How to check for Diastasis Recti (Video included)

All you postpartum mamas out there should give this a little read….and if you have carried a baby in your belly….then you are a postpartum mama!! It doesn't matter if you are 8 weeks postpartum or 80 years postpartum, you are postpartum and can still help your abdominal separation and help to reconnect your core. However, don't get fixated on the ‘gap’ in the abdominal wall. Instead try to focus on the connection between your breath and the linea alba (your connective tissue which hold the two muscles together).

One of the most common complaints in women after they have had a baby is ‘I still look pregnant’ or ‘I want my belly back to how it was before’. The most likely cause for this is a condition called diastasis recti, This is when the two rectus abdominis muscles separate during pregnancy and the connective tissue (the linea alba) stretches to make space for the baby! amazing right?? However, if it does not heal on its own….it will need a little extra help. There are studies showing that 100% of women will get this separation and 52.4% will still have one present at 6-8 weeks postpartum (Mota et al 2014)

But I need you to look past the gap and the mummy tummy for a moment and realize what the separation can really be doing to your body. First and foremost it is detrimental to the health of your core/how it functions. Without a good core connection your body is going to begin to suffer. But AGAIN don't worry if you can’t close the gap, lefts work on getting your core to work properly (that will be another post) :)

So how do I know if I have Diastasis Recti??

Watch this video to see a full demonstration of how to check for Diastasis Recti OR follow the steps below. If you have any Questions just shoot me a message and I will gladly help you out. If you don’t feel comfortable checking yourself contact a professional like me or a physiotherapist.

How to check for Diastasis Recti.

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HAPPY HEALTHY WORKOUTS MAMA!

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So you want to join a bootcamp!

Spring is well and truly here, the flowers are blooming and the sun is shining (well some of the time). You have been stuck inside for months with your baby and you're ready to be set free!

There are so many spring/summer exercises classes you can choose from, which is GREAT! But how do you know what is going to be right for you? Its useful to do a little research into the sessions and the instructor before you sign up. As a newly postpartum mom its important to take control of your health and source out the BEST fit for you and your baby.

Also, just because a bootcamp/stroller fit session is targeted at new moms, doesn't meant it is right for you! Yes they are fun and yes they are challenging, which may appeal to you, but the intensity can cause some major complications for a new mom. The core and the pelvic floor needs to be functioning properly before starting something too intense. If you have any sign of pelvic floor dysfunction, it needs to be addressed and well managed. Just because there are no obvious symptoms, doesn’t mean that nothing is happening.

As a new mom, unfortunately exercise isn't a one size fits all...something one mom can do easily, another may not be able to. The instructor should understand this and be able to make the correct adaptions for your needs. BUT they need to know you first. Follow these simple guidelines to help you find the right fit for you and your exercising needs!!

1. Ask the instructor/personal trainer questions. Let them know what your ability is and what issues you still have (such as pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence and diastasic recti). If they don't know how to adapt the exercises for you, then its the wrong instructor/personal trainer. Ask them about their qualifications. Have they done any specific postnatal certifications? Most importantly, do they know about pelvic floor dysfunction and how to train it?

2. Is there a pre-screening process? The best sessions will include a pre-admission questionnaire, including questions about your birth/recovery. Some classes may require a visit to a physiotherapist before joining depending on the answers you give.

3. Is it a pre-set class or a drop in class? The drop in sessions can be a little risky depending on the style of session. If it is designed for new moms then it MAY be ok (but still ask questions). But if it is a mixed group/anyone can come...be a little wary. Pre-set sessions are the best for new moms so you can progress at the same pace.

4. Avoid certain exercises until you know for certain you are fully healed. If you are in a session and theses exercises come up...avoid doing them and ask for adaptions. Crunches/tradidtional ab exercises, plank/push ups (unless they are done on an incline), lifting too heavy, jumping and running should be avoided UNLESS you have been fully cleared by a physiotherapist. Ask yourself do you still leak urine? Do you still have pelvic/hip pain? Do you feel heaviness in your pelvis? If your answer is yes to any of these questions then DO NOT do these exercises.

