Stroller Sidelines

I can’t believe three weeks have passed since my last blog update.  Amazing.  Scary. My Dad, Gary, is not impressed with my infrequent posting.

In my last blog I bragged about how I was going to all of these cool classes, feeling great and working out. Um, yeah, all that has changed.  Instead of going to Stroller Strides, I’ve created my own club and it’s called Stroller Sidelines. It’s a club where you sit out of all the fun fitness-related activities and limp around your apartment using a stroller as a walker.  I can’t wait until this club looses me, its one and only member.

Well, first of all, I knew I shouldn’t have been working out three weeks postpartum. But, I was feeling really great and was anxious to get my body back into shape.   Doctors don’t give you clearance to work out until you are six weeks postpartum, but I thought that was just a lame suggestion, an excuse for women who don’t like to work out, to not work out. 

Unlike me, it turns out some of these doctors know a thing or two about health and the human body.   At my second Stroller Strides class, just over two weeks ago, I pulled my SI joint (a pelvic joint that loosens for labor) while doing knee raises on a park bench.   I didn’t hear a pop or feel immediate pain.  I felt a little off-balanced but I kept on working out.  Later that afternoon, my right hip really started to hurt and I ended up limping home from doing errands.  I iced it, used a heating pad, and took ibuprofen for days, but nothing helped.  I had sharp shooting pain when I turned in bed, had a hard time picking up Colette and getting to her quickly when she cried.

Last week, I saw sports specialists, got an x-ray (nothing broken), filled some scripts (nothing good), and started physical therapy.  Luckily, the joint will heal and I’m starting to feel better. Unfortunately, I need to take it easy for a while.  I gave my yoga punch card to another new mom and I put my Stroller Strides membership on hold.  It saddens me to say that this will be the first time in 20 consecutive years that I am not running in the Manchester Road Race with the rest of my family on Thanksgiving morning.  It breaks my heart, but I know it’s the mature and healthy thing to do.   I plan on running the NYC Marathon next year, and the Manchester Road Race for the rest of my life, so I better take care of myself.

Colette went to the doctor too. She had her one-month “well visit” a few weeks ago.  She’s a happy, healthy baby weighing in at over 10 lbs. now.  She’ll go again in a few weeks for her first round of immunizations.   She’s way more alert, smiling (a little), cooing, holding her head up, and sleeping like a champ.   

Cole learning to do the running man

The past few weeks have been pretty rough emotionally and physically, definitely harder than anything I endured during pregnancy and labor, but I’m optimistic that I’m on the road to recovery.  Luckily, I have a great baby and husband that love me even when I'm not 100%. Things ain't that bad....ain't bad at all.