Diastasis Recti

ekmoconnell · June 2016

I'm scared that my abdominal muscles are already starting to separate! I'm 16w 4d and I don't even have much of a bump yet. I'm a fitness instructor and I've barely started modifying workouts so far, so I've still been doing a lot of core/ab work. I'm worried that my as my abs start to stretch in opposition to the tightening work I've been doing, they're separating. It's still a small separation, about 2 fingers wide, but I obviously don't want it to get worse! Have any STMs dealt with this? Do I have to completely stop doing ab work? So far, I've just been REALLY careful not to do anything where by abs pop up into that lovely teepee shape.

juliehollz13 · June 2016

No experience, but I have been worried about that too. From what I've read, all regular ab exercises (crunches) should be stopped because they're not helping any, and core exercises specific to prenatal workouts should be done (like prenatal yoga/pilates) and squats. I read squats are very helpful in preventing that.

maamawaabangi · June 2016

Have you read or looked into Fit2b? It's an online work out community that heals DR and is DR safe work outs. I don't do any normal ab workouts due to wanting to save/heal my DR. I'd be wary of any excersizes that put any outward pressure on the abs.
Im sure you know a lot about it already but the instructor in Fit2b specializes in healing female bodies, DR, pelvic floor and such... Some of her introductory stuff is far too easy, but I get why she has it... For women who are starting off with very damaged bodies... So after watching the intro foundational lessons I moved up considerably.

dmontgo · June 2016

I'm a FTM, but I second the recommendation on squats and foregoing the traditional ab exercises. Swimming also helps keep your abs strong, which is mostly what I've been doing. I'm also going to wear a postpartum girdle to help my abs heal together, which was recommended to me.

maamawaabangi · June 2016

Also, realize that they are made to separate... It's expected because you're growing a human. That said, they are also made to come back together! So don't stress too much over it! Hugs

ekmoconnell · June 2016

@maamawaabangi Thank you so much for saying that, it's exactly what I needed to hear. I just got so frustrated working out this morning. I need to remind myself that there are only going to be more changes and they're happening for the best possible reason!!

DiFazette · June 2016

I'm not a doctor, but i understand anything 2 fingers or wider constitutes Diastasis Recti. You should probably talk to your doctor before doing any further ab/core work. Sounds like you may have this already and any non-approved exercises may exacerbate the issue.

Kacie209 · June 2016

I went to a class forever at the gym that focused on your core for 30 minutes, but stopped when I found out I was PG - just to be safe. I have since been finding PG-safe core workouts to keep them working when I am not doing cardio that mixes in some safe core workouts within (like Zumba when a track is focused on core).

I am afraid of this happening, so I am trying everything to work on that stuff now and if it does... maybe that will help heal it once I have the baby. I also plan on buying a girdle to get things back into place.

maamawaabangi · June 2016

Also, unless a dr is particularly knowledgeable about physical therapy I've found they generally know squat about DR and repairing women's bodies postpartum... Just my experience. They generally don't have any reason to care unless you complain or have some horrible thing happen like a rib out of place... In which case they will just refer you to PT.
And I second the recommendation to wear a splint or postpartum girdle... The Fit2b site review or recommends some. They are not all created equal... Some are more for women's vanity/appearance than for healing. The first one I got was basically unusable! It was sooo bad! So take time and get a really good one designed for medical or therapy use... Actually, now or in a few weeks might be a good time to try them on.

maamawaabangi · June 2016

This is a very good read... https://fit2b.us/pregnancy-q-a/

ekmoconnell · June 2016

@maamawaabangi I totally agree about doctors being clueless about this stuff. I grew up as a dancer and we never went to doctors with injuries because there was nothing they could do for us. I've already started researching physical therapists in my area who specialize in this. I'll obviously bring it up to my doctor but I don't expect her to be able to do anything.

Diastasis Recti

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