Diastasis. What is it? What to do?
The medical term “diastasis recti” is such a ubiquitous issue for moms after giving birth.
So, what is it?
It is a separation of the abdominal muscles. And it’s not just a cosmetic problem. Diastasis recti can cause another problem for new moms: lower back pain because the core is weakened.
These are the muscles that give you a ‘six-pack.’ People think these muscles go horizontal across the belly. But they are positioned vertically from head to toe. The rectus abdominal muscles should be right next to each other, on either side of the belly button. There shouldn’t be much of a gap between them. That leaves a spot in the belly where there is very little muscle to hold in your stomach and other organs, an area that can be 1 to 2 inches wide.
To flatten the area, women have to get those abdominal muscles to realign. And that is where the exercises come into play.
Common risk groups:
the likelihood of diverging the rectus abdominal muscles is higher in women with a fragile physique who do not practice any sports. Mothers with many children with small age differences are also at risk.
What to do?
The best way is prevention, better to do exercises during pregnancy.
If you didn’t have practiced any sports before, we suggest starting with the following routine:
- Sitting on the floor cross-legged, with hands-on your belly, take a big breath, let the belly fully expand.
- And then as we exhale, we suck in our belly muscles — as far back as they’ll go, toward the spine. Stay here and hold this position.
- Then we take tiny breaths. With each exhale, push your stomachs back further and further.
- Relax and repeat several times.
Do this exercise a couple of times per day, and after a few months, you will see significant changes.