wellness

There is always that nagging voice in the back of your mind asking, “what has happened to me?” 

Most diastasis recti resolves with consistent deep-core work, but a smaller number of cases need more. Diastasis recti exercises postpartum focus on reconnecting the transversus abdominis and avoiding coning or doming. In over 20 years of practice, true cases needing further intervention are uncommon—and when they occur, they’re best evaluated by a pelvic-health professional. When More Intervention Might Be Needed In my last Diastasis Recti article, I defined DR and shared how to assess your abdominal tone and strength—a true DR that needs additional treatment is actually not that common. Today, I'm going to talk about those cases, how it feels and looks, and how to treat it, should you be wondering about the state of your abdominal wall. To be clear, in my 20+ years practicing, I have only seen a handful of these cases and they have all been treatable with the following intervention. For those of us who embark on the journey of motherhood, there’s a lot about it that scares us…all the flipping time! Your body doesn’t have to be one of those things. It can be a refuge for self-connection, self-understanding, stress release, and emotional clarity. Here’s how you know, what to do, and where to begin if you think you may need more help with your abdominal recovery post babies… HOW TO TELL IF YOU NEED FURTHER INTERVENTION A true Diastasis Recti is when the abdomen is like a pool of thinned and soft belly tissue—there’s almost no response even at the mom’s very best effort. In these cases, I refer moms to a very specialized pelvic PT for manual, visceral manipulation. This is because, the loss of the front core muscles will have also resulted in extreme weakness and tension in the back, pelvic floor, and hip-stabilizing muscles, requiring manual release, visceral movement, and often organ realignment prior to a mom’s ability to begin isolating, feeling, and engaging her transverse abdominals (TVA). In these cases, there are common symptoms that accompany the DR such as stress incontinence, back pain, hunched shoulders and “stuck ribs.” The term, stuck ribs, is used to explain how a widened diaphragm and ribcage are unresponsive when asked to expand and contract 3-dimensionally. WHY DIASTASIS RECTI EXERCISES POSTPARTUM MATTER When caught early, Diastasis Recti exercises postpartum can play a critical role in closing abdominal separation and restoring core function. By progressively engaging the deep core muscles—especially the TVA—these exercises help rebuild tension and elasticity in the midline, allowing moms to regain strength and prevent further weakening. Proper core activation also reduces the risk of secondary issues like pelvic instability or back pain, making postpartum fitness a smoother, more supportive journey. THE 411 ON CONING + DOMING Ever heard of “coning” or “doming?” These terms refer to an abdominal contraction that instead of pulling down and inward, separates and pushes your midline out between the two sides of your 6-pack. This separation and outward pressure occurs in a moment when your TVA are not able to engage and so your external abs are disorganized and de-stabilized, like when you’re 9 months pregnant or just gave birth. COMMON CONING Sometimes coning spontaneously and naturally occurs when you sneeze, cough or simply try to sit up after lying down. These short-lived moments are not dangerous and do not ‘cause’ Diastasis Recti. You can try and engage your TVA mindfully before you sneeze or cough (and definitely when rolling up out of bed) and this can help hold things in place in the moment, but it’s ok if you can’t and don’t. You will not make things worse because you are 9-months pregnant or 1-week postpartum and have a moment of coning. The coning that we want to watch out for is a separation that occurs when you are working out and your abs cannot sustain their engagement through exercise—so, you “cone.” Paying attention to this “lost TVA moment” will allow you to pause your exercise and use breath to re-engage from the inside out, continuing to strengthen your abdominal wall. If ignored, you begin to risk training your abs to pull apart for strength instead of together, which can lead to thinning and weakening of the midline, resulting in a more severe Diastasis Recti UNDERSTANDING YOUR CORE & ITS CONNECTION TO OTHER SYSTEMS A strong, engaged core doesn’t just impact your abs—it affects your entire body. Without a functioning core, your spine lacks stability, your pelvic floor compensates in ways that lead to tightness and dysfunction, and your breath becomes shallow and ineffective. PELVIC MUSCLE SPASMS & WEAK CORE MUSCLES One often-overlooked issue in postpartum recovery is the development of pelvic muscle spasm due to core weakness. When the TVA and deep abdominal muscles are unable to activate properly, the pelvic muscles overcompensate, leading to chronic tension, discomfort, and even pain. Many moms experience this as a tight, gripping feeling in the pelvic floor, which can contribute to urinary leakage, hip pain, and discomfort during movement. To prevent this, it’s essential to restore proper core engagement through breath work, progressive strengthening, and intentional pelvic floor relaxation techniques.. HOW TO KNOW YOU NEED MORE HELP An Easy Way To Test Your Midline: Standing or lying down, simply take a deep breath. If your midline sticks out below your ribs (and your ribs don’t move), this is a sign that you need some help from a pelvic PT. Make