Diastasis Recti after Pregnancy: How to Start Strengthening your Core After Baby
Y’all, I know it can get confusing. There’s so much noise out there:
“DR isn’t normal and you need to fix it or your organs will fall out of your belly.”
“Never do crunches or planks”
“Heal your diastasis with this program”
“Fix your mommy tummy”
“You caused this during pregnancy because you had terrible posture”
So. Much. Noise.
So much so that I talk to women every day who are absolutely terrified to exercise because they’ve been diagnosed with DR. They don’t know where to start. They feel like they can’t do things normally without the concern of making things worse.
I’ve spoken to women who are YEARS out of postpartum and have been modifying all exercises because they don’t think they’re healed.
And while I LOVE that we’re talking about our bodies in pregnancy and postpartum, I HATE that there’s so much fear surrounding this and many other topics.
So, in this blog I’m going to tackle….
How diastasis recti is a pretty rad adaptation the body makes to grow a baby and it doesn’t mean you’re broken
Oh yes you certainly can do crunches and planks again- plus lots of other exercises
What does “healed” even mean and why a poochy tummy doesn’t necessarily equal DR
How to actually strengthen your core after baby and cut through the noise telling you your belly sucks to actually get stronger up in this joint
Basically, I’m going to cut through all the noise and give you the real information. The information that doesn’t prompt you to buy a damn program because you aren’t normal unless you fix yourself.
Ready for it?
Diastasis Recti is a Rad Adaptation
Listen, I’m not dismissing your concerns. I’m not dismissing diastasis recti and how it impacts people- in pregnancy, postpartum, or other populations. What I’m saying is we’re treating DR like a condition- like an injury- so there are tons of women walking around thinking they are broken, that they need to be fixed, that there’s something wrong with them.
That, I’m not cool with.
Here’s the thing- diastasis recti, or the thinning of the linea alba and spreading of the abdominal muscles, is a really cool adaptation your body makes to grow and birth an actual person. Here’s a cool photo:
Can you imagine what would happen if your body DIDN’T make those adjustments? Where would all that pressure go? What would happen to the organs? I mean, I’m 33 weeks and can barely breathe- imagining what would happen if my belly didn’t adapt to this baby like it has gives me the vapors (super southern of me, I know.)
Not to mention, studies have shown that more pelvic floor issues are present in women who has lesser degrees of diastasis- which begs the question, is diastasis recti protective of the pelvic floor during pregnancy?
Also, other studies show that 100% of women will have some degree of diastasis recti by late in their third trimester. So it is a NORMAL and pretty awesome adaptation to growing a human.
Safe vs Unsafe- Let’s Debunk It!
Okay, so diastasis is normal. Does that mean you just do what you want with wild abandon? No, not really. We do still need to have considerations for what we do in pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Because here’s the point:
Prevent the severity of diastasis recti during pregnancy
Heal the belly well postpartum
But the lists of “safe” vs “unsafe” exercises just don’t do it justice. There are so many ways to exercise and I’ll make a huge argument over doing intentional core work during pregnancy. In fact, I was playing with breathing while doing full sit ups late into my second trimester. Now, I wasn’t banging out 100 sit ups or russian twisting away with no worries. I was doing this because I wanted to be able to manage pressure in that position if I had to get up off the floor that way- or out of the bath- or out of bed.
You shouldn’t avoid core work in pregnancy, you should modify it and find other ways to exercise that achieve similar goals. Watch for symptoms- like coning, doming, or bread loafing. Test then retest. And if you find yourself sitting straight up out of bed because you heard a huge THUD from your toddlers room followed by crying, don’t flip out worrying that you ruined your belly. It happens.
Postpartum… oh I see so many sweet mommas freaking out about being diagnosed with DR at 5-6 weeks postpartum. I expect there to be a separation postpartum. It’s completely normal. But, again, does that mean you go back to traditional bootcamps and core classes with wild abandon? No.
It means you spend some time reconnecting to your core AND pelvic floor. Start slow and modified, being mindful and intentional about your rehab and exercise routine, then progress from there.
But I will 1,000% tell you that you may have some gap remain- and that is OKAY! Let’s chat about that...
What is Healed?
So if you may still have a gap remain, what is healed? When and how do you know to progress? When can you stop being afraid to try new things and add on more core work?
First thing would be to visit with a women’s health physical therapist. They can assess first hand and give you more direction on what the next steps are. That being said, all PT’s differ- so if you’re getting similar “yes” and “no” exercises and tons of rules that make you fearful of movement, consider getting a second opinion.
Second recommendation would be to work with a pregnancy and postpartum trained personal trainer or coach to help you get back into exercise in a way that takes your goals and individual anatomy/pressure system into consideration. Rather than going it alone, it could help to have a trained set of eyes on the situation, whether you’re doing that in-person or remotely.
Here are a few tips on what “healed” means (though I really don’t like saying that because it assumes you were injured, which you weren’t):
Pressure is being appropriately managed- meaning you don’t feel pressure down on your pelvic floor and your belly isn’t bulging out
You aren’t getting any pain during or after exercise
The exercises you are doing are appropriate for your stage of healing post-baby (like you aren’t doing 100 toes to bars or crunches at 6 weeks postpartum)
You are able to generate tension through the linea alba when your core is under load/work and you have relatively good resting tension
Notice these have NOTHING to do with how big your gap is or how your belly looks. These are two things that are often associated with a “healed” gap that actually don’t mean much. Of course, there is an aesthetic side to this whole thing- but that’s for a whole other blog. Just because your belly looks like you had a baby doesn’t mean it’s because your DR isn’t healed.
How to Strengthen Your Core after Baby
First of all, I want you to go grab my free resource, 5 ways to heal your pelvic floor and strengthen your core post-birth, because this will give you more insight on HOW to actually start strengthening your core along with some exercises.
Second, I want to give you a few tips to help you get started on your journey:
Start slow with modified movements to test the waters- you can plank on an incline, you can crunch just a little, you can test these exercises without worrying about blowing out your belly
Start with reconnecting to the core and pelvic floor- my guide linked above will help you do that
Test, then test again- feel your belly in different positions. What does the tension feel like? Do you notice bulging? Can you change it by breathing differently or finding different positions? Do you feel pressure on the pelvic floor? If so, refer back to the can you change it question. Don’t be afraid to play.
Know that your core doesn’t always have to be “on” to be functional. Your belly needs to be able to contract AND relax. So if you don’t feel like it’s constantly “on” or “working”, don’t stress.
You wouldn’t go run a marathon right out of the gate, right? Same goes for core work and strengthening your core after baby. Take it slow and steady, increase load and challenge, test and play, and you’ll get back to where you want to be.
Need guidance on getting back to exercise without fear of your diastasis? This is what we do inside my 8-week on-ramp program, Foundations of Symptom-Free Fitness. Throughout the 8 weeks I’ll help you do all that I mentioned above so you can get back to exercising confidently. This program is for moms 6+ months postpartum. If you’re less than 6 months postpartum, go grab my guide above because I have the perfect program for you coming out in March!