We all know that when you are pregnant you are supposed to gain weight and this healthy normal weight gain is due to an increase in body fluid, your expanding uterus and of course the added weight from your baby growing inside of you. Sometimes, a woman will gain a little more weight than she wants but with proper diet and exercise following the birth of the baby she can work towards returning to her pre-pregnancy weight or whatever weight she wants to be.
But even with working out a woman’s body may not return to its pre-pregnancy shape even with a return to pre-pregnancy weight. Some of these changes are normal and it just takes time to recover but it may also be due to a normal medical condition that can occur while pregnant. When a woman just can’t get rid of the extra weight around her belly and doesn’t feel like her abdominal muscles are working properly or is experiencing low back pain during daily activities, it may be due to a medical condition called diastasis recti.
Diastasis recti is a common condition found in the majority of pregnant women and in fact it is reported to be found in up to 2/3 of all pregnant and has been reported in another study to occur in 66% to 100% of women.
This condition is a common cause of women having difficulty returning to their previous activities following the birth of their baby without increased difficulty or pain.
So the question to all of you is:
- Are you currently pregnant or have you been pregnant and as a result of your pregnancy does your midsection look and feel different than it used to and it isn’t returning to its pre-pregnancy shape?
- Has it been more than a few months since the birth of your child?
- Do you have low back pain during normal daily activities or difficulty with abdominal exercises when you do try to work-out?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may not be walking around with just the average postpartum body changes but you may actually have diastasis recti. Keep reading to find out more about this common medical condition that you may have never even known you had.
Let’s talk more about the condition known as diastasis recti. This condition occurs when the abdominal muscles that run the length of the abdomen or the rectus abdominis muscles split and a gap forms between them. This is a normal and fairly common result of pregnancy due to an increase in pressure in the abdominal cavity from the weight of the baby and the expanding uterus but in many women it heals spontaneously during the postpartum period.
A diastasis also occurs due to ligaments and soft tissue structures becoming lax or stretched due to a release of hormones and the added weight. In some women this diastasis remains. The remaining gap between these muscles that has to be 2 fingers width or 2 cm to be a true diastasis recti can cause problems postpartum including low back pain and difficulty with activities throughout the day including caring for their baby.
So if you have recently had a baby or if you had a baby a few years back and you think this may be something that you have then you may want to get it checked out by clicking HERE and find out if you are one of those many women with a diastasis recti and start to get the help you need. This is why I created the Core and Pelvic Floor 4 Weeks Strength Plan .
Check out some of the other blogs on related topics:
https://nathaliamelofit.com/benefits-exercising-pregnancy/
https://nathaliamelofit.com/balancing-mom-life-with-real-life/
References
- Acharry N & Kutty RK. Abdominal exercise with bracing, a therapeutic efficacy in reducing diastasis-recti among postpartal females. International Journal of Physiotherapy and Research. 2015; 3(2):999-05. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276901664_ABDOMINAL_EXERCISE_WITH_BRACING_A_THERAPEUTIC_EFFICACY_IN_REDUCING_DIASTASIS-RECTI_AMONG_POSTPARTAL_FEMALES
- El-Mekawy HS, Eldeeb AM, El-Lythy MA & El-Begawy AF. Effects of abdominal exercises versus abdominal supporting belt on post-partum abdominal efficiency and rectus separation. International Journal of Medical, Health, Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Engineering. 2013; 7:44-48. https://waset.org/Publication/effect-of-abdominal-exercises-versus-abdominal-supporting-belt-on-post-partum-abdominal-efficiency-and-rectus-separation/7884
