Banish Diastasis Recti: Empower Every Mother!

Pregnancy is an amazing thing. You’re growing a tiny human being inside you, which is better than magic. But there are downsides too – like the possibility of getting diastasis recti. Diasta-what-now? Relax, we’ll break it down for you!

What Is Diastasis Recti?

Diastasis what? OK, let me explain this in plain ‘human’ English – diastasis recti is just a separation of your abdominal muscles caused by pregnancy or some other reasons.

This condition occurs when the connective tissue located between the muscles thins out and widens beyond its normal length. This can cause a bulge or dome-like protrusion to appear on your belly that doesn’t mostly go away over time.

What Causes It?

While pregnancy is the most common cause of diastasis recti, not all pregnant women will develop it (ladies who don’t have any kids like me certainly won’t LOL). In fact, many women’s bodies naturally recover after childbirth without suffering from DR (short form for diastatsis recti).

But certain things might increase your chances of developing DR:

  • Twin or multiple pregnancies: having more than one baby puts extra pressure on your body’s abdominal wall leading to widening gaps in muscle.
  • Giving birth vaginally
  • Repeated pregnancies
  • Advanced maternal age
  • Obesity
  • A history of hernias

In addition to these risk factors mentioned above,bad posture, heavy lifting with poor technique and weakened core muscles can contribute to DR development regardless if you’ve had children or not (Just read our “Famous People That Got D.Reckted!” paragraph below!)

One critical point every newly mom should understand about DR is an untreated case can lead to problems such as lower back pain/stress incontinence – that’s not fun.

So, it’s essential to empower yourself with the right knowledge and learn how-to-banish-diastasis-recti…and we’re here to help!

Famous People That Got D. Reckted!

Now don’t think this condition is your punishment for giving birth or just something that everyday women get.

Take it from Jennifer Lopez who admitted in an interview with Redbook magazine: “I had babies back to back-to-back; I gained 50-something pounds with each kid. I had a bigger belly than some women do when they’re eight-and-a-half months pregnant,” adding that she deals with diastatsis recti (Ok, J.Lo confirming our point here ladies)

Also, Kate Middleton the Duchess of Cambridge was reported to have been prescribed workouts by fitness guru Katalin Attila in her second trimester specifically designed to prevent Diasta-Recktus (our abbreviation guys,wink), which can cause her stomach muscles were beginning to separate following George’s birth!

Lastly but not least, Movie-star Jessica Alba admitted having the condition after giving birth and took an aggressive approach by wearing two corsets day and night to improve things(OMG that’s gotta be uncomfortable!).

How Can It Be Diagnosed?

If you suspect you might have DR, then the first step should always consult your doctor/physician/midwife before trying anything else (safety first ladies!)

There are four ways doctors usually check:

  1. The finger test: This method involves lying on your back while bending your knees and using your fingers at or above the navel area checking for separation width between abdominal fibers.
  2. The tape measure test: Likewise done while bending the knee – this time physical therapist measures both vertical length/breadth distance of said gap
  3. CT Scan: More new medical technology to measure diastasis recti dimension.
  4. Ultrasound: This method utilizes the use of sound waves that create a visual image of muscles, tissues and internal organs providing more in-depth analysis.

Doctors usually recommend post-natal diagnosis for new mums six-eight weeks after childbirth. However, if you notice any bulge mid-pregnancy or later, do report to your doctor immediately!

What Can You Do?

The good news is most mild cases can improve over time with conservative treatment such as guided proper breathing techniques/pilates/strengthening excercises (woo hoo!) . Hence educating yourself about postpartum exercises will come in handy.

Here are some steps you can take:

1. Work on Your Posture

Good posture is crucial when healing and minimizing DR so maintaining correct posture at all times whenever possible minimizes intra-abdominal pressure hence reduced Diasta-what-you-call-it gap). So avoid slouching – stand tall even whilst carrying cool baby Milo and pick up stuff straight from the floor(We’re here you ladies trying to help ya prevent back pain duh).

2.What About Those Abs?

One popular method believed to get rid of DR is through Some simple ab-strengthening exercises designed specifically to involve the central abs muscle panel known as the transverse abdominis (TA)(Yes,this part rocks!)

Examples include Diamond Leg raises, Dead Bug Exercise amongst others but remember not just crunches (stop doing them nowww!)

Now girls I’m going technical with this table below( FOR SURE LOL!!!)

Core conditioning exercise How-to
TA activation Lie down with knees bent & perform pelvic tilts
Transverse abdominal bracing Breathe more relaxed-tighten abdomen
The plank Assume a push-up position hold the pose and breathe
Squat Sit as if you are sitting in a chair
Lunge Stand upright, Step forward with one foot

3. Be Mindful of Your Daily Activities

Instead of making things worse just take caution by avoiding typical everyday activities that put pressure on core muscles like coughing/sneezing (ok I know it’s hard but look on the bright side -great way to make sure no one else catches flu from ya!) , car seat carrying/laundry sessions involves heavy lifting.

Last but not least, maintaining good nutrition high fiber/potassium diet will promote regular bowel movement(s).

When Should Surgery Be Considered?

We’ve talked about how mild cases can be fixed through conservative treatment but what do we say when this fails?

This is where surgery comes into play (Yes,you read me sister-just like picking between Popeyes & KFC LOL).

An ever-increasing number of women turn to surgical options for diastasis recti; hence once all therapy has been exhausted, your next step would usually involve hernia repair/diastatis plication or abdominoplasty.

The former focuses primarily on repairing hernias and creating deeper abdominal support via sewing the muscle back in place against the midline whereas abdominoplasty( AKA Tummy tuck) eliminates excess fatty tissues accumulated during pregnancy via skin/tissue removal plus fixing diastatsis rectus(Ohh la-la)!

But obviously undergoing any medical procedure requires lots of factors /insurances so please sit with your nurse practitioner ahead for more information regarding risks/benefits/terms etc.

Embrace Your Body

As newly minted moms (Congrats!), our bodies have gone through an astounding transformation. It took nine months each time to bring adorable little human beings to life, so regardless of whether diastasis recti happens or doesn’t happen , embrace all the amazing things that resulted from it.

This ain’t a competition to have six-pack abs. Rather It’s about embracing your body and empowering yourself with knowledge as you recover by finding right experts/therapist etc who will be glad to help guide your way back towards recovery while helping conquer Diasta-who-diatsis LOL!!

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