Tav is 6.5 weeks old and that means I am 6.5 weeks into birth recovery

 This has been a week of firsts in my post c section recovery.. My motto with my recovery is slow and steady....Essentially I want to re introduce my body to my regular movements pre pregnancy in small increments and at low intensities and then build up from there. I very much want to avoid any kind of major set back due to over pushing myself and causing damage (which can easily happen being me).. it's tough to know where my limits are at the moment so I am keeping it cautious and slowly increasing everything with the hopes I will get stronger slowly and eventually be back at full strength at some point... ???!??!!?!?

In the last week...

I Went for my first SUP... YES, gosh it felt good to be on a SUP again... I don't know how long its been... since November I think... I was on the SIC 12'6 x 30 inflatable... Its still cold out and I am trying to avoid overstimulating my core so I figure if I took the balance out of the equation (for me 30 inches is WIDE and thus very stable) I wouldn't over engage the core... Still although I just went for 30 minutes at a rather slow pace I focused on good technique and using my core carefully... It is really amazing how much you do use your core in this sport...

I also went for my first "run"... We got a baby sling for the chariot and I found a paved undulating route... about 30 minutes of walk run for my first two goes... I am going to work on getting a full run going on that route and then increase my pace... I forgot how hard running is when you haven't done it in a long while... Gotta push through the uncomfortable part... The cool thing about running is I can bring Tav with me and he adds a little resistance training to it all..BONUS

On the weekend, Andrew and I went for our 3rd cross country ski... I started with classic but decided to test out the skate skiing... Again, the pace was slow but we were skiing for about an hour... all felt good...Skate skiing is such a great all around work out... This is a great winter sport that three of us can enjoy together,I forsee a lot of this in our future. We got Tav in a Kindershuttle sled and it works so well.. He seems to enjoy it as he sleeps the entire time:)

Today I made it back to Crossfit Vernon gym... Oh my... it was so great to be back in the gym... It is another step closer to me feeling like my old self again but its painful for me to see where I am to where I was... I know I will get back but it is presently a mental challenge...BONUS I get to bring Tav, and luckily he loves loud noises and loud music... puts him right to sleep... phew

Lastly, the bike... I got on the fat bike for a quick spin on the snow and then out on my regular mountain bike for some road riding... again, like everything short and easy... just getting the body used to it...

So there it is... 6.5 weeks post c section.. and I am moving my body, slowly, carefully and gradually adding more and more as well as increasing the intensity...

Although I write a lot about my recovery and it is important to me... my focus has changed in my life since Tav has been born, being an athlete is so important to me but more importantly is my TAV... I am happy to skip out on something to make sure Tav is happy and he is taken care of... at this stage I am trying to take advantage of the mobility of  bringing him everywhere without him escaping. just have to pray he is in a good mood which luckily he generally is... also home is good, with less sleep, breastfeeding, and general taking care of a new baby I am tired... for sure... but all the more reason to find the extra energy to get out and do some "me" things aka training... it keeps me going and makes me feel alive and I forget my tiredness... OH and it helps to have a helpful husband...

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina

Tav is one month old!!!! Hope he is a water baby 'cause I have SUP on my mind...

I can't believe its been a whole month already! Time flies when you are watching over a little person, watching them grow and start developing..... Tav is great. I have very little experience with newborns but I would guess he is on the calm side... He just doesn't like being naked and then his wild side comes out... haha.. I truly love being a mother... We are starting to bond through poop faces and feeding times. Yes like most other new parents our conversations now are mostly about the colour of poop, etc... haha

On the recovery side of things. I have been taking it rather easy this week after a big weekend of hiking and xcountry skiing I thought I shouldn't test my luck too much and have just been cruising with the man on the pavement with him in the stroller... and some very light stretches and body weight stuff... I feel good.. and am getting anxious to get out there and play for real but I know I still need to wait and heal heal heal... :)





