{"id":2516,"date":"2020-10-02T02:31:01","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T02:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pigeon.com.sg\/?post_type=blogs_articles&#038;p=2516"},"modified":"2023-10-05T11:40:55","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T03:40:55","slug":"what-new-mothers-need-to-know-about-ab-separation-aka-diastasis-recti","status":"publish","type":"blogs_articles","link":"https:\/\/pigeon.com.sg\/blogs_articles\/what-new-mothers-need-to-know-about-ab-separation-aka-diastasis-recti\/","title":{"rendered":"What New Mothers Need To Know About Ab Separation Aka Diastasis Recti"},"featured_media":3571,"parent":0,"template":"","blogs_articles_categories":[217],"blogs_articles_tags":[220],"class_list":["post-2516","blogs_articles","type-blogs_articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","blogs_articles_categories-postpartum","blogs_articles_tags-postpartum"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What New Mothers Need To Know About Ab Separation Aka Diastasis Recti<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Still looking a little pregnant months postnatal? It might be diastasis recti. Here&#039;s what new mothers need to know about ab separation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pigeon.com.sg\/blogs_articles\/what-new-mothers-need-to-know-about-ab-separation-aka-diastasis-recti\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What New Mothers Need To Know About Ab Separation Aka Diastasis Recti\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Still looking a little pregnant months postnatal? It might be diastasis recti. 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If you\u2019re still looking a little pregnant months after giving birth, you may have a case of diastasis recti.","description":"<h2><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\"><strong>Dealing with a post-baby belly bulge? If you\u2019re still looking a little pregnant months after giving birth, you may have a case of diastasis recti.<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\"><strong>What is Diastasis Recti Abdominis Muscles?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\">Also known as abdominal separation or the \u201cmummy tummy\u201d, Diastasis Recti Abdominis Muscles (DRAM) occurs when the rectus abdominis muscles (commonly referred to as the \u201csix pack\u201d) separate during pregnancy, leaving a gap that causes your belly to bulge out. This happens when the abdominal wall is stretched to accommodate the growth of the rapidly-developing baby. Coupled with hormonal changes that affect the connective tissue, the increase in pressure leads to the widening of the midline of your linea alba, which is a fibrous band of tissue that connects the abdominal muscles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\">A <u><a style=\"color: #808080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5013086\/\">study<\/a><\/u> suggests that up to 60% of women may experience diastasis recti during pregnancy or after childbirth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\"><strong>How do you check if you have DRAM?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\">Although the condition isn\u2019t painful and doesn\u2019t typically show up in the early stages of pregnancy, there are still telltale signs that you can look out for. The most obvious characteristic is when your belly takes on a dome or mountain-like form whenever you try to use your abdominal muscles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\">One way to check is to lie down on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat, placing one hand behind your head and the other hand with your fingers at your belly button. While gently lifting your head off the floor, try poking around your belly button for a gap between the muscles \u2013 this tends to feel like two firm edges of muscles squeezing your fingers. If the gap that you feel is more than two finger-widths, chances are it\u2019s DRAM.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\"><strong>What if the gap is more than 2-finger widths? Is it dangerous?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\">A gap of 1 to 2cm is normal, but any gap larger than 2cm should be reviewed by a women\u2019s health physiotherapist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\">While DRAM doesn\u2019t pose any life-threatening health concerns, you may experience other forms of discomfort such as back pains, posture issues, pelvic instability and even urinary incontinence. In some cases, you may develop an abdominal hernia which requires a medical assessment. The possibility of having to get a caesarean section is also higher if you have a large diastasis during pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\"><strong>Can DRAM be corrected?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\">Thankfully, there\u2019s nothing a good workout can\u2019t fix. But do take note that the usual abs exercises that we do will not work for diastasis recti, and may even worsen the condition in some cases. It has to be a specific exercise regime that focuses on movements pulling the transversus abdominus muscle in (think closing in the gap!). The most popular exercises are pelvic tilts, heel slides and single leg stretches. Make sure to seek advice and approval from your physiotherapist before embarking on any fitness regimen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\"><strong>How long will it take to recover from DRAM?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\">This is subjective and varies based on your own body and lifestyle, but a gauge can be anywhere from six weeks to a year. It\u2019s definitely influenced by several factors such as your commitment to the exercise regimen, your lifestyle habits, how well you take precautions against aggravating the condition, as well as genetics. Although it\u2019s hard to have a complete closure of the separation gap, anything less than 2cm is considered safe so don\u2019t be too alarmed!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\">Meanwhile, avoid any strenuous activity that may worsen the condition such as heavy lifting. Try to stick to ab workouts that target diastasis instead of incorporating other core exercises such as crunches, planks and sit-ups (these are popular for toning abs). Remember, your goal now is to close the separation gap and whether we have abs or not, we can worry about that later!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\"><strong>Do you need surgery for DRAM?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808080;\">Very few women will actually require surgery for their DRAM. But if your condition still isn\u2019t improving after following an appropriate exercise program, you may have to consider going under the knife to repair the diastasis recti once and for all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pigeon.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Expert-Advice_-9-Ab-Separation-Facts-for-Pregnancy-_-Beyond-\u2013-Pigeon-Singapore.pdf\">Expert Advice: 9 Ab Separation Facts for Pregnancy &amp; Beyond \u2013 Pigeon Singapore<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","tips":{"title":"","tips":false}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pigeon.com.sg\/wp-api\/wp\/v2\/blogs_articles\/2516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pigeon.com.sg\/wp-api\/wp\/v2\/blogs_articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pigeon.com.sg\/wp-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/blogs_articles"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pigeon.com.sg\/wp-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/3571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pigeon.com.sg\/wp-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"blogs_articles_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pigeon.com.sg\/wp-api\/wp\/v2\/blogs_articles_categories?post=2516"},{"taxonomy":"blogs_articles_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pigeon.com.sg\/wp-api\/wp\/v2\/blogs_articles_tags?post=2516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}