Getting Your Pre-Pregnancy Body Back After Twins.

You just had twins. Your breasts are aching as your milk comes in to feed two hungry little mouths. Your C-section incision is tender (or even below the belt) after delivering two HUGE babies. You're tired. You're cranky. You're still figuring this twin mom thing out. You look down at your deflated mess of a belly and think, "How the heck am I ever gonna fit into my clothes again?"

After I gave birth to Aria & Cadence, I thought the same thing. Around my 30 week mark my belly just sprouted all sorts of stretch marks going horizontally, vertically, diagonally.... basically EVERY DIRECTION. I was depressed thinking of my post-partum body and how horribly distorted my stomach would be.

About a week before giving birth, I bought this amazing post-partum girdle called "The Belly Bandit".

Click HERE if you want to learn more about The Belly Bandit!

I put it on while I was in the hospital after the twins were born. I really liked it because it actually protected my C-section incision from opening because it was a barrier between my clothes or even the babies as they breastfed. When I first wore it, the wrap barely closed over my huge belly (still lopsided with all my organs pushed up against my ribs) and after a month of wearing it, my stomach had shrunken down so much that the wrap was too big on me.

Breastfeeding, as I'm sure you've heard, helps with the weight loss. But you also need to be eating a lot to keep up with producing enough milk to feed two babies, so fill yourself up with good things. I ate a lot of apples and tangerines throughout the day and had two peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and a pretty big dinner.

Luckily, I had my mom and husband with me after giving birth and she would watch the girls for an hour while Kurt took me to the pool and I just walked the length of the pool for 45 minutes. It was a very easy, non-strenuous work out, but it really helped me bounce back and lose all that weight. 

With the stretch marks, I don't know what to tell you. I haven't found anything to get rid of them. But the Belly Bandit did help tighten the skin on my stomach and wearing some nice comfy Spanx also really helped to restore the elasticity in my skin. 

Your body, while pregnant, produces a hormone called hCG. After giving birth, it helps shred a lot of the weight you gained during pregnancy. It's wonderful!

By about 3 months post-partum I was already 12 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight and feeling fantastic! 

Be sure to keep the weight off even after that hormone wears off. Eat healthy, go on walks with your babies at the park, take a night off and go to the gym. You want everyone to say, "Whoa. She had twins?!"

My Post-Partum Cardiomyopathy.

Some of you might have heard about my personal battle with a rare condition called Post-Partum Cardiomyopathy. For a detailed version of my struggle with it, you can read more about it here. Basically, about 2 weeks after I gave birth to Aria & Cadence I started having trouble breathing and would have to sit up to sleep at night. I developed a cough and then one night, coughed up blood. Long story short, I went to the doctor the next day, then to the emergency room where I found out that my heart was enlarged and I needed to be flown to a bigger hospital on O'ahu immediately. I was medevaced on a small little airplane and didn't know whether I would see Aria & Cadence ever again. It was one of the scariest moments of my entire life.

A very tired me awaiting the diagnosis from the doctors.

There, I learned that my heart had become weakened during my pregnancy (something that only affects a very small percentage of women) and that it was working at just 20% of its capacity whereas a normal heart should be working at 55-60%. I was considered to be in "heart failure" because of this.

In the hospital, the Cardiologist told Kurt and I that it is recommended that we not have anymore kids because additional pregnancies could worsen the condition of my heart. This was one of the hardest things I have ever had to hear especially since I'm just 22 and Kurt is 24. I cried a lot for months. I just was blessed with two beautiful girls but the thought that they wouldn't have any younger siblings killed me. Kurt remained very optimistic, but I was in shambles. People would ask when we were going to have more kids and I would have to fight back the tears every time and try to give a vague answer like, "I don't know. Not for a while." Then when I got home, behind closed doors, I would just bawl. Even though my life was filled with blessings, this trial made it hard for me to see that.

However, despite all of these things, I continued to try and take care of myself. I stuck to the low-sodium diet which was also a real struggle for me. I tried to exercise with the girls by going on lots of walks in the park since the doctor was very clear that I should not over-exert myself in any way. I continued to take the medications the Cardiologist prescribed so that my heart could heal and regain its function back as much as possible.

Two weeks ago I received a follow-up echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to see how these life-style changes have helped my heart heal. I met with the doctor this past Monday to hear the results. I was very nervous. I didn't know whether they would tell me I needed a heart transplant or if my heart had worsened. Kurt took off work so that he could be by my side to hear the news with me.

The doctor informed me that my heart has made a tremendous recovery and is working at 45-50% again! I am well on my way to a full recovery! She also informed us that because of this incredible recovery the possibility of having more children isn't out of the question. It would need to be further down the road after my heart has fully regained its function, and the pregnanc(ies) would need to be closely monitored. Oh my goodness, my heart did leaps in my chest when I heard that!

This has been the most difficult trial I have ever personally been faced with in my life. But there has not been a single instant where I have had to suffer through it alone. I have felt the comfort of my Heavenly Father every step of the way and I know that He had a big hand in my recovery. I have never felt closer to Him than in these last seven months. Through lots of prayers from me, and given on my behalf, I have had an amazing recovery - one that not many women who also have this condition are able to have. It has been my very own miracle.

I am also so grateful for Kurt. He has cried with me, encouraged me, and has given me unwavering strength throughout this entire trial. I am so grateful for him and his faith and support. My family and friends have also been a tremendous support during this time and I am so grateful for that too.

But my number one motivation for changing my lifestyle has been Aria & Cadence.

I want to be here to see them have children, to see them have grandchildren and I don't want to miss anything.

I debated about whether or not I should write about this here, but I knew that someone who might be struggling with the same thing may read it so I decided that I needed to tell my story. For those other women who are faced with this same terrible condition, my heart goes out to you. My battle has not ended at all, and my life will forever be altered by this experience. But we are "heart sisters" and I hope that my story can help you in any way to continue to have hope throughout this difficult time.