WHAT IS DIASTASIS RECTI?

The dream of most women after giving birth is to jump straight back into their before-pregnancy body. But it took nine months for the body to change and it will also take some time to get back into shape after delivery. The desire to be the same woman you were before the pregnancy, with the same body, is powerful, and many would go to tremendous lengths to achieve that. But it is essential to understand that your body will need time to recover, and even if you choose cosmetic surgery, you will still have to wait for about six months before getting that tummy tuck procedure that can help with abdominal fat in excess.

During pregnancy, a woman’s body will go through several changes. Some of the most common situations that can happen after giving birth are abdominal skin tissue in excess, tummy itchiness, stretch marks on the tummy and hips, hair loss, and diastasis recti. Diastasis recti is also known as muscle weakness of the abdominal wall. Some women will experience one or more of these, while some will have none.

After giving birth, the tummy will look like a deflated balloon, being almost as large as the day before delivery, but softer and sagging a bit. This can last for up to six weeks, even if before the pregnancy your tummy was toned and flat.

Before you start exercising, it is important to consider that most doctors recommend resuming physical exercise six weeks after giving birth or more, depending on your condition and state of recovery. Not talking to your doctor before starting exercise again can cause more trouble,especially if you suffer from diastasis recti.

What causes diastasis recti?

Aside from its occurrence in pregnant women, diastasis recti can also occur in newborns,specially premature ones, because the abdominal wall is not developed completely and might not seal entirely down the midline.

During pregnancy or after giving birth, the abdominal wall can be put under a lot of pressure because of the uterus growth. The research shows that women over the age of 35 are more likely to develop diastasis recti, while a child’s high weight at birth or multiple pregnancies can also be considered risk factors. Diastasis recti is essentially a separation of the tissue between the muscles.

While diastasis recti is not a life-threatening condition, it is important you seek help and discuss it with your doctor. In most cases, the doctor will recommend special exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscle wall. Most of the time, this does not help. You can just as well have a tummy tuck cosmetic procedure, which will help eliminate all that excess skin and fat on your abdomen and also strengthen the abdominal wall.