Learning How to Check for Abdominal Muscle Separation
Many pregnant women experience abdominal separation during the last trimester of pregnancy. The rectus abdominals can split along the midline to give room for the baby to grow. Watch to learn how to check yourself for this condition while you’re still pregnant and after.
In terms of pre and postnatal exercise there’s one condition that we like all of our clients to be aware of. It’s called diastasis recti. What this is is the splitting of the rectus abdominis so the middle abdominals they split down the middle to make more room for the baby as your pregnancy progresses. Splits right above and right below the belly button. Although it often spreads all the way along the muscles.
Something to know about this is that the taller you are the less likely you are to have it. What it literally means is if you’re tall, there’s more room for the baby. If you’re a little bit shorter, if you have multiple children or multiple pregnancies, you’re carrying multiple babies at one time, you’re much more likely to split. There’s not a whole lot that you can do while you’re pregnant to control it, however postpartum we definitely want to get the muscles pulled back together in a safe way so that you are safe to exercise.
Some people think that undiagnosed diastasis recti is one of the leading causes of back pain in women. And if you imagine your abdominals are split, it’s gonna cause some havoc on your back.
Today I want to teach you how to check yourself for diastasis recti, just so you know, I’m not a doctor, I’m not a physical therapist. They’re the people you want to talk to about this. However, I can teach you so you know how far apart you are so when you go to them you have a little bit of information.
Here’s Rena, Rina’s about 30 weeks pregnant. This is her second pregnancy. So as I said before it’s more common in subsequent pregnancies. How are you going to check yourself is you want to start on your back in a normal sit-up position. Just like this. Then what you want to do to engage this rectus abdominis, you’re gonna come up into a crunch position, just a small crunch. You want to pull your shirt up so we can see your stomach. Perfect. So what you’re feeling for again is the ditch that’s gonna run this way along the stomach. So before she was pregnant these muscles were attached, now they’re most likely split. We’ll go ahead and see how far apart. You want to feel right below and right above the belly button, and you’re moving your fingers laterally this way. Can I touch your stomach here? So we’re feeling here. I’m gonna press in. Rena’s at about a two-finger split. Perfect. Great. So in terms of what’s safe and what isn’t safe, one to two fingers is considered normal, three and anything past that you want to talk to your doctor. Although like I said, there’s not a whole lot you can do besides exercising safely to control it while you’re pregnant.
If you have any questions about diastasis recti, your pregnancy and abdominal work, you can find us at ohbabyfitness.com