Don't put your health in someone else's hands unless you are certain they are the right fit for you. You could end up doing more harm than good. 

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Happy, Healthy, SAFE workouts mamas!!

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Its OK not to workout

It took me a while to realize this after I gave birth, but its OK not to workout! The pressure to get your body back postpartum is so strong you feel guilty for not having the motivation to exercise. Especially in the fitness world, you are almost frowned upon for not having a flat belly weeks after delivery. I must admit, I was lucky in the sense that my belly reduced in size almost immediately. However, there were so many other things going on with my body that no-one could see and I didn’t want to talk about. You kind of brush them off to the side because you have a new born baby to handle.

What I thought I had to do was not achievable for me in the beginning, but I’ll say it again….THATS OK!! You don’t need to jump right back into your HIIT workouts and your heavy weights. Your body really isn't ready for that. It actually took me over SIX months to feel ready to workout again like I use to. In the beginning the best thing to do is take it slow. Work on rehabilitation and creating a really strong foundation.

Ok so I am a believer of exercise, but I am also a believer of the RIGHT kind of exercise too. I have learned over the years that my body shuts down under stress. Funny story, I actually fainted from a bee sting….thats right…I passed right out because I panicked. Not because I'm allergic, because I’m not. I fainted because my response to stress is to stop everything and protect. So this story is a little extreme but it just shows that when you put too much stress on the body, it begins to shut down. Bringing up a new baby is stressful, so if you don’t feel like working out thats OK!!

Take it one day at a time, each day is different. One day you may feel invincible so try a little exercises routine, stretch, do you core rehabilitation exercises or go out for a walk. The next day you may feel like crap, so don’t do anything. The key here is to understand and listen to your body. Don’t let your mind take over, love your body and look after your body.

When you are having a god day, look at completing a functional workout to help rehabilitate your core and focus on muscle groups that get challenged a lot in motherhood. Remember to use proper diaphragmatic breathing with exercise and don’t start without clearance from a medical professional.

My favourite exercises to try out for new moms are (use light weight or body weight):

1. Squat and press
2. Deadlift and row
3. Kneel to stand (goodness know how often we have to get up off the floor with a baby)
4. Lunge with a front raise
5. Seated cable pull

HAPPY WORKOUTS MAMAS!

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Please consult with a medical professional before commencing a workout regime

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So I've been cleared for exercise...now what?!?

So you have been given the all clear from your doctor, now what do you do? In my experience, when I was given the all clear, my OB told me NOTHING about what I could and couldn't do regarding physical activity. He didn't check the health of my pelvic floor, nor did he check for diastasis recti. If he did check, he was wrong. He told me everything was great and I can get back to my normal routine. Now, Im not sure if he told me this because he knew I was a personal trainer or just because thats protocol. Even though I am a personal trainer, I wasn't 100% certain I knew what to do regarding postpartum exercise. So I tried getting back to my normal routine and that was a DISASTER!

It wasn't until I was struggling through my usual exercises that I realized something wasn't right so I started to do my own research into what I should be doing or what was wrong. There are some wonderful women and businesses out there which lead me to the discovery of diastasis recti and pelvic organ prolapse, along with a few other issues some women get postpartum. Links are at the bottom of this post.

Regardless of whether you have any or no symptoms postpartum, there are right and wrong ways to get back into exercise. If you have a weak/sprained ankle would you start jumping up and down on it telling yourself it will get stronger? No, you would start with rehabilitation exercises to ensure it was healthy before you started hopping on one leg. Well your pelvic floor and core are the same, they need rehabilitation (after the rest period) to start regaining proper function. 

5 Things to DO

• Belly/diaphragmatic breathing
• Walk every day
• Stretch out your hips/hip flexors/chest
• Focus on alignment in every day life, this could be when sitting feeding, standing doing the dishes or even driving
• Body weight exercises including SQUATS, LUNGES, GLUTE BRIDGES (focus on the breath whilst moving)

5 Things to AVOID

• Holding your breath while exercising
• Jumping/running
• Crunches/sit-ups
• Plank positions (including push-ups)
• Picking up/sitting with your baby with poor posture

Now, these rules are not going to be forever. BUT you need to be aware of your body and what it is telling you. Work with a pelvic floor physiotherapist to assess which stage you are at and with a personal trainer who knows about the woman's body postpartum. This way exercises can be integrated when YOUR body is ready. Forget watching the #fitmom and #pushyourlimits craze on social media Do what feels right for YOU and YOUR body!

