100% of pregnancies end with THIS.

Have you ever heard the term, "diastasis recti"?

Neither had I, until I was pregnant.

Diastasis recti is a completely natural side effect from pregnancy. It is the separation of the connective tissue holding your abs together. As your belly grows, the connective tissue holding your abs together has to separate. The degree of separation is usually reparable post birth through breathing techniques & deep core exercises.

There are two facts about diastasis recti that really surprised me:

1. 100% of women will have it by the third trimester, usually by week 36.

2. 33% of women still HAVE it up to a year postpartum.

You may be wondering, why does it matter if I still have it post baby?

So many mamas continue on postpartum without a goal to rebuild their core that just grew like crazy for the last 9 months! Without a strong core, things like lower back pain, sacriolic (SI) joint paint, pubic symphysis diastasis (pain in the front of your pelvis at the pubic joint), and dyspareunia (pain during sex) can all occur.

Maybe you've also heard of "mommy tummy" or "The Mom Pouch". So many of us may return to the gym without testing ourselves for diastasis recti before getting back into the same exercises you did pre-pregnancy.

I am here to help! Here is my step-by-step guide on how to return to the gym postpartum with diastasis recti:

1. Firstly, you are going to learn how to test yourself for diastasis. I have a video on my channel linked here or this youtube video is great as well. Even with a small separation you risk hernia and having a harder time getting your abs to return to what they once were pre pregnancy, ie: mummy tummy.

2. Second, now that you know you have diastasis recti or not, you are ready to work on your core. Assuming you still have it, you are going to introduce core breath. Inhale to expand the stomach/push it out as far as you can (looking pregnant again...yay!), and then you are going to exhale and brace your core, as if shrinking back into a corset or bracing your core if you were to be punched in the stomach!

   1. Repeat this 3 times every day for 10-15 breaths.

3. Third, introduce these 4 core exercises that are DR friendly, every other day, for 2 weeks:

   1. 3 x 30secs of reverse plank holds

   2. 3 x 30secs of dead bug (your choice to add weight to the arms)

   3. 3 x 30secs of bird dog

   4. 3 x 30secs of double push (on your back, knees up and bent at 90 degrees directly above hips, hands pushing into thighs while legs pushing into hands).

After two weeks you should notice a substantial improvement in the separation you had if you follow this program. Remember, core breath is done daily and the above ab exercises can be completed every other day.

Goodluck mamas! Just because you gave birth doesn't mean you can't rebuild your core.