Helping is Healing

In July 2013, I found out I was pregnant with my first son, Chase. My husband and I started trying the weekend after CrossFit regionals, and it happened pretty quickly. I felt lucky, blessed, and excited for the new chapter. As usual, I got some flack for working out pregnant as many were worried about the baby’s safety. I listened to my OB, CrossFit coaches, and other CrossFit moms and ignored the others. I kept my heart rate controlled and the baby was thriving. Every day at the gym felt a little different, and I “listened to my body.” I had a planned Cesarean section that came a few days early since my water broke. However, the entire process was still pretty calm (minus my nerves) and went smoothly. I waited a full 8 weeks to do anything beside walk. I came back slowly with PVC pipes and body weight movements. I wasn’t the person trying to push it early. Nothing really hurt me; I felt I was coming back the “right” way; and I felt completely in control. However, t...

Seeing Julie Wiebe was amazing. I got some new strategies and have some more healing I can do on my own.  Unfortunately, it seems some of my fascia is unresponsive, and I have an umbilical hernia- just as my local PT, Nancy, had concluded. If I want to CrossFit the way I want to and not look like I am 6 months pregnant, I’ll need surgery.  Julie suggested that I wait at least 6 months, so I decided to wait a full year. 1) I want to find the absolute right surgeon that understands my fitness goals 2) I want to learn more about hernia repair options 3) I want Dean to be at least two years old so he will understand why I can't pick him up 4) I want to make sure I truly exhaust all of my own healing to set me up for a more successful recovery. This week I met with a general surgeon and got my hernia officially diagnosed. He explained the difference between doing the surgery with him verses a plastic surgeon. If he did it, we could probably get insurance to cover most of ...

Something hit me a few weeks ago after reading comments in a CrossFit mom Facebook group. During pregnancy and postpartum while chasing strength, we are only making ourselves weaker. Both CrossFit and competitive CrossFit changed my life in so many amazing ways. I am beyond grateful for those experiences and the coaches that changed my life; it truly made me a better human. I did things I never imagined were possible. However, pregnancy is an entirely different beast and requires a completely different mentality. Listening to my OB and my coaches just wasn’t enough. OBs are not trained in evaluating pelvic floor muscles and nerves. And, unfortunately, most CrossFit coaches are not aware of the pre and postnatal considerations. So, like many women today, I just couldn’t see outside of the CrossFit bubble, and I had no clue about pelvic floor physical therapists. As a result, CrossFit moms go into pre and post pregnancy with the same mentality as before, and this is creatin...