Diastasis Recti help

@Sian try not to use your core when you are getting up- my midwife told me to roll over and then get up from my side, or to push myself up with my arms- otherwise i get this! it’s quite normal later in pregnancy though!

It’s birth recovery center You can do it while pregnant and postpartum I doing the program I’m 9m postpartum

Talk to a pelvic floor therapist! I know someone who’s great https://www.soniareiter.com/

I just found out I have this, my kiddo is 4 years and I had significant weight loss which is how I realized I have this. Still time to correct it with exercise?

I still have this, my kid is about to be 7. There are apparently specific exercises for this. I heard your not supposed to do crunches. Thanks for reminding me to look this up!

I had a tummy tuck nothing was going to help mine they were 5 inches separated

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What all did the tummy tuck consist of? I want to get one

And does insurance cover tummy tucks?

Any belly binder/ waist trainer recommendations please xx

Leah Keller helped me get my stomach back with my first kid and now on my third it will be super helpful to take her classes. Same problem again

Guys, I'm 4 months pp and have severe DR of 5cm. Download this app 'Every Mother'. This app is only for Diastasis Recti and the exercises are AMAZING, I think it's working for me :)

I have this too and it’s improved as far as swelling but I really can’t wear any jeans or pants. I wear a postpartum belly wrap/abdominal binder

Belly Binding!✨

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I’ve been doing this since I gave birth..It’s healed s lot but still pokes out. How long did you have to do belly binding?

I wore it for up to 6 months+ Everyone’s healing is so different. I’ve had clients who did belly binding for up to a year

Womens health physio

Postpartum recovery garment really helps!

I’m going to a PT now and I’m 4 months postpartum. It is the BEST and I’m so happy I started going

Stomach vacuumes has helped me. My belly button still sticks out and I’m 5yrs pp! 😭😭😭 also 3x c section momma. Apparently c sections increase the DR by a lot. Yayyyyy

Look up Mom+Me strong! Ashley is amazing.

I'm over 2 years pp and still have diastasis recti. Fix it! You need a strong core to carry around that growing baby. Weak core =back problems. I'm working on mine now.

@Sophie

There are quite a few diasti support groups on fb, may have some helpful to dos there too

You can always try physical therapy!

Waist train

https://youtu.be/sNcmGhLI4Hk It worked for me

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How long did it take for it heal completely?

Pretty much 100% of women get it when they go beyond 35 weeks. Clare Bourne Physio is a good person to follow on Instagram for this. I also talk about it a bit as it comes with being a pre/post natal specialise PT. If you want to get it checked out PP, see a women's health physio x

I’ve got a Post natal PT who give exercises to strength your core and help minimise the movement that causes the doming x

Every Mother is the program I've been using. It has basically corrected my situation, though I didn't technically have a clinical case.

I am 11 months pp and have diastasis recti. It hasn’t got any better over time and is affecting my back. I have done the finger thing and the separation is 4 fingers. We aren’t sure if we are having another yet but my tummy looks really swollen and sticks out on the right side. It’s definitely affecting my confidence and I just hate myself right now. Hard because we struggles so much to have our baby (3 miscarriages), but he was very big for my frame - he weighed in the 95th - 97th centile most of the pregnancy! Has anyone had the surgery here and could advise how it went? Need to make my mind up wether I want 1 child and a ‘normalish’ looking tummy again, or wait and deal with the blobby tummy and have another. Then have the surgery. How were your tummies carrying another baby with this muscle separation? Sorry for all the questions! X

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Congratulations on your birth! 😀 Have you tried any of the specific exercises? They work wonders. Also if you are still breast feeding you let stomach may still reduce. I’d look into physio etc before surgery. I agree though it’s best to try and improve it before a second pregnancy. X

My first was 10 lbs 4 oz. Started at 4cm got down to 1. Got pregnant with twins that were a combined 14 lbs and they are almost exactly 3 years apart. Had a 4 cm gap again, 6 m pp and down to a 2. If you do have another make sure you heal as much as you can first. I feel much better this time than i did with my first (stronger and no back/hip pain). I dont plan on having the surgery

I had it with both pregnancies along with an ugly painful umbilical hernia. I had mine surgically repaired when I had my hernia fixed. Dr. said not to fix unless you're done having babies.

Hannah bower on insta or her website has an amazing core guide for this

How can I tell if I have this or if its just added weight/fat from pregnancy? I'm 8month pp. Do i need a dr to diagnose this?

