Tummy Tuck Journey - Part 1

Hello, Hello my friends!

Mid October and the weather is absolutely stunning and fall feel have officially arrived. Is anyone else making all the soups and yummy treats? I’d love to hear some of your favorite fall recipes! I plan on slowly uploading many of my family favorites under my blog and yes, I will also include them in future newsletters.

But this newsletter is a little different, I am actually sharing a personal update this week. It’s something I’m equal parts excited and nervous about.

Next week, I will be going in for an abdominoplasty with muscle repair, also known as a tummy tuck. This is a decision that I did not come to lightly! It’s taken a while for me to get here. Let me give you a little of my story:

I’ve actually never had very flat stomach - I do have a uterus after all - and even when I was very thin, I always had a little rounding in my lower pelvis. Many women have a little extra layer there, even thin people, because our bodies use it to protect our wombs. I have birthed 3 very large babies (thank you Lord) however the aftermath of giving birth has left me with a very large diastasis recti or DR. If you aren’t familiar with DR, it’s basically when your lower (and sometimes upper) abs separate to accommodate the growing fetus. For some women, the abs to back in place all on their own. For others, they repair with pelvic floor therapy. For the lucky ones, like me, no amount of pelvic floor therapy, deep core work or breathing exercises will get my separation to close.

This has left me feeling very defeated. I exercise, I have done the core work, I eat well. However, my anatomy has different plans for me! I also deal with stretch marks, and loose skin in that area. Needless to say, it’s a cocktail of emotions. You have some trains of thought that think “you had a baby! you should be thankful and love your new body!” and then you have the “I would never go through that risk for vanity sake” all the way to those kind hearted, open minded folks who think (and say) “good for you.” I remember when I told my sister and sister in laws - they were nothing but excited and supportive. Along with so many girlfriends. Thank you all for your support!

I did not come to this decision lightly. Do you want to know the push that sent me over the edge? I had a horrible cough last winter and I couldn’t control how much bladder leakage I had. It was miserable, embarrassing and honestly gross. So while I have dealt with leakage ever since giving birth (which is NOT fun when you are jumping on stage teaching fitness and peeing all over the mat) so this was another huge motivator for me. My goal after I heal and get back to the gym to regain my strength and endurance, I also plan to revisit pelvic floor therapy and work on my deep core to help in that area.

While I know feedback on an elective procedure will be varied, I know this is the best decision for me. For MY body. I am looking forward to less neck and back pain, a stronger pelvic floor, being able to do ab exercises properly, jeans that zip without the bulge, and renewed confidence. It’s hard to work your butt off in the gym and no matter what, those stubborn abs won’t bulge!

While I am very thankful to God for my body and all the wonderful things it has done for me, but I am excited to feel back in control.

I can’t end this without saying - my husband loves me just as I am. He still thinks I am an absolute dime and I don’t ‘need’ anything. But his support means the world and I couldn’t do this if he wasn’t on board. The load he will have to carry while I heal (which is a few weeks) weighs heavily on me. He is the absolute best and I’m thankful to him. Also, thank you to all my friends & family, my village, that has offered to step in and and help during recovery- I love you all!

Sharing this brings big feelings of vulnerability, but being authentic and honest is a core quality of mine, and I am glad to share this experience with you all.

If you have had a tummy tuck, I’d love to chat! Shoot me an email!

What’s next?

I look forward to sharing all my surgery prep, healing tools and updates during recovery. I won’t be back at Life Time Fitness until January, but I only took 2 weeks off from seeing clients. I will spend that time recovering, working on my next project (so excited but can’t share yet) and taking it easy as I heal. This is hard for me as I am a DO-ER. But I will learn to lean into the rest, the help and break from work.

I am still here and love connecting - so feel free to shoot me an email or DM me on Instagram.

In health,

Stephenie