an appointment with a specialized PT to help remobilize your ribs and diaphragm. They can also release the back tension that is keeping your TVA from gliding with your breath. EXERCISE & “DOMING” What can exacerbate your abdominal weakness and lead to a widening of the midline is sustained coning and weight-baring core work while the TVA are disengaged. For example, doing a plank while pregnant and the midline is pushing down and out instead of up and “hugging” the baby. If you are working out and noticing that your mid-belly is lax, bulging or can not draw in and together, then you need to pause and go back to your foundational TVA strength. BELLY BANDS: DOs & DON’Ts Belly bands are tight, elastic-type corsets that wrap around your back and waist to help hold your belly in. Moms are advised way too frequently to use belly bands and it f’s up their abs! Extended or frequent use keeps your muscles deactivated and trains them to become increasingly passive and reliant on the belly band. I have seen this lead to complete atrophy of the majority of your trunk’s core muscle system, requiring months of rehabilitation and recovery. I only advise using a belly band in very specific, early postpartum or post-operative situations, where the mom is often needing to care for her older children and or perform standing/walking tasks that are beyond her body’s capacity. In these instances, the band can lend itself to support the mom through a couple hours of activity and then, she takes it off, but I always use them with a plan to stop using them. THE SURGICAL OPTION Surgery is the right choice for you if you and your medical team decide so. No one knows your body and your needs better than you. I have advised women with minimal separations to head into surgery because psychologically, they just needed to see a quicker fix than the rehab fitness was going to yield. Some have gone in because their tissues were so compromised, they likely would never be able to bring elasticity and strength back to the core without it. Whatever you choose, I applaud you. POST-OP TIPS Corrective surgery is major undergoing and you will need the same course of muscle reeducation and strength training post-op as you do now. But, the great news is, you’ll have muscles that are aligned where they are meant to be and tissues with enough tension and elasticity to engage and build 3-dimension strength! Remember, surgery will only be an option after you are sure you’re done having children. So, no matter where you are in your journey, a daily, mind-body core workout that meets you at your fitness level and supports your muscle activation are a must for your long-term health. THE PUNCHLINE A fit, active lifestyle is key to success. Find a program that inspires you and keeps you moving forward. It should resonate with you and you should feel changes happening as you make your way through the program. Postpartum Fitness & Core Strength: A strong core is essential for postpartum fitness. Whether you’re lifting your baby, returning to exercise, or simply moving through daily life, core stability is at the heart of it all. Strengthening your TVA through intentional movement ensures long-term function and resilience. For more on diastasis-recti and your pre and postnatal muscle education, check out the RM DR Program on our App.For an exceptional Pelvic PT, check out Beyond Basics with multiple locations located in Manhattan. Keep reading: Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Your Complete Guide Diastasis Recti: What It Is, Symptoms, and Nothing to Fear RM Heal — the Revolution Motherhood method Work with Rachel in a private session →

Diastasis recti is a common condition describing a thinning and widening of the connective tissue along the abdominal midline, often from pregnancy. Despite the fear marketed around it, it’s a normal, learnable part of many recoveries. Understanding diastasis recti symptoms—and how your deep core and pelvic floor work together—is the first step to healing without panic. Nothing to Fear & Everything to Learn Companies have learned that fear sells—especially to women and most definitely to moms. If you are afraid AND only have access to partial or distorted information about your body, then you are more likely to buy whatever they tell you will fix the problem. Case in point, Diastasis Recti. Diastasis Recti (pronounced dai·uh·stay·suhs rek·tai or just DR for short): Is a common condition that describes a thinning and weakening of the abdominal wall and an inability to create a strong, unified contraction of all of the layers of your abs across the midline, or Linea Alba. PELVIC FLOOR SPASMS & ITS CONNECTION TO DR One lesser-known but related issue is pelvic floor spasm—a condition where the muscles of the pelvic floor become excessively tight, leading to discomfort, pain, and difficulty engaging the core properly. Many women with diastasis recti experience pelvic floor spasm due to the instability in their core, causing compensations in the pelvic muscles. Addressing DR through proper engagement of the transverse abdominals (TVA) can help relieve unnecessary tension in the pelvic floor and restore functional movement. ANATOMY 101 In order to make an accurate strength assessment and informed decision about your healing, we are going to first dive into understanding what your muscles do and why. Your TVA (transverse abs) form the base of all of your mid-trunk muscles, from the back through your side waist, across the front of your hips. They are your stability muscles that glide back and forth around