Abdominal Separation (Diastasis Recti) is when your abdominal muscles separate during and after pregnancy.
The abdominal wall is made up of FOUR layers of abdominal muscles.
▪️Rectus abdominis
▪️External Obliques
▪️Internal Obliques
▪️Transverse Abdominis (TA)
During pregnancy the hormonal changes in a woman's body and the mechanical stress of the growing baby means that the connective tissue becomes more mobile and the muscles stretch. The connective tissue known as the Linear Alba that joins the two halves of the rectus begins to separate.
During pregnancy we want ensure that your exercise and day to day activities are focused on minimising the stress on the linear alba.
Things to consider:
▪️Activating your TA
▪️Avoid breath holding/bracing
▪️Avoid exercises and movements that cause coning, doaming and bulging
▪️Correct posture and stability
▪️Awareness of heavy lifting and exercises causing intra abdominal pressure
▪️Visiting a WHP during pregnancy and post partum
When assessing Diastasis it is important to measure the width AND depth. Some women are assessed before leaving the hospital and are told separation is normal and will heal automatically. Each woman should seek a individual rehabilitation to address their post partum rebuilding.
So what is "Normal"? 🤔
Having a gap after pregnancy is normal, some women just have more work to do post partum. Research suggests 100% of women have Diastasis at 35 weeks pregnant! (Mota et Al 2015)
A two finger gap is quite common and performing correct rebuilding exercises can assist in repair the separation.
A less than two finger gap is a good starting point BUT it's important to ensure you're still starting the rebuilding process to ensure you can activate through TA and work from the inside out.
MORE than a two finger gap, time to slowing build the foundations and layers to ensure the correct exercises are performed and to avoid any incorrect exercises that can potentially make her separation worse.
Seeing a WHP at the 6 week mark post birth will assist you in the correct programming not only for abdominal separation but also for your pelvic floor & rebuild phase
