Part I - Lose Your Mummy Tummy DVD

My last month of pregnancy was more difficult than we anticipated.  Aside from the pain I consistently experience during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters and my diastasis recti, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  My blood sugar was well-controlled and my baby was a good size until week 38, when I was told that baby was measuring at 40 weeks and my sugars were starting to go haywire.  As a result, I had to be induced by 39 weeks.

Fortunately, my baby boy was born perfectly healthy with no signs of hypoglycemia or jaundice.  Unfortunately, mommy suffered some injuries during the birth process and I was just given a clean bill of health and cleared for full activity yesterday. 

Mommy's little angel at 8 weeks

As a result, I will begin my Tupler Technique post-partum exercise program!  I will be watching the Lose Your Mummy Tummy DVD and using Julie Tupler's technique to help correct my diastasis recti and get back into shape.

Along the way, I will share embarrassing photos of myself and keep you informed of my progress.  Wish me luck, as with 4 little boys running around, it's hard to find quiet time to myself!

Here is my mummy tummy before starting the Tupler Technique:

Though this is embarrassing to show publicly, I'm sucking up my pride in trying to help other mamas out there!

Please excuse my topographical roadmap -- when mama is only 4'11", baby has nowhere to grow except straight out!  And after 4 pregnancies, this is what happens.  Hopefully, the next series of photos will look a lot prettier than this...

Partial Review of Perfect Pushing DVD

I haven't blogged for quite a while, but I'm back with an 8-week-old baby boy!

Welcome to the world, baby J!

My last month of pregnancy was more difficult than we anticipated.  Aside from the pain I consistently experience during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  My blood sugar was well-controlled and my baby was a good size until week 38, when I was told that baby was measuring at 40 weeks and my sugars were starting to go haywire.  As a result, I had to be induced by 39 weeks.

I had every intention of having a fantastic birth experience using the techniques learned from the Perfect Pushing DVD, but God had other plans for me.  My epidural worked a little too well and I was having a very difficult time pushing, so I was unable to put Julie Tupler's techniques into practice.  I ended up having a vacuum-assisted delivery and was literally one push away from an emergency C-section.

So here is a partial review of Perfect Pushing:

Pros:

• All the exercises are clearly explained as they are being demonstrated
• The exercises themselves are not difficult
• I like to think that using these techniques enabled me to make one final push to avoid an emergency C-section

Cons:

• I would have loved it if pregnant women of all shapes and sizes were shown performing the exercises.
• This is just my personal opinion, but the cover image of a baby being squeezed out of a toothpaste tube is a bit creepy to me.