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Diastasis Recti – Treating your Pregnancy Belly.
October 15, 2018
Updated December 2022
Ever heard of the ‘pregnancy belly’?
For many women, one of the ‘not so joyful’ aspects of recent motherhood is trying to get back to the same size and shape you were before pregnancy and childbirth.
Many changes to the body during pregnancy are often controlled by important chemical substances known as hormones.
Hormones are produced by the body to ease the process of carrying the pregnancy through the antenatal period, childbirth/delivery and immediate time after childbirth.
After childbirth, the hormone levels gradually start to reduce, but in some cases, some of the changes they brought with them persist – to the frustration of many mothers!
By far, among the most common is the effect of hormones on the womb and abdomen during pregnancy.
This is because, as the pregnancy progresses and the baby grows bigger, the womb, which is a muscular organ, stretches to accommodate it.
And, to accommodate the enlarging womb and preserve the other vital organs in the woman’s abdomen, the walls of the abdomen to the front also stretch forward and outward.
First, let’s talk about ‘boring’ medical terms!
The front of the ‘tummy’, i.e. the area from the bottom of your ribs to the top of the pubis, is covered by sheets or layers of body tissue.
There are skin, fat, muscles, and other layers from the outside going inwards.
They protect vital organs, including the bowels, liver, womb, bladder, etc.
The rectus abdominis is the first muscle sheet in these layers.
It runs from the bottom of the ribs to the top of the pubis.
It is divided into two halves and popularly referred to as the ‘six-pack’.
You will appreciate this best in the physiques of slim, muscular people and/or athletes.
The body tissue separating the two halves of the muscles is known as the Linea Alba (white line).
When the muscle stretches, it becomes easy to split along its middle (linea alba).
This leads to what we know as the ‘Pregnancy Belly’.
This condition does not only occur in pregnant women; it can happen in men, too.
In this case, it’s usually from yo-yo dieting, doing sit-ups or weightlifting incorrectly, etc.
Not all pregnant women get Pregnancy Belly, but it is very common in pregnancy.
Some pregnant women may not realise they have it, as it can happen in different degrees, and small separations are easily missed.
For those who do develop it, the most common reasons are:
Multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets, etc. that significantly make the womb bigger and therefore create more tension on the muscle sheet)
In addition, any other condition that ‘strains’ the top abdominal muscles would worsen the separation.
These can include being overweight, constipation, lifting heavy objects, and (if not done properly?) the process of pushing or bearing down during labour.
Next, certain types of exercise can increase the weakness or slackness of the muscles and the risk of separation.
They are moves like
It is also important to be careful with swimming and some yoga poses (like downward dog).
Generally, after birth, pregnancy hormones can linger for 6 months.
As a rule, the more fit you were before pregnancy, the quicker your pre-pregnancy shape or size returns afterwards.
The hormone changes cause the tummy to reduce in size – aided by exercise, a healthy diet (and breastfeeding for some ladies).
While some ladies can regain their pre-pregnancy weight/body within weeks, most women take months (and longer) to do so.
This should not be surprising – if it takes 9 months to stretch the muscles to accommodate the womb, we should not expect the muscles to shrink to their former size straight away.
How quickly the muscles of the ‘tummy’ (in the absence of RAD) tighten up varies.
It can depend on the amount of weight gained during pregnancy, how active you are after birth, your eating habits, and your genes!
So, while it may be challenging for some ladies to deal with post-pregnancy weight gain and belly fat, it can be straightforward for others.
In the case of the Pregnancy belly however, remember the problem is that the outer muscle layer (Rectus Abdominis) is overstretched and slack, and the Linea Alba is damaged.
It can remain so despite exercise because the separation of the muscles makes them weaker and more difficult to return to their usual form.
This allows the appearance of a hanging or protruding ‘tummy’ pouch, which happens in women with a pregnancy belly.
It can be quite distressing to many women, affecting their confidence in their appearance and relationships with their partners.
The treatment depends on the degree/severity of the separation.
In most cases,
Remember! – your ‘belly’ muscles should have fully recovered and come together before the next pregnancy to avoid more injury.
This is especially important after a caesarean section (CS).
Pelvic floor exercises are moves that tighten the muscle of the pelvic floor.
To do this, imagine urinating and then squeezing to stop the urine flow.
This squeeze action is the contraction of the pelvic floor.
It is thought that this helps to maintain your core.
To keep the belly muscles from separating further, it would be useful to have an abdominal support or belly splint while continuing to exercise and strengthen the deeper muscles.
This also allows the connective tissue/Linea Alba to heal.
The Tupler technique is a series of exercises that aims to treat significant abdominal separation with some success reports.
Surgery is an option in some cases of severe separation that have not responded to exercise and moderating issues like weight, constipation, etc.
The surgeon can repair (sew together) the weak, central connective Linea Alba, closing the abdominal separation.
If you do not have a Pregnancy Belly, you can reduce the risk of developing one by strengthening the abdominal core muscles and avoiding some of the conditions mentioned earlier.
If you already have one, first talk to your doctor to assess the severity and discuss treatment options.
Remember, avoid doing just any type of exercise because some types can worsen the condition.
More Reading
Editing by AskAwayHealth Team
Disclaimer
All AskAwayHealth articles are written by practising Medical Practitioners to help promote quality health care.
The advice in our material is not meant to replace a qualified healthcare practitioner’s management of your specific condition.
To discuss your condition, please get in touch with a health practitioner or reach us directly
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