Hello and welcome!
When I was first approached about sharing my postpartum journey back to running, I was a bit hesitant because everyone has such a different experience. What was true for me may be the opposite for another momma. However, my hope with these updates is that you can find encouragement to pursue your dreams and celebrate the little steps regardless of how far away your dreams may feel at the moment.
Before I dive in, let me share a bit about myself. My name is Breanna Sieracki and I am a new momma who is chasing my running dreams with Minnesota Distance Elite. When I first joined MDE in 2018, I was a steeplechaser/5k athlete. Under the trustworthy training from Coach Chris Lundstrom (Lundo), I have expanded my range to include the 10k, half marathon, and maybe a marathon in 2023!
My husband and I have always wanted to be parents. After we were married in 2016, we decided to wait to start a family so that I could pursue running for a few years. What I didn’t realize at that time is that I can be a mom AND set PRs. (Thank you strong mommas who inspire me and show me that both are possible! More on this later…). When “planning” when we would have a child, we decided the best time would be after the 2020 Olympic Trials. When the Trials were postponed to 2021, we decided to wait another year before trying. In early April of 2021, I got hurt racing a 10k road race and had to pull out. After trying to recover and come back in time to qualify for the Olympic Trials and running out of time to do so, my husband and I decided to try to start a family. God answered our prayers and we were pregnant the first month of trying.
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Seeing the positive pregnancy stick was both incredibly joyful and a bit terrifying as a thousand “what ifs” ran through my head. What if our baby doesn’t have a healthy development? What if I do something during my pregnancy that hurts her? What if I can never come back to this level of fitness? What if. What if. What if.
My training during pregnancy was relatively conservative with lower mileage, more easy miles, and much less intensity. My weekly mileage during pregnancy was about 30-75% less per week than prior to pregnancy. I was able to run until I was 34 weeks pregnant before making the decision with my coach that going to “total flexibility mode” with cross training was best for me physically and mentally. 4 weeks later, after 11 hours of labor, my husband and I welcomed a beautiful healthy baby girl into this world.
Addison’s Birth Story (in a nutshell!)
February 7th began like any other day with a treadmill walk and sitting down to answer work emails and check athlete logs. After having a nagging feeling that we should go in to the hospital and see if my water had broke (remember, this was ALL new to me!), my husband and I wrapped up our work emails and drove to the hospital. At this time, I was having contractions every 4 minutes, was 90% effaced, and a little over 3cm dilated, but my water had not broken. However, we decided to stay as the doctor believed I was going to progress quickly. As the contractions got more intense, I struggled with vomiting, hormonal shakes, back and abdominal pain, and eventually got to the point of being unable to sustain my body weight or be fully present mentally. At this point, I was 7cm dilated and decided to have an epidural* so I could be emotionally present when Addy was born. From this point, it was only a matter of time. After 44 minutes of pushing, Addy was born weighing a healthy 8lbs 2oz and showing off a full head of hair.
*Side Note: I know everyone has different opinions on a natural vs medicated delivery, but know that no matter what you choose, your birth story is your own and at the end of the day, all that matters is a healthy momma and a healthy baby. At first I really believed that I would go unmedicated because I was told over and over again by people “you’re an athlete, you’ll be able to go natural no problem!” When I got to the point of considering an epidural, I struggled with feeling “weak” or as though I was disappointing others & myself. Talking with other moms who are athletes, I was surprised by how common this was. Delivering a baby and being an athlete are two very different things. If you find yourself in this position, know that you are NOT being weak by choosing an epidural. Delivery is hard work and no matter how you get there, you should be proud of how strong you are.
The First Week
Ouch.
After delivering Addy, I required stitches on 3 different tears. I couldn’t walk, sit, lift my legs, go to the bathroom, or roll over without pain. My abdomen was tender as I had DRA and my uterus was slowly returning to it’s normal size. I was averaging 2-4 hours per night of broken sleep, leaving me feeling exhausted. I was trying to figure out breastfeeding which proved to be much more challenging than I expected. My husband and I were caring for Addy while she was on Billy Lights for 3 days and going to appointments almost daily to get her bilirubin checked. I remember thinking “how am I ever going to run or even be active again when I am this tired and in this much pain?” During the first week, and even now at 10 weeks postpartum, I often think of all the moms out there crushing it and running faster than they ever have before. These women inspire me and help me take it day by day as I trust in my return to running.
In two weeks, I will share my first steps back towards running, how I set up my support system, and what lessons I have learned so far.
Joyfully Running,
Breanna
