I’m approaching seven months postpartum (which means my baby is somehow almost seven months old — where in the world has the time gone?) and have decided that it’s time to be real with y’all about the struggle I’ve had getting my pre-baby body back. I once heard that it takes nine months for your body to make a baby, so you should give your body nine months to bounce back. As much as I hoped that wasn’t true, I am now seeing that it is. And I am also wondering if it might take even longer in my case.
I started exercising after getting the green light from my nurse midwife at six weeks postpartum. I really enjoy the Walk at Home DVDs, which I have mentioned before. Little Buddy and I also love strolling outside when the weather allows. But summer days in Tennessee are almost always sweltering, so it’s nice to have an indoor alternative that is both fun and effective.
To make a long story short, I have a mild diastasis recti, which is very common for women during postpartum recovery. I have invested a lot of time and energy over the past six months into walking and doing ab and core exercises specific to diastasis recti, but the progress has been slow. My abdomen is still distended, and I still look slightly pregnant in some of my clothes. And as much exercising as I’ve been doing, my muscles still get sore quicker than they did pre-pregnancy.
It certainly hasn’t been easy, but I’m determined to press on and keep working at it (with both my walking workouts and moderate ab and core exercises) until I get to the place where I want to be. Can any of you relate? Whether or not it has to do with pregnancy, have you ever struggled with physical fitness?