Carolina Cup is my goal... I know it is only 3.5 months post birth but I find it nice to have goals. I have no idea what my body will do??!!? I do know I will likely have to breastfeed the man as soon as I finish as I am pretty sure my boobs are gonna kill me by the end of the race:) It will be interesting too see how quickly I can start training again... I don't want to injure myself or re injure the surgery area so its going to be slow but if I am smart I feel like it is doable... I won't lie I am nervous to race. I am competitive and I left the scene on a high and in good form... Now, not only do I have post c section to deal with but I also have my everyday life differences of having a small infant to look after:) What a journey and I hope to share it with others:) the good, the tough, and the AMAZING... it is pretty amazing:)

Also, I will be putting on a Women's Clinic at Carolina Cup which I am very much looking forward to...  I love teaching, and sharing;)

Carolina Cup Clinic!

‪#‎Repost‬ @supcarolinacup with @repostapp
・・・
Ladies! We've got a clinic just for you! Find out about our clinic with Lina Augaitis–one of the world’s top female SUP racers–here: ow.ly/XytTl ||‪#‎supcarolinacup‬ ‪#‎sup‬ ‪#‎paddleboard‬ ‪#‎standuppaddle‬ ‪#‎wrightsvillebeach‬@linaaugaitis

http://wrightsvillebeachpaddleclub.com/carolina-cup/

live, love, laugh,..DREAM!
lina

3.5 weeks: Tav is still cute and I am still on the recovery train

Andrew wrote a fun blog so I am just going to link to his...

http://andrew-in-bc.blogspot.ca/2016/01/cultural-assymilation.html?fb_ref=Default

Notes on my recovery and life with Tav:


I am off pain meds and have been for a few days now... which feels great and allows me to listen to my body more carefully.
 I am up to 1 hour walks on the snowy trails behind our house... Its great as its a 30 minute uphill slogg and then a slightly slippery 25 min downhill so I have to use my stabilizing muscles... I am trying to increase the time and the intensity a little each day.... I feel good before, during, after... doesn't feel like exercise but I know I have to keep it easy for a little while longer... I can't wait until I can start SUPin, skiing, swimming, biking again.... oh and lift some weights... I've never seen my abs so floppy before:) haha.


At home I have been starting to do some body weight exercises, slowly with little intensity but trying to get the motions there... I am doing high reps of everything. I have also started doing some mild yoga.

I feel good but am trying my best not too push it too much yet as I am only 3 weeks out of surgery. This is a huge mental challenge for me but if I look at it in a positive manner it's a nice test of psychology and mental work out... I hope my patience now will reward me in the future witha solid recovery and when I am ready to hit it hard again I can....

Update:
We tried out the Kindershuttle this weekend up at Sovereign Lakes on xcountry skis.... I felt great throughout my ski (I did take it extremely easy) but I fear between that and slightly more intense hikes I might have pushed slightly too hard... So now I am totally taking it easy for a few days (for real).... I don't think I did any damage but I really don't want to re tear anything... sometimes a small scare is good to put me back in place and reassess my recovery...

live, love, laugh,..DREAM!
lina

10 Days: Tav's life= Eat, Poo, Pee, and Sleep...and my road to recovery

We have also gone grocery shopping, and on some wintery walks in Kal Park and around the hood..

Tav has been entertaining us quite well, the days slip away between naps, feeds, changing diapers, tummy time,, etc. It's funny I can't really remember life without him now... and its only been 10 days.

Personally, I am glad that I am no longer pregnant and that instead of my tummy growing in size it is slowly shrinking but my new troubles are more in the chest region.... instead of getting smaller they have grown tremendously... For a regular woman this might be exciting stuff but for an athlete and me personally it is pretty frustrating thankfully it is for the function of keeping the little man alive and healthy so I am coming to grips with them being annoying and in the way... I'll leave it at that

I have been recovering well (knock on wood)... Granted I am still on Tylenol and Ibuprofin to get me through the days, I have been moving about almost normally... From caring for Tavas, some minor house cleaning, and my walks my goal is to get my blood flowing and body moving... I still have awhile before I can lift anything but am slowly trying to rebuild strength through some more endurance style activities. I mention my walks, these are still quite casual in nature for example what would normally take me 10 minutes to walk takes me 20min... haha... so it is nothing exhilarating but at least provides me with the mental sanity of getting outside and doing some "exercise"....

