Tummy muscles post- birth

[Littlerayofsunshine]

I had my DD2 last wednesday. my muscles are very weak and split. She was laying on my left too and my tummy pokes out more on that side.

any advice for this? or to wait until postnatal check at 6 weeks?

Watching this with interest....my tummy muscles form a point when i sit up etc after the birth of ds2 and still do 30 wks pg with no.3

I started a thread about this a few weeks ago after the birth of DS. A poster suggested Diastasis Recti - where the abdominal muscles have split too far apart. I'm now having physio to help sort it.
If you google it you should find exercises to help

This happened to me twice. Get some tubi grip (sp?) and have double thickness of it from your bikini line up to just under your bra, take off for bed. Ask your mw for an exercise sheet. At your 6 week check get your GP to check your tummy properly, they can then tell you if you can do more exercise or if you need physio. The physio I saw the first time said it was fine to wait a few weeks to see if they go back together with the tubi grip and first lot of exercises. If that doesn't help your GP can refer you.

Just wanted to add that you should ensure that you DO NOT do any sit-ups! This can make the separation worse.

Hey Bobby - it was me who is obsessed with diastasis recti!

Basically you sound like you've got it and now it's a matter of working out how big your split is. Anything over 2 fingers you'll probably need some help from a specialist physio, anything less will probably go back on its own.

Time is the big healer but there are lots of exercises you can do to activate your transverse abdominal muscles which will help pull everything in. I do a lot of the exercises whilst i'm nursing. I probably wont ever be able to have a flat stomach again as my split is quite large (3 children in 2 years will do that), but I can do a lot to reduce it and also to make sure my lower back is protected.

And yeah, do not do sit ups, ever!.

Hey rednellie!

My physio told me to push my stomach muscles together with my hands whilst lifting my head towards knees (ie tiny sit up) - it seems to be helping a bit so far. I've managed to do up my trousers now anyway

Yeah, the important thing is not to lift your shoulders off the floor. Virtually impossible to keep the TAs engaged when you do that.

Glad it's getting better Bobby, that's fantastic news!

Mine's reduced a lot, but I still have to poke me hernias in occasionally.

RED what exercises do you do whilst nursing?

I am wearing the tubi-grip. and keep tightening my tummy muscles. I need to find the sheet of exercises along with the pelvic floor ones.

So what can you do if its 6 months or so on from giving birth and your muscles haven't knitted? Am I beyond repair?

You would have to check this with an expert first but I wonder if the pilates breathing would help you? You pull your tummy button in and you imagine you are trying to stop yourself going to the loo , you breath in up in your rib cage iyswim? I would not do this before the 6 wk check.

barley I am 28 month post birth! so you still have hope. I realised at 18 months reading MN!
My MW was quite positive that it is never too late to start doing the exercises. Never do anything that push the tummy out (push up are the worst) avoid pilates unless the instructor is qualified to deal with your problem, yoga might help (same here they are few exercises you can't do so talk to your teacher).
The half bridge is very good you can squeezed a ball between your knees doing it.

You can have an operation if it is really bad and the hernia is painful. (I don't fancy that!) they staple the muscles back together, I already had a CS (2 in fact) so wasn't keen on going ahead. Not painful anymore after having DD2.

It is better but if anything happen inside (periods, gases, indigestion, food poisoning....) I balloon out of proportion and look pregnant.

tubigrip? is that the XL for the trunk, do you get it in pharmacies?

Yeah, pretty much what LeMous says - it is never too late to start doing exercises and avoid anything where you see that midline section of your stomach ballooning out.

When I bf I just try and sit very tall, then pull in my lower belly. It's actually below your tummy button that the TAs are found, so sometimes using the belly button as the stimulus makes you focus more on your other stomach muscles. So yeah, lower belly away, keep breathing and hold. You can also do that basic move but challenge it, for example lying on your back, knees to the ceiling and activate TAs then slowly lower one knee out to the side, hold there for two breaths and come back. All very slowly and only let your TAs relax once you're up.

But get expert help! It's key. Even some physios are a bit clueless. I found an amazing womens health one - she works a lot with people on incontinence, pelvic floor issues etc - and she was excellent and very encouraging.

The surgery is what it is, I'm not going to have it as it sounds fairly barbaric and I'm not convinced of the results. Also you can't have it until you're finished having children/bf.

Thanks for that. I think I've been in denial, and thinking it'll go back, yes it will go back(it did after dc2). I've looked at myself in th mirror properly tonight and I look six months pregnant not six months postpartum.

GP?

Yeah, and ask them to specifically check you for diastasis recti. They're meant to do it at the 6 week post partum check but often do it very perfunctorily. They should be able to refer you to a physio to get some exercises etc.

There is such a thing as the Tuppler Technique which you may come across - it's an American woman who's made a killing out of her book Lose Your Mommy Tummy. Whilst it is useful in some ways as it gives you a few exercises for the TAs it's mostly filling. A physio will give you better advice anyway!