The Aftermath Continued

Again, this is a post for my girlfriends out there, especially those struggling with after-baby-body. Might be TMI for some of you.


Well it has been three months of laps around the mall and Jillian Michaels, so I met with my doctor again this week. Sadly, I do still need surgery. He showed me what the surgery will do--my belly button sticks out right now, and he showed me how far they'd tuck it back in with a mesh to keep it in place. Guys, my stomach would be flat right now if he did that. I still do have a lot of loose skin, and he said there was a possibility I'd have a droopy belly button. But that's better than having an elephant trunk there, I suppose! It'd be awesome for my stomach to be flat again. I can't describe how frustrating it is to know you're working out hard and (usually) eating right, and still have a doughnut belly.
Here's the catch: This hernia doesn't hurt me right now. It doesn't restrict me in any way. It won't get any worse, and I'm in no danger if I never had it fixed. Now, the surgery is still considered reparative, and my insurance will still cover their portion of it. But my primary reason for considering it is cosmetic. It's no tummy tuck. I'd definitely still get some looks in a bikini. But I'd be able to wear a one-piece without everyone on the beach stopping to stare at the lady with the freak belly button! Haha.
So I'm considering it. I'm going to work out even harder for another six months. It'll be easy to get the girls out and walk in the spring and summer. We'll see how much loose skin goes away--maybe it'll be easier to operate, and so much skin won't hang around after the surgery. And maybe I'll decide it looks ok after all, and choose not to have the surgery. I won't have it done till after the girls' first birthday.
Thanks for those of you who are thinking about and praying for me! To those of you who are newly postpartum and are struggling with the same issues--there is hope! Despite what you read out there on most blogs, things can change for the better! I am looking SO much better than I was. If I continue to heal at the same rate, I won't even have surgery.
Best of luck to all of you doing the same thing!

Rules of Being a Mom #7

Rule #7: Find your cleaning rhythm.

Now I have no idea how you moms who work full time do it. Not a clue. I'm no supermom--and I'm fortunate enough to be able to stay home during the day.
A tiny piece of my sanity is connected to the cleanliness of our little apartment. Having twins, I'm scrambling for every scrap of sanity I can find. So I try to keep up with the house. When the girls were first born and we were in survival mode, it was the last thing on my mind. But now that we've got a routine and even some sleep, I'm finding that I can keep up with the house too, mostly. I'm a list person, but these days, if I make a complete list, that's all I have time to do. So I'm learning to have a rhythm instead.
Every day, I do one load of laundry and one load of dishes. The laundry is easy. I put my girls on a blanket in front of me and keep them entertained by covering their faces occasionally with the clothes I am folding. (This will become 20x more difficult as they are old enough to undo what I've done, I know.) The dishes are more complicated. I can't do it while a baby is sleeping, because it will wake them up. Occasionally they may have to fuss for 10 minutes while I load the dishwasher. But I keep my sanity that way. I clean out the cat box every time I give the girls a bath. There are a few other things like that. None come to mind at the moment. Please don't ask how often I clean my bathrooms thoroughly. But I'm getting there.