wrecked abdominal muscles - can they be fixed?

[issywoo]

my obs physio has said she can get 3 fingers between my stomach muscles and she's given me exercises to do which i do whenever i can (pelvic floor and tilts) given that i have a 3 yr old , 34 yr old and a 10 week old to look after.
has anyone managed to rectify theirs just with exercise? she told me i mustn't be constipated as straining will drive them further apart which worried me as i was very constipated after my c-section!

i have the same problem and i wish someone had replied to you and said it does improve!!!!

6months after the baby was born i had managed to close the gap to 1 finger width but he is 5yrs old now and i still hate my body and people still ask if i am pregnat!

However if you are quite a slim person elsewhere then i reckon you will get back to normal by the 4/6mnth point.....my problem is that i have had 3 boys and only did pelvic excercises on the 3rd- and have gone from 8 stone pre-kids to now weighing 12 and-a -half stone (size 10 - size 18)in 10 years- and in addition to the rect muscle separation probs i also have the 'saggy excess skin' problem!!!! YUCKYDOO!!

This is meant to reassure you.....but ofcourse if you are a similar size to me this will depress you!! So this is an offer to be your 'TUMMY BUDDY' as i really understand how you feel.

it's not just about vanity either- i still get backaches when i stand up if i've been sat down for a while etc

issywoo, yes they will get better, if you do somethign about it. I cd get 2+ fingers in there after DD's birth but now (quick test) not even one. (she's 3 BTW but I also have DS2 (14mo). The answer I'm afraid is repeated exercise, no quick fix here; do your pelvic tilts every day, just make it part of yr daily routine, tricky I know, I do mine while the bath is running. HTH

Where do you put the fingers??!! I don't quite understand and my ob didn't do any measuring. BTW I have had two C-Sections.

What are pelvic tilts?

After 2 sections my tummy is like the hanging gardens of babylon but without any of the beauty!

ISn't it about your muscles seperating - which can happen in a normal pregnancy too? I've had two c' sections and got back to normal fairly quickly but am a bit of an exercise freak. Take it slowly re exercise but very regularly and don't get disheartened - easier said than done, I know. Would also say that tummy/pelvic floor exercises are very important but walking, slow running etc all help. Pilates is great pre- and post-pregnancy as is work on a Swiss/Fit ball.

I was seeing a physiotherapist after dd1 was born and he told me that the best excercise for geting your tummy sorted after birth was this.
Get on your hands and knees on the floor with your spoine in a straight line then try to lift your belly button up to touch your spine. Hold it about 15 secs then relax. Do it as often as you think about it. He said to do the tummy pulling thing as much as possible in whatever position, eg. standing, sitting, lying face down, but it is most effective when you're on all fours. I also had other excercises to do on one of those big balls, but it worked quite well for me. HTH

Chicpea, lie on yr back and clench yr tummy muscles; can you feel a sort of vertical gap betweeen them? If so, how many fingers can you push into it? Does that make sense? Becca pelvic tilts are kind of slow controlled sit ups, not a big swoosh up, just a gentle tilt but very effective. Get a gym instructor to show you. well worth persisting with i promise.

i suppose for me the most depressing bit is that as he is 5 now i really kidded myself that due to all the 'walking with my tummy sucked in or else people ask if i'm pregnant etc' i really believed that 'just that' would make a difference....i am going to go back to the 'all 4's' exercise as mentioned- this i find eases my back ache .I wonder if i just did 10 or so a day (any more and my muscles stop moving) if i'd notice a difference within a month or two...as that's what i need- an incentive- when there is no change you just give up!