External links;

Bellies Inc

Diane Lee

Jessie Mundell

Happy workouts mamas!

The importance of Diaphragmatic Breathing.

After I had my daughter Eden, I didn't realize how important breathing was for postpartum recovery...I wish I had learned this info while I was pregnant. I had a really tough recovery and wasn't prepared for the toll delivery took on my body. I really struggled to get back into exercise postpartum because I had undiagnosed diastasis recti AND and an undiagnosed prolapse. Luckily due to ankle injuries I had been told no jumping so I didn't make my prolapse worse. But it wasn't until wayyyy into my postpartum recovery that I leaned all this information. I struggled mentally with not being able to perform as well as I could before. 

All this together meant I had to figure out what was going to work for me. I did so much research into the human body postpartum and which exercises would help or hinder recovery. I changed my exercise routines and started to heal my diastasis. I was still so scared about the prolapse I didn't really know what to do (so I set that aside for a while). 

It wasn't until 18 month postpartum that I discovered this was what I really wanted to help women with. There Is so little help given from your family doctors/OBGYNs, especially if you don't know the questions to ask or they rush you out of the office after a check up. I had been following the teachings of Bellies Inc and decided to take their course to become certified in core rehabilitation.

The foundation for everything in pregnancy and postpartum exercise is diaphragmatic breathing (or as Bellies Inc coined it, the Core Breath). It connects the four core muscles together to create strength behind every exercise. The four core muscles being the transverse abdominus, multifidus, diaphragm and the pelvic floor. When these muscles are out of sync, along with other factors, they can create whats known as 'core dysfunction'

• urinary incontinence
• pelvic organ prolapse
• back pain
• pelvic girdle pain
• diastasis recti

However, you can re-train your body into functioning correctly. The first step is with your breath. You can start this as soon as possible, pregnant, postpartum, trying to get pregnant, the sooner the better. Watch the video for a demonstration of belly breathing/diaphragmatic breathing and start practicing NOW!!

I cannot stress how important breathing is for effective core function so PLEASE if you are only going to change one thing in your exercise routine...start with this! start with 10 breaths per day and slowly increase as you get the hang of it.

Step One

Sit on a stability ball, chair or lay on your back, with a slight arch in your back (finding neutral spine), two feet are on the floor (knees bent if lying down) and look straight ahead. Place one hand on your belly and the other on the side of your ribcage.

Step Two

Take a deep breath in. Focus on filling the space in your ribcage without your chest rising (imagine your ribcage as an umbrella), fill your belly and in vision your pelvic floor soften and relax. Feel as your ribs and belly expand as you take in air. Breath like this a few times so you can get use to filling your belly and ribcage with air before moving on to the next step. Your belly and ribs should be moving in unison with 70% of the air going into your ribcage.

Step Three

As you breathe out, feel your ribs and belly move in (umbrella closing), exhale through pursed lips. Take a few breaths like this as you begin to understand how your body is moving then add in the pelvic floor contraction. As you exhale, feel as your pelvic floor lifts away from the ball or chair and draws in. Use nice slow breaths, focus on slowing the breath down and engaging the muscles as you breathe out. Remember as you inhale, to soften the pelvic floor.

Pelvic Floor Cues

Picking up a blueberry/jelly bean
Prevent a tampon from falling out
Imagine your pelvic floor as a jellyfish
Sipping a milkshake through your vagina

Step Four

Only after you have perfected the first three steps, should you progress to this step.

As you close your umbrella and pick up your blueberries, exhale through pursed lips. You should feel a band of tightness across your lower abdominals. This band of tightness is your transverse abdominis contracting and completes the optimal “core” contraction. You can feel the activation by placing your fingers on the inside of your hip bones. NOTE: this is a gentle contraction.
You can also use these visualizations for your TVA:
• Imagine closing your two front hip bones together
• Imagine a guy wire between your two hip bones and as you exhale, create tension in the wire.

