An abdominal wall separation is also known as diastasis recti, and regardless of exercise history, any mom can experience this side effect from pregnancy. The great news— it’s a condition that can be rectified with some basic knowledge, awareness, and simple exercises.

Active Moms’ Club blog is intended to help educate you about the facts so that you can become your best advocate.

What it is?

Plain and simple, it is functional core weakness. The inability of the muscles of the core to effectively function and support the body for everyday physical demands without pain or dysfunction.

An abdominal wall separation, also known as diastasis recti, is the separation of the abdominal muscles. Diastasis is a common feature during pregnancy, or after birth –approximately 66% of women have an abdominal muscle separation immediately following delivery. During pregnancy, your muscles need to expand to accommodate the growing uterus. During this expansion, in some cases, the connective tissue (linea alba) holding the muscles together thins and weakens. It doesn’t hurt, and you may not even be aware that it exists.

A separation reduces the integrity and functional strength of the abdominal wall and thereby can affect the back and pelvic stability – think low back pain, and/or urinary incontinence. A separation also causes the ‘baby pooch’ appearance.

What does it feel like?

What causes a separation?

A separation can occur to any pregnant woman. It doesn’t discriminate between fit, strong mamas, or mamas who may not have the option to exercise during pregnancy. Health professionals agree that women carrying multiples, age, joint elasticity, and number of births can be strong influencers for a separation to occur.

How do I know if I have it?

Ask your healthcare provider to assess you after having your baby. You can self-assess after birth, but it is recommended to wait 14 days after birth before you start.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor


• Put your fingers at the midline of your tummy


• Lift your head slightly with your abs relaxed


• As you raise and lower slightly in this position, you may feel that your fingers sink in slightly and can feel the ridge of muscle on either side as you rise


• If you rise up in a full sit-up type movement and see your tummy rise in a ridge or cone shape, this is a sign that you have a diastasis also


• If you feel a painful bulge in the diastasis consult your doctor

Once identified, diastasis can be measured for its length, width and depth. (Depth is most telling of severity, followed by width then length.) A women’s health specialist can help you with an assessment if you are concerned and would like a thorough assessment and treatment plan

When is surgery necessary?

Unlike what most people are told, diastasis recti does not require surgery and can be corrected with functional core rehabilitation. In the dozen years I’ve been working with prenatal and postnatal women, I have only seen two severe cases of a separation that required surgery.

What can I do to get stronger?

With dedication to basic functional core training, you can begin to rebuild core strength. You have a group of core muscles that are primarily responsible for holding you up. The main muscle in this group, the transverse abdominis, is beneath your other abdominal muscles. It is the only muscle that wraps completely around the body to have a front, back, right, and left aspect all in one. It is essentially a natural corset designed to elongate the torso and balance the entire body by securely connecting the upper and lower body. When this muscle is strong and active, it is your largest postural muscle, holding your organs up and in, and provides stability for your spine.

For every woman wishing to return to exercise after having a baby, these functional core exercises should be your starting point. Rushing into other forms of exercise without functional core strength is not advised (and extremely common in the pursuit of weight loss and pre-pregnancy physique).

An important step to heal a weak core is to avoid exercises (crunches, V-ups, side planks, oblique sit-ups, Pilates 100’s) and DAILY MOVEMENTS (sitting up straight to get out of bed) that can hinder your progress.

What Active Moms’ Club programs are available to assist me?

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  In our convenient, live-streaming class you’ll learn how to master simple exercises to recover your body faster, re-engaging core muscles so that you have the foundational strength to return to your favorite workouts. () Since the class is designed to work with your recovering body targeting issues such as abdominal wall separation, weak pelvic floor, cesarean section – the exercises get progressively more challenging. By the end of the four weeks, you’ll feel stronger and more confident about what your post-baby body can do.

  
  


• One-on-one training with Coach Cassandra
  
  Are you a busy mama? Coach Cassandra offers private sessions. Over the course of three, live-streaming training sessions, and a series of customized workouts videos, you’ll learn corrective exercises to address your post-baby body so that you feel confident returning to exercise and life! Email [email=cassandra@activemomsclub.com]cassandra@activemomsclub.com[/email] to get started.

Yikes, my baby is over 1, is it too late for me to heal it?

No. It is never too late to rehabilitate your abdominals and start rebuilding a strong core.

Why does advice out there differ so much?

Sometimes you will find fitness professionals prescribing unsafe exercises due to lack of knowledge or because they themselves or their clients have utilized those exercises without ill effect. This is because every physical body is different. Every woman’s physical strength and condition, the size and shape of her muscles are different. Every woman’s pregnancy is different. Therefore, the advice above of what to avoid is general advice that is cautious and sensible for the general population. Become knowledgeable on the condition, get to know your own body, and you can then make an informed decision about what is best for you.

Knowledge is power. Please share this article if you know others who would find it helpful.

Let me know if you have questions. Drop [email=cassandra@activemomsclub.com]cassandra@activemomsclub.com[/email] an email, and I’ll personally respond back to help you out.