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This is something to worry about more after pregnancy. Then you can fix it.
Diastasis Recti
So apparently I have this. My tummy goes into the telltale cone shape when I try to get up off my back. Pretty upset about it as I'm also overweight (40 lbs overweight pre pregnancy and up about 20 thus far in the pregnancy at 30 weeks tomorrow) so I figure mine will be much harder (impossible?) than the average person's to get rid of after birth. Is there anything I can do now to help it from getting worse than it currently is? I've been doing prenatal yoga once a week and just read that down dog, cat cow, and triangle poses worsen diastasis recti...great, I've been doing all of those. I'm also pissed my midwife hasn't brought up diastasis at all. I already know to avoid crunches, planks, and using my abs to roll out of bed. Anyone know if there are any exercises I can do to help with this condition? Anyone else overweight had it and was able to improve it after birth? I'm terrified of being stuck with a freakish belly with a huge gap in between my muscles! :(
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How many fingers can you fit between the muscles?
An
ok, thanks! I'm afraid to try it...:/ but I will do it anyway!
Je
You lay on the floor on your back, with your knees up like you're going to do a sit up. Place a finger about and inch above your belly button and proceed to do a sit up like motion. If you can fit 1-2 fingers it's normal anymore than that it could be diastasis recti.
An
I don't know. I can't really tell for sure what I am feeling. how do you check this way?
An exercise to help it: when standing, flex your abdominal muscles like you are trying to bring your belly button as close to your spine as you can get it. Watch out for the buldge though. if you make the buldge appear, you're doing it wrong.
An
how many inches of separation did you have after pregnancy?
K
oh and I'm guessing you have to do it a lot! I do it occasionally, but it has not helped improve the separation during pregnancy. It may be preventing it from getting worse. Mine takes about 5 months after baby is born to disappear. Well it might have been longer after my first was born. I did the exercise with my second and it corrected a couple months faster. Third baby and it is like it again. Not sure if it's better or worse because I pay no attention to it.
An
ok, Thank you!
I thought most pregnant women developed this in pregnancy.
An
and from what I have read, if your tummy forms a conical shape when you rise from lying on your back, then you have diastasis recti.I thought pregnancy just made everyone's belly do this but apparently it's not supposed to do this unless you have it.
An
from what I have read (someone please correct me if I'm wrong here!), most (basically all) women do develop some separation but if it's more than a certain number of inches separated (not sure how many), it's considered diastasis recti and it is common but not normal. 75% of moms develop diastasis recti. some people are able to heal it afterwards and reduce the separation and some aren't...
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