Nine months after carrying your child in your womb, you will experience many things that you never thought you would encounter. You will feel a variety of different emotions at once, including the happiness due to the immense love for your newborn and the relief knowing that you safely brought the baby into the world. You may also feel the fear of making any mistakes regarding how you take care of the child and the exhaustion due to round the clock child care.
Most mothers, especially the first-timers, will be in a big surprise when learning the new changes that childbirth did to their bodies.
Aside from the possible stretch marks, one of the most significant body transformations that they will notice is the stubborn “mommy pooch” or the protruding part of the belly that makes mothers look several weeks pregnant again. This problem is medically called diastasis recti.
Aside from being an aesthetic problem, it can also cause several health ailments like recurring lower back pain. Because of this, a lot of women want to get rid of it right away. Their search history will be filled with queries like “How to Fix Diastasis Recti as soon as possible”.
If you think you also have the dreaded mommy pooch and would like to know more about it, here are the facts about this typical post-pregnancy condition.
What Are Diastasis Recti?
Scientifically speaking, diastasis recti refers to the wide gap in the abdominal muscles. It usually happens when the abdomen’s left and right muscles expand to make room for the growing baby in the womb. According to a recent study from Norway, almost one-third of all first-time moms developed diastasis recti after giving birth.
Who Is at Risk of Developing Diastasis Recti?
This postpartum condition can affect every mother. People can generally get their abdominal muscles separated when it stretches due to too much pressure. One of the biggest reasons men and non-pregnant women can have it is obesity since excess fats bring added stress on the stomach muscles. Too much weightlifting and strenuous abdominal exercises can also cause this condition. Also, people who have abdominal swelling due to cancer of the abdomen or liver cirrhosis may deal with Diastasis Recti.
How to Diagnose Diastasis Recti?
Medical practitioners can tell you if you have diastasis recti, but you can also determine if you have it by yourself. To do it, you need to lie flat on your back, then place your ring, middle, and point fingers horizontally in your belly. While the fingers rest comfortably in your tummy, you need to lift your head off the floor in a half sit-up position. Then feel both your left and right abdominal muscles to check if they can both come together. You need to measure three significant portions in your tummy, including the top and middle, and below the belly. If both sides have a gap of at least two inches or more, you have this condition. If you wish to know How to Fix Diastasis Recti, read along.
How to Fix Diastasis Recti?
Some women would prefer to do a short route and have their diastasis recti fixed through surgery. But this solution does not work for everyone. It may even do more harm than good since they might be at risk of straining their surgery wounds due to all the work that they need to do when taking care of the baby. It is also an expensive way to correct the problem. To effectively fix diastasis recti without going under the knife, you can do the right exercises to target the problem area. It would also help if you joined an exercise program specializing in closing the abdominal gap safely while improving the overall health of a person.
Diastasis recti may not be a severe condition, but it can make any woman feel conscious about their appearance and make them uncomfortable in their movements. It can also affect the way they care for their newborn and the rest of their families. So, you need to take care of your body to give your best for your loved ones by proper exercises and better mental disposition.
