I went to the physical therapist today who has extensive training in women’s health. She knows the body and goes far beyond the recommendations of practicing kegels for treating the postpartum woman. My diastasis is four fingers wide three inches above my belly button and tapers down to three fingers below. I have good fascial (connective tissue) tone below and quality contraction of my pelvic floor and transversus abdominis. The depth is variable and was difficult to evaluate today. She confidently said with corrective bodywork on my right side at the hip and rib cage, I should be able to reduce the gap to one finger at the belly button and close it above and below. This was absolutely fantastic news! I was greatly fearful that I had much more significant damage. I feel that wearing a supportive binder allowed me to feel more secure which increased my mobility and movement training. I did not wear a binder with the boys. I did not walk as much and trained mostly in the pool or (embarrassed to say) on the elliptical. So, if you are pregnant with twins, consider the fit splint or baby belly belt. My plan now is to incorporate bodywork into my alignment and integration training. At the same time, I am continuing to eat and supplement towards recovering connective tissue health.
The girls are now sleeping 4-5 hour stretches at night which give me 6-7 hours of broken sleep. This is still not enough for a healthy hormone rhythm and complete regeneration. But, we are moving in that direction.
This morning I woke up at 5:30 with my beautiful daughter sleeping on my chest. My two boys were “making ice cream” with the vacuume cleaner and preparing fruit salad in their kitchen. How awesome would it be to live in the mind of a toddler? Their imaginations and energy is amazing. I love to watch them build stories with their toys, getting more and more excited with each layer of thought. They sprint everywhere they go, every thought is urgent and must be told in the loudest voice possible. I try to take full advantage of these traits. I have found with twins, I must stay two steps ahead and plan for possible reactions. So, I never have a day when we don’t have a game plan for both meals, snacks and activities. For me, the planning cuts down on too many choices which then can lead to bad choices.
DAILY SCHEDULE FOR TOMORROW’s RAINY DAY
wake up 6:30 am–feed the girls and pump; breakfast for the boys is liverwurst (cooked tonight), eggs in coconut oil, sliced avocado and pear with Kombucha
8:00 am– clean up kitchen and dishes; mobility work and dress for the day, prepare lunch
9:00 am– feed the girls and pump
10:00 am– morning snack of raw milk Swiss cheese, broccoli, carrots, turnips and pistacio nuts then crayon melt craft
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12:00 pm- feed the girls and pump while the boys eat lunch; lunch for the boys is raw milk yogurt parfait: yogurt (with vitamin and probiotic mixed in), organic frozen cherries and blueberries, sprouted pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.
12:45 pm– put the boys down for a nap
1:00 pm– my workout time
2:30 pm prepare afternoon snack then feed the girls and pump
3:00-3:30 pm– boys usually wake up from nap and eat snack: ice water, coconut chips and 1/2 kiwi
4:00 pm: rainy day indoor workout where we set up stations in our empty front room with some gym equipment or bodyweight (this is a new activity for us and does not always run smoothly but they are learning)
5:00 pm– warm up leftovers for the boys then feed the girls and pump
5:30– dinner for the boys: leftover butternut squash lasagna (that we made while I was still prgnant and froze) with banana “ice cream” for a treat
6:15 pm– go for a walk if it’s not raining too hard and if it is, mobility session while my husband gives the boys a bath and gets them ready for bed.
7:30 pm– give the girls a bath and get them dressed
8:00 pm– feed the girls and pump while my husband reads to the boys and puts them to sleep
12:30-2:00 am: the girls usually wake up some time during these hours for one night time feeding.
Then we start the next day which will be different because it’s going to be sunny!
As you can see, I get a lot of help from my amazing husband at night which allows me to have a minute to think and breathe by myself. Also, this is a tentative structure that gives me a plan. We may have to shift times or activities depending on the needs of the girls or boys. I find the most important thing for me is preparation, especially having meals and snacks ready. Maybe it would be different if i did not have twins, but this works well for me. Most of the time I eat while I’m nursing. Although it is not ideal, doing so allows me to maximize my time between feedings.
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