What can happen in 4-6 weeks? Take a look!!
Beautiful After the Belly
Diastasis Recti, Hernias, C-section and Ab Scarring, Belly Button, Pelvic Floor
Latest Posts
Dry Brushing for Diastasis Recti Issues, Revitalize Abdominal Skin Tautness, C-section numbness!
Is there a 3 FOLD APPROACH to helping abdominal skin post diastasis recti,helping tautness, helping numbness, and stimulating the nerve endings on a “turned off muslce”?
YES!!
SKIN TAUTNESS
This has got to be one of the number one questions I get apart from diastasis and hernia questions. After pregnancy the skin can lose skin integrity. When I work with people who bring their diastasis recti together and lose inches in the waist, the inevitable next question is – ok, what about the skin. I do recommend both Emu oil and Coconut (the GOOD stuff – I like Tropical Traditions brand personally) in tandem, or Diastasis Rehab has a great connective tissue cream with a really great formulation. But there has to more than JUST a topical approach to skin.
NUMBNESS
I work with many clients who have had C-sections. Some have numbness from 2 weeks Post C-section to 20+ YEARS!! When we do exercises that work the transverse, if the lower section is not responding we have them poke the muscle, brush the muscle with different kinds of bristles of brushes to stimulate the nerve endings to send messages to the brain it needs to be worked. Different textures stimulate the nerve endings differently.
MIND BODY CONNECTION
For ANYONE who has been pregnant – when you can’t see a muscle, like when the belly gets bigger with pregnancy, the brain can literally turn the muscle off because you can’t “see” it (at least while looking down) and and can become disconnected with the whole area. The brain often needs some “additional info” to convince it that it still needs to send messages to the lower abs after it takes a break by turning it off, or gets the muscle fibers cut, as in a C-section.
DRY BRUSHING
AHA! Something that can take these areas of weakness and bring them together.
I have been hearing about dry brushing for the past several years but did not look into it seriously for belly benefits until one of my clients mentioned how much it helped her post C-section.
I did some research about dry brushing – some ins and outs – here are some of the articles I read and liked:
http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/beauty-style/dirt-dry-brushing
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/24/dry-skin-brushing.aspx
http://wellnessmama.com/26717/dry-brushing-skin/
OTHER BENEFITS
Of course, there are also other benefits as well – detoxing, stimulating the lymph system, eliminating other skin issues, helps circulation.
Did I mention it only takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes per day to do?! Yeah, that’s VERY little investment for some great potential! In the diastasis world – it helps with THREE THINGS at the same time – the skin tautness, mind-body connection, and stimulates nerve endings post C section if there is numbness (make sure to be careful around the scar area).
WHERE AND WHAT KIND:
This is the one I got – less than $10.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00016RIIA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
BEFORE AND AFTER:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=dry+brushing+before+and+after+pictures&t=h_&iax=1&ia=images
ADDENDUM:
*The one addendum I would make to the chart above is to do a clockwise motion also on the abdomen in the middle as that will help stimulate digestion as well.
ENJOY the journey of Dry Brushing!!
Diastasis Recti and Sex – whats our position?
No pun intended!
And believe it or not, I get asked this one ALL THE TIME!!
I will take an except from diastasis rehab for this one!
“I tell my clients that your transverse muscle should be your best friend. This is because you use the transverse muscle with every breath you take and every move you make! So you must think about using your transverse with all your activities of daily living. But I forgot about one very important activity of daily living……having sex. It was not until a client who was not progressing as fast as she should have with the program, who was very sexually active, asked me if having sex would affect her diastasis. I knew immediately that this was the reason she was not progressing in the program. A light bulb moment! Having sex does effect the diastasis. I told her how and she then made remarkable progress in a very short time.
So how does sex need to be modified so that it does not make the diastasis larger?
