How to Combat Diastasis Recti After Giving Birth

After you have a child, your body is changed. There are a lot of things that you will have to deal with. While you can change and go back to your normal pre-pregnancy weight, it may take months or years to see real improvement. This is especially true if you suffer from the separation of abdominal muscles known as diastasis recti.

What Is Diastasis Recti?

Diastasis Recti is where there is separation from the muscles that run vertically down your stomach. This can happen to anyone, but it is commonly seen in women who have gone through childbirth. You might have a thin white line down your stomach. This is where your muscles have separated. This condition can cause some symptoms, including pain. The severity of this condition will vary from person to person.

Do You Have Diastasis Recti?

Some women will have the white line that is a clear indicator that they have Diastasis Recti. For some women, it does not show up that easily. To determine whether or not you have it, you need to learn how to check for diastasis recti. To check if you have it, do the following:

• Lie down on a flat surface.
• Bend your knees and place your feet on the surface.
• Take two fingers and put them on the space above your belly button.
• Exhale and then lift your head.
• If there is separation there, you will be able to put your two fingers in the space in your abdominal muscles. Do not be alarmed if you can fit more than two fingers in the space. Some women will have such severe muscle separation, they will be able to fit more than two fingers in.

If you are still not sure whether you have this or not, your doctor can do an examination to see if this is the case for you. Be sure to tell them if you are suffering from any symptoms. They will be able to determine whether or not you have it and make recommendations for what you can do to correct the issue.

Symptoms

There are some symptoms associated with diastasis recti. These include:

• Urine leaks
• Back pain
• Poor posture
• Core weakness
• Bloating
• Constipation
• Prolapse of the uterus, bladder, or rectum

Treatment

Diastasis recti can be very uncomfortable, but there are ways to treat it. The most common form of treatment is to do postpartum exercises. These exercises will help you to strengthen the core area. In some cases, you may need to see a physical therapist or a pelvic floor specialist to ensure that the problem is fixed. The most important exercise that you will need to do will be to focus on your core. If you try to focus on more of ab workout, you may find yourself with worsening diastasis recti.

Another thing that you can do to help with this condition is to make sure that you are eating correctly. If you have the condition, and you gain too much weight in your stomach area, you can create an issue with the condition increasing in severity. You will want to do all that you can to ensure that you are eating correctly. Make sure that you avoid fatty foods and eat foods that will help you to lose weight.

With having diastasis recti, you may find that you are stressed out due to how you feel and look. You will need to be patient with yourself. Getting frustrated because you cannot get the issue corrected is not going to help. In fact, your stress levels can actually make your situation worse. So you will want to make sure that you take the time to destress and know that this may take a while to overcome.

There are a few women out there that have to have a stronger treatment method for their diastasis recti. Surgery may be their own option to correct the muscle issue. Recovery time will vary depending on how the surgery went, but most women that have the surgery see improvement very quickly.

While having this condition may be frustrating, it is part of a natural issue from having children. With time, exercise, and proper diet, you should have your normal body back in a few months. If you continue to experience issues with diastasis recti, please contact your physician.