Maria~ mother of 3 and physician

I attended a Tummy Team workshop after my second child was born and it was the best thing I’ve done for myself in years! Here’s my story:

I am a 31 year-old physician and a mother of 3. I have always been an athlete. I prided myself on being athletic despite being pregnant or breastfeeding, or having young children, and I’ve considered core strength to be foundational for balance, strength, and energy. After my second child was born, I had a deep diastasis with weakened abdominal muscles, and it affected every aspect of my athletics. I worked really hard to get my tummy back “in shape” but the yoga, Pilates, crunches, etc. didn’t help at all. I was frustrated, discouraged and lacking self-confidence when I heard of the Tummy Team program. I wanted a third child, but I was afraid of ruining my body (you give up so much for motherhood, but I didn’t want to sacrifice everything!). 

I’ll be honest that I was pretty skeptical after the first Tummy Team session – the program was so simple, I wasn’t sure it would work for me. But I gave it a shot, and I was thrilled with the results. I regained my core strength back and remembered how to use my  body safely. I was shocked how quickly I was back to a quality work-out routine (with small modifications for my healing tummy). 

My third child was born about a year after I started the Tummy Team program (she’s 4 months old now), and the recovery after having that third baby was so much easier than it had been after the first 2 (although the labor and delivery hadn’t been much different, and I’d actually been less active during my last pregnancy). I know that the difference in recovery was because of the lessons I’d learned from the Tummy Team. I have incorporated subtle changes into my everyday life to be able to stay strong, healthy and active. I am so grateful for the Tummy Team, and I strongly recommend anyone who is battling their core muscles to sign up for a session – it is simple, easy to do, and best of all, it works! Your tummy will thank you!!

My Story~ Julie, Mother of 3 and 1 on the way!

The Tummy Team works!  It truly does! 

Before doing the Tummy Team:  I was 33, my third daughter was 2 years old, and I still looked quite pregnant.  Not because I was overweight but because I had no muscle tone in my stomach.  I had had enough!  Even more important than how I looked was how awful I felt!  My back constantly ached.  I had to see the chiropractor regularly because my spine & ribs kept popping out of place.  My formerly "regular" bowels were sluggish and causing constipation (and further strain on the hemorrhoids I had developed during my second pregnancy).  My posture was horrible and looked really sloppy.  Overall I just felt unhealthy and unattractive!  My husband and I were planning to conceive our fourth child soon, but I really wanted to get my core strong BEFORE I had another baby stretch my tummy out again.  I wanted to feel stronger during this next pregnancy, not to mention push more effectively.  I also knew doing the Tummy Team before pregnancy would help me get my core strength back quicker after pregnancy.

During the Tummy Team:  I love Kelly!  She is such a likable gal, and so very knowledgeable.  She was super encouraging and helped me to progress in my core strength, but without being bossy or harsh.  The educational videos were excellent.  I did the Tummy Team with a group of gals, and ALL of us had incredible results.  We are talking diastasis closed, bowel-control, urinary-control, posture and spinal problems remedied or greatly lessened!  Most of the gals even lost several inches off their waistline!  I would highly recommend doing your Tummy Team rehabilitation with or at the same time as another person.  We all communicated via a Facebook group during our 6 weeks, and it was incredibly helpful to have encouragement and accountability from others "in the same boat."

After the Tummy Team:  Talk about results!  I went from having a separation of 3 to 3.5 and medium-deep down my tummy, to being 1 to 1.5 and shallow!  (1 is closed, so I only had a half-of-a-finger width separation left!)  My posture was great and I felt so much more confident about myself.  My back problems virtually went away, and my bowel issues greatly improved.  And, as an added bonus, I lost 4" off my waistline.....without losing a single pound!  So as you can see, I am a huge believer in the Tummy Team.  I have literally recommended it to dozens of people!  

Update as of Six Months Later:  I am currently 5 months pregnant with baby girl #4 (yay!), and have felt so much stronger during this pregnancy!  I truly believe that my knowledge of my core will greatly help with pushing this little girl out efficiently.  And after this little one is born I can't wait to use my belly splint and my core-strengthening exercises to get my core health back!  The Tummy Team is truly a gift that keeps on giving throughout a lifetime.  Still so grateful for Kelly and the Tummy Team!

 

 

My Story~ Becca~ mom of 2.

I took the Tummy Team's "Perfect Pushing" class in 2010 when I was pregnant with my second child.  I had previously had a cesarean delivery in 2008 after five long hours of pushing that didn't move my large (and unfavorably positioned) son.  Along with regular chiropractic care to help promote ideal positioning, I wanted to prepare myself with exercises that would really help me focus my efforts and push effectively.  I enjoyed how thorough the class was, and did the exercises faithfully throughout my second and third trimesters.  When my daughter was born in 2011, I had a much faster labor and pushed on my own (without being coached).  My memory of that part was a little foggy (it was a short and intense labor!) but I only pushed for about 20 minutes when she came flying out like superman, with a nuchal hand and a 14.75" head.  I am so thankful for the information and exercises I learned from the Tummy Team, and the role they played in helping me achieve a successful and healthy vbac.

