8 Exercises to Help You Heal Diastasis Recti

Abdominal muscles don’t always restore themselves to their original place after having a baby. That stubborn space you might see in the middle of your core may be a sign of diastasis recti.

Below I share the most obvious signs that you might have diastasis recti plus six exercises to treat it post pregnancy.

What the heck is diastasis recti?

Diastasis recti is known as the abdominal separation that occurs when the rectus abdominis, the two large vertical banks of muscles that meet in the middle of your abdomen where your six-pack is hiding, pull apart from their attachment point. If you’ve carried a full-term baby, chances are you’ve experienced some degree of separation in this area.

The largest of the abdominal muscles, the rectus abdominis, work together with the pelvis and lower back to help you move and transfer weight through the pelvic area. When this separation occurs, aka diastasis recti, the risks of injury are high when you are working out if you aren’t careful, especially when exercising your back.

The likelihood of developing diastasis increases for those who:

• Are pregnant with multiples

• Who have had recurrent C-sections

• Who have had more than one pregnancy

• What are some of the most obvious signs you have diaststes recti?

• A cone shaped pooch or bulge in the middle of your stomach (especially when you contract or flex your abs)

• Lower back pain

• Poor posture

• Constipation

• Bloating

What to do if you have diastasis recti:

Treating diastasis recti while pregnant is tough. If you notice it, you can’t really do much as your stomach still needs to stay separated to accommodate the baby growing inside of you. You’ll need to wait until postpartum to start treating it. Once you give birth and once you get clearance from your doctor to start working out again, you can begin treatment.

The good news is that the body will start to repair some of the separation on its own.

Here are my top 6 strategies and exercises you can start doing to speed the process up and help heal your body as quickly as possible postpartum.

1. Practice the Mind/Body Connection - EVERY DAY

Do this by doing some deep belly breathing on your back while activating the entire core. Keep your back flat and think about your core and keep it tight. Keep in mind the gentle abdominal exercises that are best to help your core heal after pregnancy aren’t intended to get your heart rate up. You’ll get back to your workouts 100%- right now we have to take the time to build a strong foundation again so we CAN get to the more challenging workouts down the line. This starts with syncing your mind with your body again.

2. Pelvic tilts

3. Heel slides

4. Leg folds

5. Toe taps

6. Bridges

7. Basic wall dead bug

8. Side lying clamshells

Things you might want to avoid:

• Traditional crunches, sit-ups, and planks, until your abdomen is healed. Doing these exercises too prematurely can make the condition worse and prolong the issue!!

• Lifting or carrying heavy loads

• Coughing without supporting your ab muscles

• Sitting straight up from bed or a lying down position (you should aim to roll to your side before sitting up)

Follow Amanda Hart for more pre/post partum fitness tips