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https://youtu.be/Y7l82ZXNhSE

Hi ladies, This isn’t a promotion, I just want to share I do have a free video on my FB page ( @movementwithtamara ) that you can watch! It’s by bodywise Pilates and it’s a video between my friend who specialises in pelvic floor health and her friend who is a women’s health physio and has lots of info. (It’s free btw) if you have time, please watch and spread the knowledge 🙏🏼 there just isn’t enough out there and we need to help share this info 🤗happy healing! Tam xx

I did not even know this was a thing😳 or that it was bad to use my stomach muscles. I just thought it was normal. 35weeks today, I guess I'll have to live with consequences now and hopefully it'll be okay or I can do exercises after baby is here😬

I’ve had diastasis recti 4 years. I’ve just used google, YouTube, etc for resources to understand it and find exercises. The exercise are great to help strengthen core so that you don’t hurt your back. Abdominal breathing is the best for tightening.

Does anybody have pain with it?

I go to physical therapy twice a week and it is the best because it is also my me time. Beantown physio in Brookline has a PT that specializes in women's health her name is Lisa Scallia. She is wonderful.

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Yes, I started with a separation of almost 4 fingers and I am now at 1 finger. Besides the mental health break. We start we a little 5 minute massage then targeted exercises and finish with 10 min electric massage stimulation plus cold and hot compresses. She sometimes tapes my belly too for a total if 1 hr app twice a week. I can do it now because I don't work during the summer and my daughter is 2 yrs old so much easier more my family to help out. I have been doing it for 8 weeks.

Have you seen improvement?

Had to have mine surgically fixed. 30cm hernia because the diastasis was ignored. It did NOT fix itself with exercise after first pregnancy, got worse in 2nd. In the end I paid to go private for advice snd they nearly keeled over when they saw the hernia bulging out. Please find someone who understands the issue to check uou out first before doing anything else as doing the wrong stuff can make it worse, not better x

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What kind of doctor looks into this?

I have it too. It’ll close back up after delivering and once cleared you can exercise to strengthen those muscles.

Hi Sian, nice to see lots of comments and people sharing resources! I’m a Pilates instructor and mummy to 9month old Maia and along with my friend and fellow Pilates instructor, we are hosting an online Pelvic floor and abdominal health workshop. Inspired by comments and requests from people just like yourself! We will be sharing exercises, information, resources and answering questions. The idea is to share this toolbox so that we can empower and assist in the healing journey. Anywho, if you think you’d like to join us, feel free to contact me. Either way, happy healing 🌟👏🏼

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Thankyou lovely xo

I would love to learn more!

Thankyou everyone for your advice really means alot xo

Check Pinterest for help closing! Also YouTube! I have the same problem! 😩

My midwife told me to go to target and get correction underwear

I had mine surgically repaired when they fixed my umbilical hernia.

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Omg I have an umbilical hernia too!! The worst!!

Did they say you couldn’t solve it without surgery,

Gotta get those muscles working again. Unless you want mesh in your stomach like me.

check out goodfortheswole and getmomstrong in IG..they specialize in postpartum..i have gone to pelvic floor PT, and they follow and state the same stuff, their not just IG influencers

I’ve had this too since my first. Now my second is 1 and it’s still there. Mine is so severe it gave me hernia. I’ve done exercises and it just closed a little . I hope I don’t have to get surgery

The MUTU program is amazing. It’s very effective. Also, seeing a women’s physical therapist. They specialize in the pelvic floor which is connected to those an muscles. The both did wonders for me!! I highly recommend both. I did have a friend that got surgery when she was done having kids.

Always sit up on your side, rather than bolting up, when getting up or rising out of bed. I think posture is one of the main things to be aware of, and improving posture now will stop the gap from getting bigger. Maybe talk to the doc about seeing a physio x

My PT Katie Harris in TO helped me regain my PF muscles to close the gap

I have this too with my current pregnancy .A lot of resources I’ve looked up says it’s best to work on it after pregnancy and just to ride it out till then . Doing exercises now might only cause more damage for example if weren’t super active /working out before pregnancy.

try to avoid movements that cause the coning. Roll to the side, swing your legs and push up rather than just getting up. It’s completely normal but important to protect your abs so that it doesn’t get worse!

Does anyone have any advice for when it doesn't go back to normal? It has been ten months after I have had my daughter and I still have separation

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You can see a Pelvic floor/ab physical therapist specialist. I follow Nancy Anderson and she has programs on how to correct your abs postpartum

YouTube has lots of DR exercise videos (I’ve done them and my baby is nearly 2 and they’ve made a big difference in only 6 weeks). You can also see a doctor for a psysio referral if you think it’s quite bad. If you are still breastfeeding you may need to wait until you’ve stopped for a few months to see the true healing.