It is all about the “positions” when having sex. If you have a diastasis, the hands and knees position is OUT. In this position all the weight of the organs presses on the weak connective tissue not allowing it to heal. Closing a diastasis is all about healing the connective tissue. Besides the pressure on the connective tissue, in this position it is very hard to hold in the transverse muscle.
A backlying position with the legs in the air is also a challenging position. Gravity makes it hard to hold the transverse in when on your back with the legs NOT in the air. That is why the Tupler Technique® strengthens the transverse in a seated position for three weeks before headlifts are started. That way you have transverse strength and the awareness of how to use it in a position where gravity makes it hard to do. Even if you have a strong transverse and no diastasis, the combination of backlying AND legs in the air is a very difficult position to hold the transverse in. If you can’t hold it in it is going forward forcefully putting intra-abdominal pressure on the weak connective tissue and separating the muscles.
So the best position is to be seated on top. The next best position is sidelying with a pillow supporting your belly. With that in mind…..enjoy”
All New Before and After Pictures – Healing the Diastasis Recti 2015
I’m so proud of all these gals this past year! From age 20 to age 72, they closed their diastasis and shrunk their bellies. Most of these were during a four week workshop. It can and does happen! I feel so lucky I get to be a part of it!
Home birth, New Baby, Binding Bones, Healing Diastasis Recti, 1 month Post Partum!
Baby #6 is here!
I had an AMAZING birth experience. This time I did several things differently than the others.
COPING MECHANISMS
I did Hypnobabies this time around, which rocked my world. Helped me really have some great coping mechnanisms and think of things differently – pressure waves, instead of contractions, and so forth. I used the same mechanisms to cope with the uterine cramps afterwards.
RELAXED ATMOSPHERE
I did a Home Birth which was so great! The birth happened so fast (TOTAL labor of 1 hour 40 minutes) that the kids were COMPLETELY oblivious to what was going on. My oldest (12) was playing Canon in D on the piano, while the others were entertained on the ipad. I put my youngest daughter down for a nap at 1:20 PM as labor was just getting started. Had the baby at 2:47 PM. It was so fast, the midwfie didn’t make it in time. The assistant made it with 5 minutes to spare. She had just enough time to put down her laptop, through the absorbant pads on the ground and literally catch the baby.
My muscle memory from doing the Seated Tupler Contractions was right where it needed to be – Just 1 1/2 pushes and the baby was out. You can’t learn a new skill while in pain, so if you practice DURING pregnancy, especially (don’t get grossed out here) during each bowel movement, your muscles will know exactly how to push perfectly during the crowning moment. Your stomach muscles will go BACK rather than DOWN (a.k.a. bearing down) while the pelvic floor relaxes. This makes for a good pushing experience – be it a water birth, or land birth. You can get the HOW TO HERE.
QUICK BIRTH
We did a land birth, rather than the water birth. I LOVE water births. Two of my six have been water births. The tub did not have enough time to fill up, so we did a land birth right on the floor. I will always think of that spot in our room differently now – like it has an energy mark of the experience.
PLACENTA ENCAPSULATION
I had my placenta encapsulated by Peace Love Placenta. It has been GREAT for energy. Holy Cow – why did I not do this the first 5 births. It has its personalized cocktail of hormones for each individual. I definitley have felt the quick balance it gives.
HERBAL HEALING
I used some herbal tea with shephards purse, as well as some other herbs that kept postpartum bleeding down to a minimum. THIS TEA REALLY rocked my world. With 6 kids to chase after, its important to really heal internally. This was so great for that.
SPLINTING
I waited several weeks to splint with this one. My uterus was a bit stubborn to go down at first. The encapsulated placenta helped. I listened to my body with the splinting. I have waited a little longer after each child to splint. This time I waited 3 1/2 weeks to splint. I felt it helped everything calm down with the uterus, so there was no ligament damage. ALWAYS listen to your body while splinting. Though my diastasis is already closed, and has been for a couple weeks – the Diastasis Rehab® Splint found HERE is helping the waistine go down. After a week of splinting, though the diastasis was closed, my waist has gone down 3 inches from 29 1/2 to 26 1/2.
