Still carrying a belly a year after giving birth? You’re afraid to wear sexy, pretty clothes. Say goodbye to low-rise pants and bikinis. Even though you do sit-ups every day, your baby bump is still flabby. How can you show it off to compete with the youthful bodies of other girls? The culprit is postpartum rectus abdominis separation .
Did you know? Two-thirds of women experience abdominal separation after giving birth, and one-third still experience it a year later!
What is rectus abdominis diastasis?
During pregnancy, especially in the third trimester, the enlarging uterus causes the abdominal wall to expand and stretch. Postpartum, the abdominal muscles relax, and the abdominal wall loses its tension, but it doesn’t quickly return to its original position and shape, causing excess fat to accumulate and bulge. The linea alba stretches and thins, causing the two rectus abdominis muscles, which were once parallel and aligned, to separate from the linea alba. This phenomenon is called rectus abdominis diastasis.
The dangers of rectus abdominis separation:
feeling like always having to go to the toilet, even after drinking water; back pain and inability to straighten up
after a short period of movement, etc.; in
mild cases, it may leave you with a belly that you can never get rid of; in severe cases, it may cause back injuries and stress urinary incontinence; the most serious cases may lead to hernia (human tissue detaches from its original part and enters another part through gaps, defects or weak parts of the human body) and organ displacement.
How to self-diagnose rectus abdominis separation?
1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent, exposing your abdomen.
2. Support your head with your left hand. Insert your right index and middle fingers vertically into your abdomen, relaxing your body.
3. Lift your upper body and feel your abdominal muscles squeeze your fingers toward you. If you don’t feel a squeeze, move your fingers to the sides. Move them until you find the tight muscles. Measure the distance between the muscles on both sides.
Self-diagnosis: A distance of less than two fingers is normal. Between two and three fingers is recommended for improvement through exercise. More than three fingers is recommended for medical attention.
How is it treated?
(Here, we’ll mainly introduce several self-training treatment methods for mothers.)
1. Lie on your back: Lift your legs, tuck your chin slightly, and place your hands on the top of your right calf, keeping your waist pressed against the mat. Then, inhale to prepare. As you exhale, slowly push your right leg out. Inhale without moving, and exhale to slowly pull your leg back. You can also switch legs and do this alternately. Repeat this 6-8 times per set, 2-3 times each time.
Note: When using your hands to support your legs, press your chest as much as possible to press your lumbar spine into the mat. Extend your other leg as far as possible while maintaining a firm grip on your lumbar spine.
