Attention New Moms In Postpartum!
Pregnancy isn’t easy but that bundle of joy in your arms at the end of 40 weeks makes it more than worth the struggles and discomfort that pregnancy brings. At postpartum, once the baby has arrived and the dust has settled, you might take a minute to look at yourself and think, ‘boy that pregnancy did a number on my body’ and wonder ‘how can I get my pre-pregnancy body back?’. We often turn to exercise in order to reach those goals, and why not focus on those abs by starting with a few sit ups? I’ll tell you why…
In the third trimester of pregnancy, our bellies get big – I mean, really big.
Our pelvis goes through some changes in preparation for birth and our abdominal muscles have no choice but to stretch out as the belly grows. Virtually every woman with a full term pregnancy belly will experience a separation of their rectus abdominis muscles, called diastasis recti. The diastasis, or separation of the rectus abdominis muscles, occurs as the linea alba, the connective tissue between the left and right sides of your rectus abdominis, stretches under the strain of a growing belly (see illustration). A normal separation of the rectus abdominis muscles is 2 finger widths or less; anything larger is considered diastasis recti.
You’re probably wondering, do I have this condition? Check out the video below, as Sara Haley does a good job of demonstrating how to identify a diastasis recti during pregnancy. The same techniques can be applied postpartum to identify a diastasis.
‘So I have a diastasis, what’s the big deal?’
Studies have shown that if a diastasis recti continues past 8 weeks postpartum, it is not likely to resolve on its own and often remains unchanged at 1 year postpartum (Coldron et al, 2008). If you’re planning on having more children, an uncorrected diastasis will likely worsen with your next pregnancies. And if you are working at regaining that pre-pregnancy body, it will be difficult to achieve a flat tummy with that diastasis present – those stretched out, weakened core muscles often leave you with a pooching or doming look to your abs.
Luckily, there are a number of exercises you can do to correct a diastasis recti. On the flip side, there is also a group of stretches and exercises to avoid while working to correct your diastasis. See the videos below where Sara Haley demonstrates a series of exercises that will help you regain your core strength and repair the diastasis as well as which should be avoided in your quest for that pre-pregnancy tummy.
Exercises
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myj3Vs8IrzY
Daily Routine
Exercises to Avoid
Hopefully, this was thought-provoking for many of you and will guide your postpartum exercise strategies. As always, I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.
Heres to improving the lives of moms so your families can have you at your very best.
Dr. Erin Auclair
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