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I figured out that my diastasis has been getting way worse for the past week because I've been wearing Elise on my back a LOT more. She's been clingier than usual and we've been taking more walks, and presto...extra huge bulge.
Incidentally this makes me really bitter and resentful in my medical birth hating way, as I feel I've been robbed of a great deal of her infancy already between her hospital stay and mine, and I want to wear her just as often as we please.
To give you an idea of what I mean by "huge bulge" - I normally have about a 13 inch difference between my hip measurement and my waist measurement (I'm talking post-kids, pre-diastasis). Like 37-26-39, or 37-29-42, depending on what I weigh. And I still look like that from behind, or out in front. But because of what happens when I turn to the side, my waist measurement is now anywhere from the same to two inches larger than my hip measurement, depending on when I measure. CRAZY sticking out right in the middle right up front. People ask me not just when I'm due, but if it's twins.
I finally went looking for "support wear" locally today instead of just online, something to really shove those muscles back where they belong and (hopefully?) train them to stay there. At least keep them from jumping and bulging as I move (they do, it's highly visible and sometimes hurts). My surgeon reccomended a corset but I found quickly that most corsets fall into two categories: mostly decorative, and $500. Neither seemed appropriate. The splint thing that I have is great when I can use it, but it rolls up and bunches and pinches anytime I sit or bend over - so basically I put it on whenever we're going for a walk, because otherwise it just drives me crazy.
I ended up with this thing that starts with straps that go up on the outside of your bra and over your shoulders, and ends with boy shorts. It's extreme O_o Those Brazillians know what they're doing. The two who sold it to me were both wearing them and...I just don't even know how to explain this.
Pros:
-It definitely holds the diastasis in where it should be
-I also look way better while dressed now, without it or ANY other belly sticking out
-it's really surprisingly comfortable to wear, for something so tight...I mean it never "got hard" or started bothering me today, even on a picnic at the park. Sitting is fine, laying down to nurse is fine, eating is fine. I kind of expected wearing something like this to be nonstop torture, so WOW! This is easy peasy to have on.
-Really helps me keep my posture right, as well as lessening my backaches throughout the day
So all good right? Mostly, yeah.
Cons:
-The thing takes me 15-20 minutes to get on, most of them spent cursing, sweating and giving myself little pep talks as I strain and struggle to get that next strong metal hook-and-eye closed. It involves laying down, and standing up, and shimmying, and hopping, and even some dancing. I'm NOT exaggerating about the time or the sweat, at all. I mean damn. I don't know if I'll be able to find the time and space to get myself into it every morning. My hands hurt for half an hour afterwards this time.
-When I take it off, I get a mental picture of 2 gallons of marshmallow sauce exploding from one little jelly bean.
You know Brazillians are the ones who brought the rest of the world things like extra low cut jeans, butt implants and going to a spa to have your vag waxed, right? These Brazillians actually acted like I was a wuss when I brought the first size back, saying no way could I get into it. BELIEVE ME, I had triiiiiiied. "Well don't go any bigger than this, it has to be TIGHT!" they lectured. They told me to not expect overnight results for when it's not on, and that the most important thing is that I wear it every single day. And that it can be taken in by a seamstress when/if I lose weight for about $10.
Another, minor pro is it makes me feel more active and confident in general, in a way I don't know how to explain. It's like this all over body compression feeling that's hard to describe, without any organ squeezing and nowhere to cut in when you bend. Minor con is that it looks like I have a prosthetic torso when my shirt rides up. There's also something rather soul killing about forcing your flab down, under and to the side to cram it into something, and closing all these tightly packed hook and eyes right over top of staple scars that's sort of triggering and unnerving for me. As is seeing my reflection before I go to the bathroom, with this long row of metal hook and eyes running down the length of me on the flesh toned second-skin. Going to the bathroom is easy, incidentally, they make it so you can go with it on...I've always had bit of an aversion to "false advertising", though, if you know what I mean...I want to be the same person getting up in the morning that people see out in the afternoon.
I think it's important, though, and that it might really help. At least hopefully help me avoid or delay the impending hernia. It's nice to not have my pants fitting fine when I stand but killing me when I sit, too - I don't even notice any waistband when I'm sitting with the thing on.
Kind of a weird adjustment to think I'm going to be wearing it all day every day under my clothes "From now on", for some indefinite time period filled with excercises and corrected lifting and position changing, all to hopefully effect some gradual muscle closing...I just really, really, REALLY don't want to leave my kids again and have more surgery. Don't want to be in the hospital. Don't want to have anesthesia. Don't want to risk my freaking life anymore.
