Three Keys to Closing your Diastasis
As mothers, we live in a constant world of duality: loving the stage our kids are in and missing the past versions of them. Loving being home with them and finding fulfillment in our career. Appreciating all that our bodies have done to create new life and missing what it used to look like before babies... For many of us that distant memory is of a flat, toned stomach and a defined waistline. Often times, even after returning to exercise and dropping the "baby weight", women still struggle to feel like their abdominal muscles have returned from their pregnancy hiatus. And the truth is, they may not have.
During pregnancy, the connective tissue in the center of our abdomen that connects our right and left core musculature, known as the linea alba, naturally stretches to allow room for our growing baby. This causes a separation in our abs called diastasis recti. After delivery, this separation may close on its own to some degree, but more than likely it will require several key strategies to give it the best chance of narrowing and creating the flat tummy we've been working toward.
The first key to narrowing your diastisas is focusing on your posture. Posture during pregnancy is greatly influenced by all of the increased weight in the front of our bodies, leading to a sway back posture with our ribs pushed forward. Our ribs are forced to expand up and out to make room for baby, further putting stress on the linea alba. Then, after birth, without any postural support from our stretched out core, we end up in the opposite position with our butt tucked under and shoulders hunched. As you find yourself in either of these positions throughout your day while baby carrying, breastfeeding, or generally being a boss-mom, think about these cues - come tall through the crown of your head, as if someone is pulling you up by your ponytail. Think about making your spine longer, and bringing your ribcage over your hips.
The second key is to tune in to your breathing. Breathing is one of the most powerful tools you can use in healing and movement. Your diaphragm, the main muscle of breathing, attaches around the inside of your ribcage forming a dome that makes up the top of our core. As discussed earlier, your ribs are forced up and out during pregnancy, and contracting and relaxing your diaphragm through intentional breathing exercises will get those ribs moving and positioned back where they should be. When you inhale, try sending your breath into your back and sides, letting your ribs and belly expand 360 degrees while keeping your shoulders relaxed and down. You can also think about sending your breath down into your pelvic floor. Then, on the exhale, try blowing out your breath with a "haa" through an open mouth, or through pursed lips like you're blowing up a balloon, thinking about bringing ribs in and down.
The third key, and likely one that you would expect, is core strengthening. However, we're not just talking about picking your favorite or hardest ab workout and going to town. Core exercises that focus on cross-body connection and utilizing all layers of our abdominal wall are the most effective at narrowing the gap. Floor-based exercises like the dead bug - where you lay on your back with feet and hands in the air, alternating raising and lowering opposite arm and leg together and then bringing them back to center - are a great place to start. Progressing to half-kneeling rotational exercises, or weighted single-sided exercises, will continue to add load through the abdominal muscles as you advance your exercises in later postpartum and help you see gradual improvement in the "mum tum" over time.
I hope you found these strategies insightful, and that you took away something that you can apply today! If you'd like more information like this to help you reach a stronger pregnancy, smoother birth, or resilient motherhood directly to your inbox, just drop your email below!