You just had a beautiful baby and you are in the midst of poopy diapers, sleepless nights, breastfeeding pains and lots of loving cuddles and kisses. Then (if you are lucky) your OB or Midwife tells you that you have Diastasis Recti!! You may have herd this term before but didn't think much of it. Don’t panic, there is a lot that can be done to help reduce the gap, bring back the tension in the linea alba and reduce/stop symptoms.

First things first, it is important to understand that Diastasis Recti is a symptom of an underlying issue. After carrying a baby for 9 months (give or take) your body goes through postural changes and adapts to the growing baby. After giving birth some bodies struggle to return back, leading to excessive pressure in the abdomen and pelvis. The body can not manage the pressure effectively and you begin to experience symptoms like urinary leakage, pelvic pain, low back pain and abdominal bulging (aka the mummy tummy/Daistasis Recti).

There is a lot more awareness about diastasis recti in postpartum mamas, which is AMAZING!! However, there is also a lot of misleading information on the internet for new moms. Before you start searching the world wide web for the best exercises to flatten your ‘mummy tummy’, how to bounce back after baby or how to lose the belly fat…keep reading!

Recovery postpartum isn't about JUST flattening the mummy tummy or losing the weight. It is about restoring the correct function of the core. The core is a multifaceted system which needs to be worked as a whole and in different dimensional movements. So please, please avoid doing crunches and sit ups till the cows come home, this can actually make things worse.

Before you even get to doing the exercises, you need to check out your alignment. Make sure you are in bare feet…Can you draw a straight line from your ears to your heels/mid foot?? Get some one to take a picture of you standing from the side and look. Are your ears, shoulders, ribs, hips and heels/mid foot all stacked and in a straight line? If NOT then take time each day to pay attention and make adjustment. This will allow the muscles to move properly and distribute the pressure evenly.

Proper breathing. Using diaphragmatic breathing with visual cues will help to fire up the muscles in the way that is needed to prevent a build up of pressure. DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH when exercising. Ensure you inhale when you lower and exhale when you lift. Bellies inc has a great demo HERE on how to perform the correct breathing.

There are also some great visual cues I like to use include;

Pick up your blueberry
An elevator rising to the top floor
Sipping a milkshake
Draw your hip bones closer together

Aim to complete 10-15 repetitions of each exercise 2-3 times though, 4-5 times per week. As time goes on you can increase the number of repetitions and begin to change the way you perform each exercise. But for the first few weeks focus on simple movements in tune with your breath.

The best 5 exercises to help heal Diastasis Recti.

Exercise 1 - GLUTE BRIDGE - Exhale as you lift your bum off the ground. Focus on moving your spine as one straight line. Pay attention to which muscles are lifting the body. You want the glutes to be doing the majority of the work, not the back or hamstrings.

Exercise 2 - HEEL SLIDE - Starting with both legs bent at 90 degrees. Slowly straighten one leg out in front keeping the heel on the ground. Make sure your lower back is not arching too much as you extend the leg and make sure you are not doming in the abdominals.

Exercise 3 - BENT LEG LOWER - Starting with both legs bent and 90 degrees. slowly tap one heel to the ground and then bring the leg back up to 90 degrees. Make sure your lower back is not arching too much as you extend the leg and make sure you are not doming in the abdominals.

Exercise 4 - BODY WEIGHT SQUAT - Place your feet at a comfortable distance apart (I like a little wider than shoulder width). Inhale as you lower, making sure you can keep the pelvic floor soft. Lower as far as you feel comfortable. Exhale just before you start to stand, lifting the pelvic floor and exhaling through pursed lips.

Exercise 5 - STANDING MARCH - This one seems easy but the key is to keep the hips in alignment as you transfer your weight from one leg to the other. Make sure you don't stick your hips out and stay as stable as possible.

Check with your healthcare provider before starting a new exercise regime, this information is not meant to replace that from a medical professional.

If you have any questions please comment below or send me an email to info@fitandeats.com

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!