Cristina Edelstein-Skurat

What was your motivation for starting Every Mother?

Sometime in my recovery after my 3rd baby and from then on through 4th pregnancy and current recovery.

What are/were your goals?

To heal my DR as much as possible (and pelvic floor integrity) – I did a lot of the wrong exercises unknowingly with my 2nd and 3rd pregnancies in my efforts to stay fit before discovering EM.

What are your tips for sticking with the program?

Discipline and simple habits you can commit to sticking to. The app makes it so easy, there is no excuse. I had to find what worked for my life working full-time and with 4 kids 6 and under. I did the workouts 3 times a week and stuck to the Core Compressions every night. My trigger was to not go to bed – no matter how tired or late – without doing them. They are actually relaxing and I find I look forward to 10 minutes of “me” time to decompress from the day and take care of myself.

What has been your favorite Every Mother moment?

Being able to wear a bikini again  about 6 months after a 4th baby was a HUGE moment for me! I’m even more healed/resolved now (definitely not perfect, but I’m proud of my babies!) and that feels good as summer is here.

What advice do you give to other mothers trying to prepare for birth/resolve DR/meet new fitness goals? (please answer based on your current experience)

Baby steps and stick to them. We all want magic and to heal but it won’t happen without daily sticking to the program. The app makes it as easy and I never have to think “what should I do today?”. I click on the button, follow the next workout or Core Compressions and do it. I am convinced that daily disciplines are what pay off for things like this so I always had the mindset of giving myself a year before having too high expectations. I’m now at 10 months PP and continue working on that. I feel I’ve resolved my DR for the most part and just have a small umbilical hernia that isn’t killing me. Our kids are so worth it! But we get one body and both caring well for the integrity of it from pelvic floor to the flatter abs makes a difference for us long term. I like that my kids have gotten to watch me recover from “mommy you look like you have a baby in your tummy!” 3 months PP to now. They have seen me work “flat flatter!” for 2.5 years now!

What charity have you chosen for donation and why?

Heal Africa in DR Congo. I used to work for that organization in 2008-2009 and they specialize in helping women with fistula repair. The suffering those women have had as a result of zero to little access to medical care during pregnancy and labor and delivery (or due to rape as a weapon of war) is humbling. Those women are resilient and that organization and the surgeons make magic happen for those ladies with very few resources. Every dollar can make a difference as to whether they can use sterilized gloves or not!