BINDING BONES
I have been binding my bones as well. This you can do postpartum ideally in the first 6 months after birth. You use a compression binder ON TOP OF the Diastasis Rehab® Splint. This is the version I like HERE. I like this one because it helps give compression to the hips and ribs both. I have liked the look and feel of my abdomen MUCH better after binding the bones AS WELL AS Splinting to bring the diastasis together, and the waistline in. It also has the added bonus of keeping the Diastasis Rehab® Splint in place.
INTRINSIC HEALING EXERCISES
And now – doing my 10 sets of 100 a day of Seated Tupler contractions to get the waistline where I want it to be, since my diastasis is already closed (mostly from splinting consistently during pregnancy coupled with the 10 sets of 100 contractions, and correct body mechanics). Can learn about them HERE.
SUMMARY
Putting yourself back together after 6 kids can have its challenges. After EACH child, the trick is to listen to your body. Most cultures have learned to approximate muscles, bind bones, use herbs to care for mom, and many other tried and true things our culture has by in large forgotten about, but is now emerging back into our culture.
Postpartum mamas – it doesn’t matter whether you had a baby 3 days ago or 30 years ago, you can STILL put yourself back together!
Amazing stories of those in the Tupler Technique® program:
I see so many amazing things with my clients, and I tell all the good stories at my workshops. I decided to share a few here:) Some Amazing stories in the past few months of those who have gone through the Tupler Technique® program:
Client CS
She is in her 30s was taking the workshop and just found out the first day of her program she was pregnant with #5. She measured 10.5 fingerwidths wide on the lower measurement of her diastasis recti. In only TWO WEEKS she brought that measurement down to 1.5 fingerwidths WHILE she had morning sickness!
Client CI
She is a mom in her lower 40s with 2 kids. She has fibromyalgia and wanted to do the program to fix her diastasis recti. She emailed me after 1 week commenting her fibromyalgia had never felt better, AND her belly looked much better!
Client MT
She is a mom in her 40s with 2 kids. She had a 3.5 inch by 3 inch hernia 1 inch above her navel. After 2.5 weeks of doing the Tupler Technique, she decreased her hernia to 1.25 inch X 1 inch (while only doing half the suggested exercises). A 66% decrease!
Client GU
She is a mom in her 30s with 3 kids. She was very athletic, but her belly did not reflect that. After doing the Tupler Technique® program for 5 week, She closed her 7 fingerwidth diastasis, and shrunk her waist from 39 inches at the belly button to 32! She also lost another 5 inches across the lower and upper parts of her belly. 12 inches off her belly in 5 weeks (not changing what she ate or anything else).
Client KM
She is a mom in her lower 30s with 2 kids. She had a 1in. X 1 in. hernia that had bothered her for years. She did the Tupler Technique® program and splinted, and her hernia completely reversed in 2 days! She couldn’t believe it and emailed me to make sure this was even possible. It has never come back. Gone for good.
Client PH
She just turned 60 this year and has 4 kids. She is taking the working with her daughter. She completely closed her 5 fingerwidth diastasis she has had for 30 years in just TWO WEEKS! Her abs were rock solid, connective tissue has already started healing beautifully. She told me she used to buy a belt for her pants to hold over her pooch, but now, she has to wear a belt just to keep her pants up! She shed 7 inches off her belly in 2 weeks!
Client CS
She is a young mom of 2 kids, one just an infant. She drove 3.5 hours from another state for the workshop. We practiced coughing correctly at the workshop; especially important time of year as it was a January workshop. She came back 2 weeks later reporting that she had pneumonia for the last two weeks. However, she had brought her diastasis to only ONE fingerwidth from EIGHT fingerwidths in just TWO WEEKS WITH pneumonia! Little things like coughing are so important to learn to do correctly!
