Your abdominal muscles after pregnancy and childbirth

After giving birth, it takes several weeks/months for your body to fully recover. In order for the birth to go well, your joints and muscles have softened under the influence of hormones during pregnancy. Including your abdominal muscles.

Your abdominal muscles and a diastasis?

Your straight and oblique abdominal muscles form a nice corset around your belly to hold everything in place and give you strength and stature. During the second or third trimester of your pregnancy, the straight abdominal muscles in particular (or your “six-pack abs”), need to give way to allow your belly to grow.

The two straight abdominal muscles are connected by a thick strip of connective tissue (the linea alba). The linea alba is about a finger wide when you are not pregnant. Under the influence of hormones, but mainly due to pressure from within, the muscles and connective tissue become more flexible during pregnancy and the straight abdominal muscles separate a little more.

It is normal if the stretching between the abdominal muscles widens say from 1 to 2.5 centimeters. It usually just regains its former shape on its own within six months after giving birth. When the diastasis is larger than 2.5 centimeters, it sometimes does not happen by itself. It used to be operated on; fortunately, we now know better and we first see if a woman is able to reduce the diastasis herself with proper exercises.

Do you want to know more about your postpartum recovery? And receive tips & tricks on how to fully recover? Download our Back To You app or buy our book.