What is Diastasis Recti? (and What You Can Do To Avoid It)
Diastasis recti is just a fancy term for an abdominal separation after pregnancy. It’s fairly common, but it isn’t inevitable. There are things you can do to prevent diastasis recti during pregnancy and there are ways to heal it postpartum, if you need to. This is your guide on how to do just that.
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Isn’t it incredible that a woman’s body can stretch to accommodate a growing baby, sometimes even two or more? It’s pretty neat. But have you ever thought about what that growing and stretching does to your abs?
It’s beautifully designed, so rest assured that pregnancy doesn’t inherently cause damage. That said, knowing what’s going on in your abdomen and how that affects your day-to-day is important in avoiding injury. It will help you know what you can continue doing and what you’ll need to modify.
Come with me and we’ll discover what happens to that six-pack of yours (trust me, I can’t see mine either) as your uterus grows.
What is Diastasis Recti?
When you’re not pregnant, your abdomen is a six-pack of muscles. In between the left and right sides of your abdominal muscles is a connective tissue called the linea alba.
During pregnancy, your abdomen – and your linea alba – gets stretched out.
It’s designed to be able to expand and adapt to a growing uterus, but that doesn’t mean issues can’t arise. If the linea alba gets stretched too far, it can stay that way and not return to its original state, at least not without some help.
That’s what is called “diastasis recti” (die-uh-STAY-sis REC-tie) or, more simply, an ab separation.
Every pregnancy will result in a small abdominal gap for a little while. The goal is to minimize it and not let it turn into an injury.
Symptoms of Diastasis Recti
The most obvious symptom and result of diastasis recti is a belly pooch that just won’t go away. For some women, it may look like they’re still pregnant months after giving birth.
But that’s not the only reason one might want to avoid diastasis recti. It’s more than a cosmetic thing.
Beyond looks, diastasis recti can lead to more problematic things, including the following:
- Making it more difficult to lift heavy objects
- General lack of core strength
- Lower back pain
- Pelvic pain
- Incontinence (e.g. peeing when sneezing)
- Discomfort during sex
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Poor posture
Suffice it to say you want to do what you can to minimize or avoid diastasis recti.
How to Minimize Diastasis Recti in Pregnancy
People used to think that factors such as age, height, weight before pregnancy, weight gain during pregnancy, and baby’s birth weight were risk factors for developing diastasis recti but studies have shown those beliefs to be false.
No matter your starting point or how your pregnancy goes, the key to minimizing diastasis recti during pregnancy is minimizing the pressure your linea alba and abdomen receive. With so much pressure (especially during the third trimester) already pushing on your abs, even simple movements can be the last straw in stretching that tissue too far.
That said, no habit or practice is going to ensure you avoid diastasis recti, so don’t be upset with yourself if you end up with an ab gap despite your best efforts to avoid it. If you have a big gap after giving birth, you didn’t fail and nothing is wrong with you.
And hope isn’t lost! You can heal diastasis recti, and we’ll cover that briefly in this article, too.
First, here are a few habits you can practice that will help you minimize your risk of diastasis recti while doing day-to-day things:
- Get up carefully from reclining or lying down
- Be mindful of how you pick up heavy objects
- Avoid twisting
- Don’t let your belly hang heavy while on hands and knees
- Eat a nutrient-dense diet
- Wear a belly band
Doing (or not doing) these things will help give you a good chance of avoiding diastasis recti.
Exercising and Diastasis Recti
Hopefully by now you’ve been told that, for most women and most pregnancies, exercising is not only safe but also provides lots of benefits for you and your baby. What may be more of a surprise is that that includes core work!
Yes, you can still work out your core while pregnant without making diastasis recti worse. You just have to do things a little differently.
First, it’s important to know that your core muscles are more than that six-pack there in front. Really, “core” refers to all the muscles in your midsection. That means it includes the front, the back, and the sides. Even your glutes are part of your core!
With that larger view of what your core is, it’s easier to see that you still have options during pregnancy.
Generally, you’ll want to avoid any exercises that require crunching or twisting, as we covered. But that leaves lots of exercises you can do.
Check out this article for some expert-approved ab exercises you can do during pregnancy, including modified planks, bird-dogs, and supported side angles.
How to Know if an Exercise is Safe
Obviously, that article is incomplete. There are lots of other exercises you can do. Loads of people on YouTube have free pregnancy workouts, for example, and many are really good.
Feel free to look for other pregnancy ab workouts to do, just be sure to check out a person’s credentials and background before trusting them with your safety and health.
You might look for certifications such as a Certified Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercise Specialist or a Certified Personal Trainer. Ask yourself if the person who made the workout has the experience and education needed to be able to provide accurate information.
Trust your gut, too. If something seems off, find a different source.
READ MORE >> The Best At-Home Pregnancy Workouts
How to Know if You Have Diastasis Recti
The question in your mind now, especially if you’ve just had your baby, is probably, “So how do I know if I have diastasis recti?”
Like I said earlier, sometimes diastasis recti causes a very obvious pooch or other physical symptoms. Whether or not that’s the case for you, you can check if you have diastasis recti on your own at home.
To learn how, check out my blog post Do You Have Diastasis Recti? Here’s How to Know (From Home!).
How to Heal Diastasis Recti
Most women end up with a little ab gap after pregnancy. That’s normal. What’s not normal is a very large gap which causes the issues listed earlier and which doesn’t improve with time.
Though it’s not normal, it is relatively common. The good news is if you find yourself with an ab separation after pregnancy, you aren’t doomed to have that little pooch forever.
There are three ways you can work to heal diastasis recti:
- Wear a postpartum belly band
- Do healing exercises
- Eat well
Belly bands are relatively cheap and you can get one online.
Exercises for diastasis recti include core breathing, heel slides, alternating marches (lying down), and more.
And the principle of eating well is the same as it always is. Focus on whole, nutrient dense foods and a well-balanced plate.
I have a blog post coming soon that’s all about these three ways to heal diastasis recti, so stay tuned!
Diastasis Recti: Summed Up
Though nothing is guaranteed to keep you from developing diastasis recti during pregnancy, you aren’t helpless or hopeless. Now you know what you can do.
Develop habits of engaging your core safely and eating well. Be smart when you exercise and avoid putting too much pressure on your abs.
And then if you end up with diastasis recti anyways, be kind to yourself and be patient. Exercise in the ways you can and give your body the nutrients it needs.
Your body was designed to work and it was designed to heal itself when it doesn’t. All you have to do is give it the tools it needs to do its job and trust the process.
Until next time,
Allison
READ MORE:
Ab Exercises During Pregnancy: How to Keep Your Core Strong Safely