My Story~ Kelly- first time mom and doula

 My Tummy Team Story

So, I heard about the Tummy Team when, as a doula, a good friend and current client told me she was taking the pushing class in order to prepare for the birth of her daughter.  I had been her doula at her first birth and it had taken over three hours and almost every position for her to get her son out.  She wasn’t taking chances this time.   She, however, had some complications and ended up at the hospital.  She was not having the birth she’d wanted or planned and there were some very real dangers involved.  When she was ready to push she had her midwife on one side with forceps and another nurse midwife with a vacuum extractor.  To say things were tense would have been a grave understatement.  But, my friend calmly closed her eyes, focused and in two pushes her daughter was born.  After, seeing her perform that minor miracle, I was sold on Tummy Team.  

I signed up for the pushing classes and did the best I could to get “in shape” for the birth.  I was very faithful in my exercises at first with things waning just before the birth when even getting up to go the bathroom was making me tired.  I could still feel my core when I tightened my muscles and I could relax my pelvic floor at the same time so I felt prepared.  

The one thing I’ve learned as a doula is to prepare, but be prepared for change.  My birth did not go as planned.  When my water broke at home I went to the bathroom and filled the toilet bowl with blood.  I knew there was something seriously wrong so we immediately went to the hospital even though contractions hadn’t started yet.  They checked me and confirmed that my water had broken and that they weren’t sure where the source of the blood was coming from.  I don’t think they wanted to say the words partial placental abruption, but that’s what was going on.  They needed to keep me monitored and we complied.   

My baby was doing great on the monitors so we slept until we were woken later that morning.  The midwife on call suggested that we start pitocin since my water had broken and labor wasn’t active yet.  Around noon I started pit, my doula joined me and we walked around to get things going.  The rest of my laboring was in the tub – seven hours later they got me out to check me and I was 5 cm.  I was pretty exhausted at that point and dehydrated.  I hadn’t eaten for 24 hours and I was beginning to worry about my baby.  I wanted an epidural.  I was advised to walk around, but when I did that I gushed more blood.  I wasn’t bleeding in the water, but I couldn’t go back.  I was a prune.  Literally a prune and body needed time outside the water.  

I got the epidural and rested for a few hours before it was time to push.  My epidural was too heavy.  I couldn’t feel my legs I couldn’t move them.  I was completely numb from the waist down.  I really hadn’t wanted that.  I wanted to be able to feel some, but my former-military (in my opinion) anesthesiologist didn’t understand me when I said I wanted it lowered.  I asked specifically for it to be lowered when I pushed.  She lowered it marginally, but I still felt nothing.  I had to ask for people to tell me when I was having a contraction so I could push with it.  It was very frustrating, especially when people weren’t really keeping track.  

The amazing thing though, was that when I pushed I pushed well.  I pushed so well that I had my eight pound baby girl out within 29 minutes.  I know it would have been less if people had actually kept track of my contractions.  Even though I couldn’t feel my body I relied on my practice and I focused on tightening my core and relaxing my pelvic floor.  I pictured my baby’s head and I pictured my muscles holding her little head in place while I waited for the next contraction to help push her a little further.  

I was so glad to get to this part and be able to push so effectively.  The nurse even mentioned how well I’d done because she was ready to guide me and I said I wanted to use the Tummy Team method.  My baby girl came out healthy and howling.  Her back was covered in red blood.  It wasn’t until later that I realized how precarious our situation was and how blessed we are that my placenta didn’t attach further.  

I really am so grateful I took the pushing course, as a first time mother no less.  I am recommending your classes to every mom I meet.  I know two moms at least, myself and my friend who introduced me to Tummy Team that were able to avoid c-sections because of successful pushing. 

Kelly- new mom of 1.

My Story~ Gretchen mother of 1.

I wanted to share my story of tummy empowerment.

I'm a 40 year old mom of a 9 year old. Ever since the pregnancy I experienced a bulging belly button and abdominal weakness. Over the past few years I noticed a developing mini-tummy, being noticeable on my thin frame. Last year I developed an inguinal hernia that I underwent surgery for. While there weren't any complications, and the surgeon explained that the hernia was normal for thinner women, I understood that my lack of core strength might have contributed. I tried yoga and strength workouts, to no avail. From the advice of super hero pelvic P.T., Tami Kent, came a referral for the strengths and wisdom from Kelly Dean of the Tummy Team. Kelly and I corresponded over email and met shortly after for a one-on-one session. Kelly found that I had a 3 finger-gap, almost as deep, at my center and points above and bellow. Even after testing myself, I didn't discover my weaknesses as Kelly did. She provided me with a handful of simple exercises that I would do daily to develop my transverse abdominis that had weakened with the birth of my child. While still not perfect, I have been amazed at my progress. Kelly taught me how to carry myself in a more supported way, avoiding positions that increased the finger gap. My work with the exercises became more proficient and I am pleased to report progress, greater ease of movement, and continued slimming of my gap. Thank you Kelly and the Tummy Team for your help and for the training to heal myself!

-Gretchan J.

Portland, OR

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