What to Do When Pregnancy Causes Diastasis Recti

Diastasis Recti is the separation of the right and left halves of the rectus abdominus muscles commonly caused by pregnancy, and is noticed most often after giving birth. It is seen most commonly in women who have had multiple pregnancies. When you are pregnant and as the baby grows, your abdomen separates to make room for the growing baby. However, sometimes, things do not always go back to the norm. When you are pregnant, it is important to avoid hardcore abdominal exercises (yes, some women actually still try to work their abs while pregnant, I do not) because it will only put more pressure on your abdomen which is already preparing to grow.

Do a self test: To test yourself for Diastasis Recti, start out by laying flat on your back. Place your fingers above your bellybutton, downward. Raise upward slightly as if you are beginning to do a crunch, enough so that your head is off the floor. Press your fingers in between the halves of your rectus abdominus. If you can fit more than two fingers into the middle of the abdominal section, it is likely that you may have Diastasis Recti. Also, you may or may not see a bulge protruding. 

What can you do: Wearing a splint or girdle has been proven to help bring the two halves of your abdomen back together. Strength training exercises have also been proven to help treat DR. In the likelyhood that nothing seems to work, there IS a surgical option, but this should be your last resort. In most cases, DR just takes TIME to heal itself.