Incidentally this makes me really bitter and resentful in my medical birth hating way, as I feel I've been robbed of a great deal of her infancy already between her hospital stay and mine, and I want to wear her just as often as we please.
To give you an idea of what I mean by "huge bulge" - I normally have about a 13 inch difference between my hip measurement and my waist measurement (I'm talking post-kids, pre-diastasis). Like 37-26-39, or 37-29-42, depending on what I weigh. And I still look like that from behind, or out in front. But because of what happens when I turn to the side, my waist measurement is now anywhere from the same to two inches larger than my hip measurement, depending on when I measure. CRAZY sticking out right in the middle right up front. People ask me not just when I'm due, but if it's twins.
I finally went looking for "support wear" locally today instead of just online, something to really shove those muscles back where they belong and (hopefully?) train them to stay there. At least keep them from jumping and bulging as I move (they do, it's highly visible and sometimes hurts). My surgeon reccomended a corset but I found quickly that most corsets fall into two categories: mostly decorative, and $500. Neither seemed appropriate. The splint thing that I have is great when I can use it, but it rolls up and bunches and pinches anytime I sit or bend over - so basically I put it on whenever we're going for a walk, because otherwise it just drives me crazy.
I ended up with this thing that starts with straps that go up on the outside of your bra and over your shoulders, and ends with boy shorts. It's extreme O_o Those Brazillians know what they're doing. The two who sold it to me were both wearing them and...I just don't even know how to explain this.
Pros:
-It definitely holds the diastasis in where it should be
-I also look way better while dressed now, without it or ANY other belly sticking out
-it's really surprisingly comfortable to wear, for something so tight...I mean it never "got hard" or started bothering me today, even on a picnic at the park. Sitting is fine, laying down to nurse is fine, eating is fine. I kind of expected wearing something like this to be nonstop torture, so WOW! This is easy peasy to have on.
-Really helps me keep my posture right, as well as lessening my backaches throughout the day
So all good right? Mostly, yeah.
Cons:
-The thing takes me 15-20 minutes to get on, most of them spent cursing, sweating and giving myself little pep talks as I strain and struggle to get that next strong metal hook-and-eye closed. It involves laying down, and standing up, and shimmying, and hopping, and even some dancing. I'm NOT exaggerating about the time or the sweat, at all. I mean damn. I don't know if I'll be able to find the time and space to get myself into it every morning. My hands hurt for half an hour afterwards this time.
-When I take it off, I get a mental picture of 2 gallons of marshmallow sauce exploding from one little jelly bean.
You know Brazillians are the ones who brought the rest of the world things like extra low cut jeans, butt implants and going to a spa to have your vag waxed, right? These Brazillians actually acted like I was a wuss when I brought the first size back, saying no way could I get into it. BELIEVE ME, I had triiiiiiied. "Well don't go any bigger than this, it has to be TIGHT!" they lectured. They told me to not expect overnight results for when it's not on, and that the most important thing is that I wear it every single day. And that it can be taken in by a seamstress when/if I lose weight for about $10.
Another, minor pro is it makes me feel more active and confident in general, in a way I don't know how to explain. It's like this all over body compression feeling that's hard to describe, without any organ squeezing and nowhere to cut in when you bend. Minor con is that it looks like I have a prosthetic torso when my shirt rides up. There's also something rather soul killing about forcing your flab down, under and to the side to cram it into something, and closing all these tightly packed hook and eyes right over top of staple scars that's sort of triggering and unnerving for me. As is seeing my reflection before I go to the bathroom, with this long row of metal hook and eyes running down the length of me on the flesh toned second-skin. Going to the bathroom is easy, incidentally, they make it so you can go with it on...I've always had bit of an aversion to "false advertising", though, if you know what I mean...I want to be the same person getting up in the morning that people see out in the afternoon.
I think it's important, though, and that it might really help. At least hopefully help me avoid or delay the impending hernia. It's nice to not have my pants fitting fine when I stand but killing me when I sit, too - I don't even notice any waistband when I'm sitting with the thing on.
Kind of a weird adjustment to think I'm going to be wearing it all day every day under my clothes "From now on", for some indefinite time period filled with excercises and corrected lifting and position changing, all to hopefully effect some gradual muscle closing...I just really, really, REALLY don't want to leave my kids again and have more surgery. Don't want to be in the hospital. Don't want to have anesthesia. Don't want to risk my freaking life anymore.
