Celebrating mothers is only fitting

From 19A

an X-ray done on my stomach which revealed a swollen intestine. After I was discharged I was confined to only using soups and liquid items. I was unable to do much else to aid in recovery since I had a little one who trumped me.

Recovery was brutal! It was not just dealing with the aches and pains that accompanied the surgery but a condition that many women have but aren’t aware of: Diastasis recti-abdominal separation. Diastasis mean separation. “Recti” refers to your abdominal muscles, called the “rectus abdominis.” For weeks, I subjected myself to simple exercises to correct the issue and became depressed with the way I looked and the slow progress I was making. I was forced to remind myself, however, that I had a major surgery and my body needed to heal and that it took 40 weeks for me to carry my child and it would take time for things to even resemble normal. I still could not run, walk quickly, jump, lift heavy items, brush my teeth too hard or even laugh too much because my core was weak. I remember wondering if I would ever return to normal and beating myself up mentally for not having a normal delivery, because it’s often said it’s only a real birth when you deliver normal. I questioned if I would be able to do simple activities again or if I would be confined to a chair watching my princess have all the fun with her dad.

I still have back pain and my legs become numb at random times but that’s a small price to pay for my bundle of joy. I’m better now but there are still a number of things I cannot do, like certain exercises, my running is still way off, etc.

Complete healing may take several years, but if I had to do it all over again, C-section and all, I would in a heartbeat just to see my little one’s face and smile.

I never knew how much love I could give to someone that’s a part of me, until I became a mother. It’s like with each new day my love for her increases along with my desire to equip myself with better ways of meeting her needs, not just physically.

Motherhood is a journey that never ends until death. It is, for most women, one of the most fulfilling journeys. Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers and do enjoy it the best way you can.