I have been a physical therapist for the last 18 years. True, I haven’t been in the clinic much the last couple of years, but I have all the rehab thoughts and ideas.
So, here I am with hips that are doing fairly well, but could be better, diastasis recti and pelvic floor issues after pregnancy, and general overall stiffness and lack of conditioning from one thing after another for several years.
I have ideas on how to work on these things. I am also going to a PT who specializes in postpartum care. I know how to address this problems, and I know who to ask to address certain things even better!
The thing is, I also have a baby that doesn’t like to be put down for any reason, and will not nap unless being held. Sleeping at night sometimes happens in a crib, but often being held by an adult. If I had time, I might tear my hair out, but when I get a few moments, it’s usually trying to wash bottles, do dishes, pump, maybe take the occasional shower and, if it’s more than 5 minutes, SLEEP!
Trying to Find the Time
The other day, I saw an Instagram post* about a woman talking about how she got things done with six kids, including a baby the same age as mine. “Great!” I thought. “You have a lot more experience in this, teach me your ways.” She proceeded to say that the only time she had in a day sometimes was an hour in the morning and in the afternoon because that’s the only nap time her baby had.
Wah. Wah.
A) I would love it if my child slept for an hour in both the morning and the afternoon, and
B) I would have SO much time if she would do it in the crib and I had that time free to get things done!
I’m proud to be able to say that I didn’t throw my phone across the room in frustration. (Both because that’s not how I react to things, but also, who wants to wake a sleeping baby?)
The Solution
Here’s what I have found so far in regards to a solution: there isn’t one. The reason that I haven’t found the “right time” is because there is no such thing. Now what I’m looking for is a sorta okay time that might let me do a little bit here and there.
Saturday morning when I get a break while my husband takes the baby? Maybe instead of sleeping today, I will do a little movement and write a quick blog post about it. Other times, sleeping will definitely be the correct answer!
Squeezing in a little movement here and there while having a baby in a carrier or while the baby gets play time on the floor is another way.
That’s really all I’ve figured out so far. I don’t love it. I want to be able to do more and do it better. All I can do is take each day and see if I can find a little bit, and it may mean asking which is more important, the shower, sleep, or movement? Clearly, I would like to do all of the above, but that is not my current reality. Which is most important on a given day will shift based on all the other things going on in life.
Things to Consider
A couple of things that I consider at this stage:
- My sleep is limited, my ability to cook is limited; in other words, recovery is difficult. That means that high intensity work is not a good option for me currently, though I believe that 1-2 days a week of high intensity work is really good for us when we have a good opportunity for recovery.
- I always need more sleep at this stage, and I will not feel bad about skipping movement for sleep. Some days, I also feel the need for movement, so if sleep has hit a bare minimum, I might choose movement. (Because 5-6 hours of sleep has begun to feel doable, which is not right, but it’s where life is right now. Sigh. I miss sleep!)
- I need to focus on where I am, not where I’ve been or start to calculate how long I think it will take me to get to where I want to go. Several years ago, I felt strong and capable and ready to take on the world. Now, I feel like it’s hard to move, and when I look at the mirror to check alignment and see all the changes in my body, it’s kind of sobering. Instead of getting frustrated, I get to focus on the fact that I’m starting to move better. That I’m starting to feel these different things and work on more control and strength. That I only have to be a little better than I was yesterday in order to make progress.
*How do I have time for scrolling IG? It’s one of the things that keeps me awake sometimes during naps and on some of the nights that I don’t get to lie down much!
When a PT Rehabs 