you put on during your pregnancy you can still lose it. Giving birth is incredibly hard on your body, but it doesn't mean that you can't get fit afterwards. 

C-Section Saturday: 4 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 three and four saw a couple of set backs. I decided to try to get back up to speed a little faster than I should have and I ended up opening my incision up a little bit. I will tell you that was pretty scary, Let me say here and now that the discharge instructions that the doctors give you about working out (or taking meds/sleeping/sex/anything at all) are NOT A SUGGESTION. When they say don't lift anything they are not trying to ruin your life. They are trying to help you heal as quickly and as effectively as possible. Be smarter than me. Listen to your doctors and do as your told. Your body will thank you for it.

I am in less pain now. I feel some slight tugging when I get Henry out of the Rock and Play but it isn't too bad. I haven't been brave enough to push my double stroller around yet. But I have taken a three mile walk every single day for the past two weeks with either my husband or my mother-in-law pushing the stroller. I am now walking up and down the stairs carrying Henry and holding William's hand. I carried in light groceries from the car yesterday with only minimal discomfort and no real pain. I still cannot lift William (weighing in at 34 pounds) out of his crib and honestly I am a little afraid to try after my experience this last week. I am off of all of my pain meds. I still have another two weeks of being on the iron supplements and I will be so excited when I am done with those!

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- 210 pounds
Waist (narrowest point)- 42.5 inches
Navel- 44 inches
Hips- 47 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. I have two more weeks until I am allowed to start that, so for now training smart and safe means taking control of my nutrition, eating right, and staying moving. 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.

C-Section Saturday: Multitasking Queen

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! 

The number one question that I get asked from other moms, C-Section or not, is how do you do it all? 

Here is a little bit of what I do: 

Pursuing my spiritual life,
being an Army wife,
raising an 18 month-old
having a newborn,
running a full-time fitness ministry, 
cooking paleo meals from scratch, 
my own physical training,
keeping a clean house 
having friends

The truth is, I don't do all of these at the same time and I have to be very careful to not let this list become an idol for me. I struggle with not just wanting to seem perfect, but with wanting to actually BE perfect and that just isn't real. 

So, now that we have covered the unrealistic expectations, how do I do my daily life? 

In the Army, they talk often about being "tasked" with things. My job is to carefully look at what I have to do and see where it fits. In light of that I carefully look at my schedule each week with Brian at our weekly planning meetings. There we discuss the the week and the activities that we have going on. And then I multitask. I try to be as efficient as possible in everything that I do. Benjamin Franklin said, "Don't put off for tomorrow what can be done today." I am a big believer in working hard when it is time to work and then setting the work aside. 

The first four items on my list are my priority. These things have to happen EVERY SINGLE DAY, even when I am tired, even when I am less than 100%. 

These are my focus. 

The other stuff is great to do, but honestly, no one is going to kill over if I order a pizza for dinner tonight. My own personal training is important to me, but at this point in my life (I'm not trying to compete) I have other things to focus on. Keeping a perfect house with a toddler is difficult. Keeping a perfect house with a 3 foot tall 18 month old is dang near impossible. Does it irritate me that there are ALWAYS hand-prints on the front window of the house? A little. But then I remember that one day there won't be. One day, this 18 month old will be 18 years old and may not be in my home anymore. Those little hand-prints are what happens when my son runs up to the window to tell me all about what is happening in the neighborhood. That is where he said, "pup" for the first time. 

No matter what social media may show you, no one really lives the way that they present themselves on their instagram, facebook, or whatever. In real life there are messes and you burn the chicken, and the sink stops up. That is real life. I am learning to keep in mind that God didn't call me to have a perfect house, He called me to be His child, Brian's wife, and Henry and William's mom.

My Fitness Journey: From Breathless to Athlete

My name is Carrie. I was born six weeks early with a twin brother, spent 10 days in the NICU and came out with four auto immune challenges. The major limiting factor was asthma. It became my lynch pin and dictated how my day would go and what activities I could participate in. I was never very athletic in junior high or high school. I played basketball and ran cross country, but never excelled. I focused my energies on academics and showing livestock (I was raised on a cattle ranch) because those were two areas where I could win.

Fast forward to now - I am 34 and have gone through years of learning how to orchestrate health and healing through a combination of modern and natural medicine and diet. I started working out at a gym in 2013 when my husband deployed. I needed an outlet and wanted to get in better shape. He is a very active person and I wanted to be able to keep up with him when he returned home.

A few months before we PCSed to Ft. Bragg, we joined a small cross fit gym. He really wanted me to try it and I was terrified. I had seen those athletes on ESPN and I knew I couldn't keep up. Despite my fears, I gave in and agreed to try it out. What I found, instead of fire breathing athletes, was an amazing culture of encouragement and positivity. The coaches were sticklers for form, but open to scaling everything down a level I could manage and yet still be challenged with.

I fell in love with this new way to exercise!

The workouts were challenging, but no two days were the same. I began to get stronger and build confidence in myself.

Once we moved to North Carolina, I started looking for a gym to attend. My husband had met a Chaplain at a different post whose wife ran a cross fit gym out of their garage. He mentioned how he hoped we could find something like that for me when we got to Fayetteville. We arrived in August and I tried a few gyms out.

Nothing reminded me of what I had found back in Oregon.

I was slightly discouraged, but knew that something would open up.

In September, I attended a Protestant Women of the Chapel event and it was there that I met Morgan Farr. Morgan and her husband, Brian, run Farr Fitness out of their garage as a gym ministry. It was perfect. Morgan's background is power lifting, so she programs workouts to increase my strength. Brian watches form and works to refine movements and increase mobility. Combined, they are a perfect team.

It has been eight months since I started attending their gym. I knew I had been getting stronger, but didn't realize how much so until this past weekend. My husband came home from work excited to say we had an invitation to go rock climbing on a mountain. A few of his classmates had the gear and were willing to take two newbies along.

It was on this Saturday that functional fitness got a victory. I was able to climb three walls, one of which was 80 feet high. My upper body strength has increased dramatically - and while my climbs weren't as finessed as the season climbers, I was able to keep up and enjoy the day. It was a major win in my fitness journey and I can't wait for more. This is just the beginning!