All in all we are all happy and doing well... let the adventures of parenthood continue.... as they will:)

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina

Tavas James Dye: Born Decemeber 31, 2015, Bringing in the New Year in Style

Andrew's Blog sums up the days events very well..

http://www.andrew-in-bc.blogspot.ca/2015/12/birthday.html

We are at Day 3, safely made it home and survived our first night just the 3 of us.... The learning curve is crazy, and yes, mistakes are made and different strategies are tried but I am confident the three of us will figure it all out...

Good news,
milk is coming in and Tavas is an amazing eater, I apparently can produce a lot of milk too...yipee!

Bad News:
Being pregnant, giving birth, and I can at least testify to the first 3 days post sucks for feeling like any kind of athlete... from recovering from major ab surgery, to crazy weird left over baby flop and crazy huge, hard boobs... there is nothing sexy, strong, or anything about it all as I wobble around the house... hahaha.... BUT I can already also testify that it also seems to not matter at all because we are so in love with our little guy and want nothing more than for him to be healthy, safe, and happy....

yay for this new adventure.... motherhood... WOW! AMAZING stuff..

live, love, laugh,..DREAM!
lina

39 weeks: Anytime now....

My last month of pregnancy has been spent in a winter wonderland of sorts.
I have been nordic skiing, snowshoeing, a little bit of stand up paddleboarding, swimming, yoga, and a little bit of crossfit/home exercises, and a whole lot of walking.... I also finished up teaching, spent a week in Vancouver, enjoyed going to shows and movies, and shovelled lots of snow. Andrew and I also took the opportunity to work on some home projects.

I have been getting bigger and slower as the weeks have gone by but have been determined to keep moving my body as best I could.

Our baby, gender unknown, is a stubborn little thing, it is currently breeched and clearly does not want to turn head down. arg... We have tried numerous natural methods of getting the baby to turn as well as ECV but it just doesn't want to turn. Foreshadowing of what kind of child we will have?!?!?!?

My nest post will be all about the new being.... can't wait to meet him/her very very very soon!

trying different methods to get baby to turn

christmas eve 38 weeks

Christmas Eve walk in Kal Park 38 weeks

Yay Christmas is here!

SUP on snow

36 or so weeks winter SUP

pumping up the SIC inflatable about 36 weeks preggos heading for winter paddle

live, love, laugh,..DREAM!
lina

34 Weeks Pregnant: Snowy fun!

Officially, I have 6 weeks left until life changes forever:)

These last two weeks I have definitely started to feel the weight of pregnancy. Sleeping is less comfortable, my feet and hands go numb numerous times throughout the day, my pelvis and pubis get sore, and most of my tops no longer fit me:(..... these are the small annoyances but in the whole scheme of things I can't complain as I think I have it pretty lucky... I haven't been sick, I am not bedridden, and in general still moving quite well just at a far slower intensity than I am accustomed to.

I really do love feeling the baby kick and move, its so bizarre but in a curious kind of way.... Also, I kind of like that I have an excuse to be tired and a little lazier than normal;)

I have been teaching most days of the week (I am an on call teacher for he school district), always at different schools with different students, its been both fun and challenging but also tiresome with my new load....
Luckily, I am addicted to moving my body so I still am getting out to walk/hike on my local trails behind my house. Winter is here in the Okanagan so I have been cross country skiing a few times now, as well as some snowshoeing... I have also been hitting the pool for laps and that has been feeling great. The cold has deterred me a little from my SUP for the past few weeks, also the lack of a drysuit that fits me. The temps are looking to get warmer and now that I have a drysuit suit that fits my tummy (Thanks Nikki Rekman), I will likely get out on the board a few more times before baby comes...

We have also been doing some house fixing up, buying of new vehicles (we got a truck! F150 eco boost), and general getting ready for the baby to come. In the spirit of the holidays, we also put up some christmas lights... it will be our first Christmas/holidays in our new home (and we will be hanging out at home for much of it as baby can come anytime throughout).

live, love, laugh,..DREAM!
lina