Mummy tummy
Incontinence
Bloating
These are a few subjects that sometimes get skipped over after having children but I think it is super important to address them, rather than suffer in silence.
When I had Louis no one really warned me that jumping on a trampoline would be a no go area, it wasn't until I did I realised oh we have a problem here.
I also looked pregnant months after giving birth, which I could only describe as a pooch!
Can you relate?
Do you still look pregnant months after giving birth?
If this is the case you may have a Diastasis Recti.
This is when the rectus abdominis muscles ( aka your six pack muscles ) in your abdomen separate during pregnancy, leaving a gap that allows your tummy to pooch out.
After pregnancy, Diastasis Recti looks like a ridge or even a dome from your midline
How Do I Know if I Have It?
You may still look pregnant
You may suffer from incontinence
You may suffer from lower back pain
It's easy to perform a self-test for diastasis recti.
Just lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Put one hand on your belly, with your fingers on your midline at your navel. Press your fingertips down gently, and bring your head (shoulders about an inch off the ground ) up into a mini crunch-like position.
Feel for the sides of your rectus abdominis muscles, and see if and how far they are separated. Separation is commonly discussed in terms of finger widths -- for instance, two or three (or more) fingers' separation. If you can feel a gap then you have it, Good news is that you can work towards repairing it 😀
I have helped hundreds of women strengthen their core and pelvic floor muscles.
There are simple exercises that you can do as soon as you are given the all clear to do so by your midwife or doctor.
Doing exercises like crunches and planks can do more harm than good.
You want to do gentle exercises to work your deep core muscles.
My Instagram has a multitude of DR safe exercises.
If you have any questions please hit reply and I will be more than happy to answer them.
PS. join my Restore your core plan which has a six week core programme to go along side a tailored nutrition and exercise plan.