Client KG
She is a mom of 4 in her mid 50s. She is a professor at a university in the City of Chicago. She was overweight, had a large 8 fingerwidth diastasis, both of which were taxing on her back, causing her severe back pain. She had to frequently go in for an epidural to alleviate her pain. She called me on her Jewish New Year to thank me, as the Tupler Technique® program had not only closed her diastasis, it helped her back so much to the point she no longer needed the epidural every couple of months!
CLIENT KH
This client was a male client who had a 10.5 fingerwidth diastasis. He was a cute older gentlemen from the city (Chicago) with a white beard in his 60s. He reported that after two weeks all his pants were falling off, so he had to go shopping with his wife to buy new pants. We measured his diastasis and he had nearly closed it in just TWO WEEKS! It was down to a 1 fingerwidth diastasis. He also reported that his back felt much better than it had in a long time (decades).
Client SB
This client is a mom of 4 in her 60s. She had a 14 fingerwidth diastasis and 9 very large hernias – a few of them being 5X6 inches, and a few of them being 3 X 4 inches, and a couple of them being 1 X 2 inches. Her connective tissue was like a spiderweb, barely holding in her organs. Someone with this severe of a diastasis and this many hernias will take much longer to heal than someone without shredded connective tissue, and someone without this wide of a diastasis. No doubt any surgeon would recommend surgery with super heavy duty mesh. Over 9 months, with the help of an MRI, ALL over her hernias were COMPLETELY UNDERNEATH the connective tissue! We measured her to see – she was a 6 fingerwidth diastasis and was no longer in constant pain. Her spiderweb of connective tissue had come back together and started healing. She was only a 1 fingerwidth diastasis in the upper and lower measurements of the diastasis! This with NO surgery, just the Tupler Technique® program!
Client MS
This client is a nursing young mom in her 20s. She had 1 baby a few months ago. She wanted her belly back. She was a 28.5 inch waist and had a 4 fingerwidth diastasis. After 4 weeks she was able to bring her waist back to her wedding waist measurement of 24 inches. Her diastasis was completely closed and her abs were rock solid. I see so many amazing things – I tried to include stories from all gamuts and walks of life. I am so proud of them all!
Before and After pics from 2014!!
What can happen in just 4 weeks? There are some AMAZING stories behind these pics – the majority just during the 4 week workshop! I am so proud of all these ladies!
Knocked up Fabulous’ Journey to Heal Her Diastasis Recti!
Fellow Mama Blogster Knocked Up Fabulous catalogued her journey of healing her diastasis recti. Read all about it here:
PART ONE
http://knockedupfabulous.com/2014/09/19/how-to-really-get-rid-of-post-baby-belly/
PART TWO
http://knockedupfabulous.com/2014/10/01/the-results-are-in-the-tupler-technique/
Surgery best option? Diastasis Recti too large? Tupler Technique® Better!
An email I received this week:
I’ve had numerous consultations with general surgeons. Two out of three doctors consider my situation as an incisional hernia and recommend surgery. The other surgeon said it’s technically abdominal wall laxity or Diastasis Recti. The latest CT scan shows 8 cm wide and 10 cm long. Have you worked with anyone with these measurements or larger? Would I still be a candidate for your program and benefit? I’m hoping so, I would like to avoid surgery since I would like to start planning a family soon. However, I would like your professional opinion. If you believe surgery is the better option for my situation or if I can avoid it and still have a normal pregnancy.
My response to her:
(Pictures of this said mama’s amazing results shortly to come!)
Amazing Before and After Pics from 2014!
LOTS of Fantastic Pics!
Currently 70% of my clients have hernias.
Within the 4 or 5 week duration of the workshop, I see a 50% to 100% reversal of the hernias in just that time alone!
I see on average an 70% to 100% improvement of the diastasis in just the 4 to 5 weeks alone!
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