Mummy Tummy

Mummy Tummy: Dealing with Diastasis

What is diastasis recti or “mummy tummy”?

In pregnancy, our abdomen undergoes changes to create space for our growing baby. This includes the thinning and stretching of our linea alba (that central connective tissue between our abs). This happens to everyone to some degree (and is totally normal!) but can cause more issues post-partum for some folks than others. For some, they get a return to normal without any intervention, for others, they need a little more support.

Post-partum, when this separation of our abdominals doesn’t return to (close to) normal, we call this diastasis rectus abdominus. This is sometimes termed the “mummy tummy” because the separation of connective tissue can leave your belly looking like there is a little pouch or bulge protruding. Increased pressure in our abdomen (caused by many normal movements such as lifting, sneezing, straining, moving in certain ways etc.) can make this more prominent. You might notice this as “coning” or bulging in the midline if you were to do a crunch.

To manage pressure in our abdomen, our deep core, our diaphragm, and our pelvic floor, all have to be working together in a coordinated fashion - and these muscles need to be strong and activated properly.  When to improve diastasis, it’s actually more about creating tension through the abdominal wall versus focusing on closing the gap. Learning how to create tension through our abdominals can take practice and isn’t always intuitive. Working on this can allow us to progress through more challenging exercises that increase that intra-abdominal pressure - without bulging. 

How long does it take to see changes?

Connective tissue (like we see in that linea alba!) is highly adaptable, but can take 6 months to 2 years to heal fully. Thankfully, we can work to support this adaptation. In order to do this we need challenge! Like most things, we need a little bit of stress to create adaptation. Treatment plans to improve diastasis involve loading the abdominal muscles in the right direction to stimulate tissue healing and improve strength. When the stress is applied in the right way, collagen fibers will lay down along the direction we need to promote strength. In a pelvic floor appointment, we also work on posture, coordination and strength of your whole system to support you as a whole person.

Who can help me with this?

When you work with our naturopath-pelvic therapist with a focus in perinatal care, they will assess where you are currently at and provide treatment that is unique to your symptom picture and goals. Often the plan begins with laying the groundwork and seeing how well you are connecting your breath to your pelvic floor, and how you manage pressure in the system. Then we start strengthening! Strengthening progresses until you are able to do all the movements you need to as a new mom. There are no “bad” movements for diastasis, you just have to be ready for them!

Recovering from diastasis takes some patience, but there’s a lot we can do to help you improve the appearance of your abdomen and, more importantly, get you feeling confident in the activities that you are eager to get back to.