The great thing about core/diaphragmatic breathing is you can start it as soon as you feel comfortable post delivery. If you don't want to include the pelvic floor right away that is FINE you may still be tender. If that is the case just focus on breathing into your belly and ribcage and fully relaxing your pelvic floor. Listen to your body, don't rush and don't push too hard, you have just given birth! 

HAPPY BREATHING MAMAS

align your spine - check your alignment

Regardless of if you are a new or a seasoned mum, alignment is such an important factor in your health and well-being. When you carry a child for 9 months the core and pelvis go through significant changes and they don’t necessarily spring back to the way they were, especially if you are breast feeding. Poor alignment and posture can lead to a variety issues including back pain, pelvic pain, urinary incontinence/leaking, hip and knee pain and neck ache. So my advice to you is CHECK YOUR ALIGNMENT!!

What is good alignment?

The BEST alignment to provide strength and support to your body and its systems is ribs over hips. This means don’t round your shoulders, don’t stick out your chest and don’t stick out or tuck under your bum.

Take a picture of yourself in tight clothes or underwear to see how you compare. Look out for the pointers above to see if you need to work on your alignment.

ROUNDING YOUR SHOULDERS

When you are breastfeeding you tend to be in a constant rounded shoulder position. If your baby is anything like my daughter Eden, they feed every 2 hours and you could be in that position for 30 mins or longer. That is a long time out of your day. The best thing to do is make sure you are seated and supported as best you can be to prevent a slumped/rounded position. If you already notice you tend to round your shoulders you can make some adjustments to help bring them back to an optimal position. Start off with some chest stretches like a standing wall stretch or a seated chest stretch. Strengthen your upper back with a resistance band. You can so back rows and back fly with a band or with dumbbells if you have them.

STICKING OUT YOUR BUTT OR CHEST

After carrying a baby for nine long months your abdominal muscles weaken and can cause your lower back and hip flexors to tighten causing your body to compensate for this adjustment. In doing so you tend to sick out your butt, drop your hips down and lift your chest. This puts a lot of pressure on your back and pelvic floor. To help realign you will need to stretch out your hip flexors with a kneeling lunge stretch, foam roll your hip flexors (or use a tennis ball to release some pressure). Strengthen your glutes using a glute bridge so you don’t activate your hip flexors too much.

TUCKING YOUR BUTT

I see a lot of this at the gym when I see people at the top of their squats. Over activating the glutes and forcing a squeeze at the top. There is also a lot of bum tucking when we carry our children on the front of our body. When we push our hips forward we create tension in our pelvis and pelvic floor causing the muscles to tighten. Pay attention when exercising and carrying your child not to do this and focus on keeping your hips in a neutral position (under the ribs). Strengthen your lower back with superman or baby cobra and stretch out your glutes with a pretzel stretch (or figure 4 stretch).

RECONNECTING WITH YOUR CORE.

To reconnect with your core and alignment it takes practice and constant reminders, along with learning how to breathe properly and deep into your pelvis. Check in your alignment throughout the day and take a new picture every two weeks.

To breath efficiently follow these steps;

·         Sit on a chair and pull the flesh from under you so you feel your sit bones directly under you.

·         Make sure you are in good alignment with your ribcage directly on top of your hips.

·         Place one hand on your belly and the other on your ribs.

·         On your inhale breath, breathe into your ribs, belly and pelvis. Imagine your rib cage inflating, your hip bones getting wider apart and your pelvic floor softening.

·          As you exhale, feel your belly move in and your belly button rising up towards your ribs. Feel as you scoop up your pelvic floor, tighten your abdominal muscles and blow the air out through pursed lips.

Learning how to effectively breathe is the first step to connect with your core and ensure proper alignment is kept. Remember postpartum fitness is NOT a race. Slow and steady will ensure lasting positive results.

If you need help staying in check, follow me on instagram and tag me in your pictures @fitandeats or #fitandeats

Enjoy fellow mamas, stay healthy!

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Please remember to consult with a medical professional before entering into a new workout regime.

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