Postnatal Tummy Gap
Well, here we are again following on from a recent blog about separation of the midline alias diastasis recti within my own family. The last family blog was all about my eldest daughter who had twins, this time I am talking about another real life case study with another daughter!
My second daughter has three children, the first one was born at home, a natural delivery which went smoothly despite me being slightly apprehensive, true Worry Mommy! The second baby was also a natural delivery but a surprise whopper of a baby girl so I look back now and wonder if she got diastasis then after carrying such a big baby. The third and last baby was a home water birth and despite having moved to Australia she was lucky enough to have her UK midwife there who delivered her first, such a bonus! So where does diastasis come into this blog……..
Mom on the case!
While I was studying my pre and post natal Pilates then the specialised course on diastasis recti , C-section recovery and pelvic floor dysfunction I took a holiday to Australia to meet my new grandson. My daughter was complaining of lower back pain and although she had gone back to gym quite soon after the birth she was finding for every few steps she took forward the back pain would set her back again. She is an avid gym goer and very into her exercise so was becoming extremely frustrated with herself.
We got to work once I was In Australia and I had to explain to her that the Relaxin hormone had made her connective tissue weak plus it was still present in her system due to breat feeding which meant she had to change her exercise programme. She had a slight diastasis recti but it wasn’t closed so was causing the weak back problem. I can tell you now she wasn’t too happy about toning down her exercises but once she got her head around the knowledge and understanding of what I was teaching her it made sense. We had to go through the breathing exercises properly, activate and strengthen the TVA (transverse abdominis), strengthen the pelvic floor and start building her core strength. We corrected her posture and alignment which had been compromised by the last pregnancy. I put together a simple easy to follow exercise programme she could do at home around the 3 children and stopped her doing the heavy weight lifting, running and high impact activities. All this gradually closed the tummy gap and helped strengthen her core although it does take commitment and making an effort to do the exercises daily. Despite being on the other side of the world there was plenty of nagging from me and Facetime calls! The good news is that she is back on form going to the gym and lifting weights again now that her core is strong and the midline has closed.
If you are serious about getting your figure back you have to take control, understand your body and commit to doing the exercises daily
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Yours in health, Denise x
Let’s get you back in those pre-preggy jeans!