What is Diastasis Recti?
As my belly grew exponentially in the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I experienced a 3 finger distance Diastasis Recti.
Diastasis Recti (DR) is a condition that occurs when the rectus abdominis muscle separates into an abnormally wide distance. This distance is normally measured by how-many-finger(s) apart. DR is also a common condition that happens in 60% of postpartum mothers (particularly beyond 6-8 weeks).
How do I know if I have Diastasis Recti Postpartum?
Check out our video by clicking here.
Personally for me, it took 15 months in total.
How to self-check if you have DR?
I started with breathing exercises – changing my abdominal breathing back to diaphragmatic breathing. How? Read how to do so by clicking here.
Then I worked on my TA Activation (Transverse Abdominis Muscle Activation) a lot. I did this for about 3-4 months before I gradually returned to my usual weekly pilates.
How long does it take to improve your Diastasis Recti?
Initially, in the first 6 months of pilates, I had to avoid sit ups, crunches, leg lifts and planks.
At 9 months postpartum, my DR distance dropped from 3 fingers to 1.5 fingers distance apart. This was when I thought I was ready to do more, so I started following a full pilates class without doing any modified movements. Two weeks later, I found that my DR worsened…
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On top of this, I started getting more lower back aches. This was partially due to my increased workload and having to care for a baby at home. I also learned that due to the fact that I was still breastfeeding, my joints remained lax. This also potentially contributed to my slow recovery.
I gradually slowed down my breastfeeding at 13 months and decided to focus on improving my core strength and endurance. I officially stopped breastfeeding at 14 months and went into a full routine of 3x/week yoga and pilates classes.
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The intention of writing this post is to share my personal experience and understanding that every individual is different. Guidelines are there as a guide, but naturally this can vary quite a lot in actual situations.
To my dearest postpartum moms:
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It doesn’t matter how long it takes to get there, as long as you are working towards it. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise or judge your body figure.
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- A bulge or indentation that is visible in the midline of the abdomen.
- Weakness and difficulty engaging the core muscle group
- Lower back pain
- Pelvic floor dysfunction, such as incontinence.
- Lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Put one of your hands on your belly ready to move and assess three different points (below ribs, above navel, below navel) and another hand behind your head.
- Lift your upper body up and feel if there is any gap in between the rectus abdominis muscles. Measure by number of fingers fit between the separated muscles.
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