your waist when you take deep breaths. Resting on top of your TVA, are your visible ab muscles, which are your mobility muscles—meaning they are the ones that flex and extend to help you bend over, turn and lift heavy objects (like your toddler!). Here’s what you need to know: Isolating your TVA is new for most people. I certainly never had to do it before having babies. But, and this is essential - learning to isolate and strength train your TVA is the secret sauce to rehabilitating your pelvic floor, your back and entire trunk function. This is because your TVA is the foundation for your entire body. When your TVA is passive and unresponsive (which naturally occurs with pregnancy and childbirth), you will experience all kinds of tightness in your hips, back and pelvis. You’ll feel like it’s impossible to engage your abs and like you’re stuck and can’t move easefully. A disengaged TVA often contributes to other conditions like incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. TAKES TIME TO LEARN YOUR TVA, BUT IT WILL PAY OFF Chances are, you’ve never had to isolate your TVA. I certainly hadn’t prior to giving birth! My core had just always kind of been there for me. So, learning how to breathe and create the subtle glide of your TVA without triggering other muscles (like your hip flexors) requires both patience and consistency. The more you practice, the stronger your neural pathway from your brain to your TVA becomes, making it easier to strength-train and make progress. Check out this video in Phase 1 for detailed instruction on strengthening your TVA. THE SECRET ABOUT MEASURING DR: There is no standardized way to check for DR by a healthcare provider or even by pelvic PT’s. If your OB does a quick check at your 6 or 8 week check-up and declares you fine or “3 fingers,” take a breath, go home, and follow these steps to discern your actual abdominal capacity. WHAT DO FINGER MEASUREMENTS MEAN? Not much, honestly. Consider a belly at total rest. If I stick my fingers into the space between the two sides of your six-pack, chances are I’d be able to get a few fingers in there, especially if I’m digging around. Now, consider a belly that has been activated into a best-effort attempt to co-contract your TVA and your six-pack? This midline would be much more firm. Then, take the same belly, on a mom who hasn’t slept in 24 hours, whose back is jacked and ask her to make a best-effort contraction—her midline would measure much more weakly. Here’s my point (and some homework!): Hold your initial DR reading lightly. Let it be a guide post that you check every 6-8 weeks as you are doing progressive strength and rehabilitative work (ahem…like working your way through RM Phase 1, for example). HOW TO KNOW YOU’RE READY TO WORKOUT Right after delivery, your belly is literally a deflated balloon—the tissues are stretched and beginning a healing process that spontaneously contracts and shrinks your tissues. This is NOT the time to start digging into your midline to see if your abs are separated—they are and that’s totally normal. In the early days post-childbirth, it’s best to do some simple breath-based, TVA engagement (follow along here) where you’re waking up your abs to work within the movements of daily life—to help you stand up, sit down, and support a baby cradled in your arms. DIASASTIS RECTI EXERCISE POSTPARTUM: THE FIRST STEP TO RECOVERY When you’re ready to start rebuilding strength, diastasis recti exercises postpartum are the best place to begin. These gentle core activations target the TVA and pelvic floor, helping restore stability and prevent further complications like pelvic floor spasm. The earlier you can reconnect with your deep core muscles, the more effectively you can support your spine, hips, and overall movement patterns. Once you are feeling like you want and need more, head over to the 4th Trimester program. Timing is personal—for me, it was about 10 days post birth. So, no matter when you’re feeling like you need to get into your body and begin moving the newborn kinks out, it is the right time. WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE READY Have your mind in the right space and understand your motivation to help your body heal and feel more at ease. Enter a place of curiosity with your body. Go from tending to your recovery, to helping your body heal and regain strength—not from hating your postpartum body and trying to get anything back from before motherhood. That is all in the past. Now, you are in the present and moving forward. Remember, you are living the opportunity of your lifetime—to embody and know yourself as a mom, as a woman, as all of the facets of brilliant you. Motherhood is everything…the entire suite of human emotion, thought, and self-expression. It takes courage to enter your body as a mom, because you will release feelings that are big—they could be scary and you might even discover some inconvenient truths. But, this is the gateway to thriving and really enjoying your life. Be brave—you can do it! You can do anything you set your mind to…you gave birth! So, place fear of your body, mind, and emotions aside, roll out your mat, and discover what is possible in this lifetime. I’m in there with you, every step of the way. Keep reading: Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Your Complete Guide Diastasis Recti Exercises Postpartum: When More Intervention Is Needed Building Muscle After Childbirth: Rebuilding Strength From Your Core Out RM Heal — the Revolution Motherhood method Start your free trial with Revolution Motherhood →