For every 1,000 women in Utah, 77 of them will give birth to a baby this year. Once unheard of years ago, “diastasis recti” is a legitimate concern for many birthing mothers.
Diastasis recti is the normal and natural separation of the abs during pregnancy. Most women recover fine and won’t have a problem with their abs coming back together postpartum. However, for some mothers, that separation never fully heals.
My frustration with the general advice from medical professionals is that they tell you to “Do nothing for 6-weeks.” And then after your check-up appointments, they’ll eventually say “You can start easing back into exercise.”
What does, “do nothing” mean for that first month-in-a-half?
And what exercises qualify as “easing back into it”?
When Karli had these concerns of diastasis recti and frustrations with exercise postpartum, I started reading and watching anything I could get my hands on. I learned a lot, especially from these three experts:
Now as I share this with you, I recognize my limitation as a male; I can only empathize so much for my abs will never separate and come back together. For this reason, I recommend following the hyperlinks above and reading more on diastasis recti and exercise postpartum from these three professionals.
But for some actionable advice that you can do right now, here’s what I recommend:
The first six-weeks postpartum, go on walks and stretch every day. Dedicate at least 20-minutes in the morning to moving. You don’t even need to sweat. Just move your joints through some range of motion.
Then after those first six weeks, and when your personal physician gives you the go-ahead, follow along to these four videos every day for a week at a time. They will get you back into the gym and feeling confident quickly. And, they should give your abs the best chance at reaching full recovery.
Tyler
WOD
For Time:
50 Air Squats
50 Push Ups
100 Air Squats
50 Push Ups
50 Air Squats
Other Articles in this Series:
Exercise and Pregnancy
Pregnancy and Postpartum
Karli’s Pregnancies
Miranda’s Pregnancies
Fernanda’s Pregnancies
Rilee’s Pregnancies
Mallory’s Pregnancies
Diastasis Recti