But around four months postpartum, I discovered I had diastasis recti. The rectus abdominis ab muscles are the band that gets split down the middle. This compromises the support of the belly contents— so the uterus, bowels, and other organs can “pooch” out, making you continue to look pregnant long after delivery. The condition can also cause constipation, low-back pain, and urine leaking. I felt like I had to go back to square one and learn how to reinforce my transverse abdominals, deepest corset layer of abs, and relearn how to breathe properly without inflating my belly. If I saw any coning, doming, or pushing out of my abs when performing an exercise, I would quit immediately. I went back to the basics and really worked on knitting the front ribs and feeling everything zipping back together. Every morning I rolled out my mat and started with TVA breaths. From a comfortable seated position, I would breathe deeply and laterally, then start voicing “ha” on an exhalation for a count of five to ten breaths out or as many as I could do. Three or four reps of these are lifesavers. They can also be done on all fours, in a bridge position, or even standing. I like to do them periodically throughout the day while standing since that is when I find myself falling back into poor posture and letting my belly relax too much. Pilates is great because you can do it on the machine or the mat and you can do so many exercises without exacerbating a split abdominal wall. It can be very overwhelming and frustrating when you have a diastasis because if you go too hard or too fast without keeping your core engaged, you risk making it worse or reinjuring it. So many mom friends have told me HIIT, CrossFit, and even some forms of yoga have made theirs worse. The Pilates mind-body connection and emphasis on zipping it all in and up is a game changer and great way to heal DRA. Pregnancy may have caused my diastasis, but even before being pregnant, I think I may have done many exercises wrong or without total control and use of my abdominals. Pilates helps us tap into our center constantly and consistently. Pilates can iron out imbalances in our body and help us heal from the inside out. Considering giving Pilates a try? Read up on why Pilates was the one thing that finally healed this woman’s lifelong injury.
