Dealing With My Diastasis Recti

How I've Been Dealing With My Diastasis Recti

Up to 60% of women can experience diastasis recti during pregnancy or postpartum. If you have no idea what diastasis recti is and you can't tell from the image above it is a separation of your core muscles from either being weak before pregnancy or you possibly gained weight rapidly during pregnancy or you had a big baby. That strain on your muscles has them stretch out and then they don't rubberband back like we think they will. 

For the longest time I had no idea that I had diastasis recti after I had my second child. After my first I had my Dr check me she said I was good to go with a regular exercise routine and that my core felt strong so after my second I didn't even bother with getting checked. I was so wrong with not getting checked out. I started working out and doing everything as I normally did. Little did I know I was making things way worse. 

I was working so hard to try to get my body back to what I was used to but better so why wouldn't my "mom pooch" disappear? As it turns out my everyday actions and my hard work to create abs was making my separation worse. All my crunches, bicycle crunches, sit ups, etc was creating pressure and pushing my abdominals outward. When washing the dishes or brushing my teeth I'd lean on the counter like I couldn't hold myself up, or when I'd hold my baby I'd set her on my hip and with holding her improperly it was creating added pressure on my abdominals and making them push outward. Why didn't I do more research?! If I had then I would have learned that I was doing ALL the wrong things. 

I have been doing a few things to help heal my separation. I have been doing safe exercises, I have been checking myself when standing, I have changed the way I crawl out of my bed, I have even paid more attention to the things I eat and drink to try to avoid getting bloated. It seems like everything makes me bloated though! Below I will share a few images of what exercises I have been doing and I do them 2-3 times a day and they have been working!

(I am not a medical professional or a fitness expert so please don't think I am!) 

( screenshot of Physical Kitchness) 

Keep spine flat on floor, belly button sucked in, and I do the march, heel slide, bridge, side knee drops, and I also do heel taps.

I hope that this helps you in knowing you are not alone! What are other things you mommas do that is Diastasis Recti safe?