This afternoon I had the liberating experience of bouncing on the trampoline after nearly a year of saying, ‘Sorry, I can’t…’. The first few bounces caught my pelvic floor muscles (or lack there of) by surprise and I had to make a mad dash to the bathroom (Note to self – must do more pelvic floor muscle exercises whilst on Facebook, waiting at red traffic lights and blogging…). Once I had fully relieved myself I was boinging like a possessed kangaroo doing cup-cakes, toe touches and sitting bounces.
It is incredibly exhilarating to throw one’s post-pregnant body around with carefree abandonment. The first week after giving birth is of course marred with the pain of recovery, but after that it’s the little things that always give me the greatest pleasure:
– Getting out of bed with ease, instead of rolling off.
– Climbing in and out of the bath without needing the assistance of a crane.
– No longer feeling like a stranded beetle when lying on my back.
– Being able to bend at the tummy instead of squatting (thank goodness for years of ballet lessons & all those grand plies).
As well as being very liberating it is fabulous to see the delight on my older children’s faces when I start doing the fun stuff again. I wasn’t a complete couch potato in my pregnancy. I climbed up the occasional trig point and flung around a few frisbees; but I wasn’t up to doing cart-wheels and hand-stands. This evening I was in my element bouncing around the trampoline with Sophie. We relived all our favourite games.
Meanwhile, Alice stared up at the trees swaying in the breeze and cooed to the sound of our laughter.
Charli, bless her cotton socks, had crashed to sleep at 5pm (she’s got a slight temperature and has been extremely sleepy all day – but we’ve had a beautiful time together). She woke two hours later and asked what time it was and why was it getting dark. She remarked that we hadn’t done anything and that we’d been in our p-jays all day. When I said it was nearly bedtime she said, ‘That was a short day!’. Then I realized she had no idea she’d just had a nap!
Anyway, it’s GREAT to be back! 🙂
