What are the best Exercises to Heal Stomach Separation After Birth?

Abdominal Separation. Those two words can bring up a lot of confusion and fear for new mums.  Whilst it is a normal (yes normal!) part of pregnancy, and is the body’s way of creating space for your baby to grow and develop, abdominal separation or rectus diastasis has become a source of a lot of conflicting (and simply incorrect) information.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to properly heal your abdominal wall after birth, you are not alone. 

In the Empowered Motherhood Program, we support our Mums to safely heal and strengthen their core so that they can feel confident in their bodies and return to the type of exercise that they love.

We would love to help you to do the same.

In this video, Titled Women’s Health Physiotherapist and Founder of the Empowered Motherhood Program Lyz Evans shows you three exercises you can do daily to connect to your transversus abdominis, improve your posture and breathing and help heal stomach separation.

And no, it's never too late to start.

Watch the video above for 3 exercises to help strengthen your core or read on to learn more about stomach separation.

Why do I still look pregnant? Changes to your abdominal wall in pregnancy and postpartum.

Were you surprised to see that your tummy still looked 6 months pregnant after birth? We know it’s a shock!

One of the factors that causes this distension of the abdominal wall is the fact that the uterus remains in an expanded state for up to 6-8 weeks after birth. Pre-pregnancy, your uterus typically weighs around 70 grams and is the size of a fist. During the nine months of pregnancy, the uterus expands up to 14 times its normal size and can weigh up to 1 kilogram and be around the size of a watermelon! Involution is the process in which the uterus retracts back to its normal size, taking 6-8 weeks. This heavier and larger uterus can cause the abdominal wall to distend, particularly when this extra weight rests on weakened muscles and connective tissue.


A second factor is that during pregnancy, the collagen fibres that make up the linea alba change from a Type 1 to a Type 3. So what does this actually mean? The linea alba is a super strong band of connective tissue that runs down the midline of your abdomen from your breastbone to your pubic bone. One of the roles of the linea alba is to provide an anchor point for your abdominal wall muscles.

Normally the linea alba is strong, thick and fairly rigid. So pre-pregnancy, your six-pack muscles or rectus abdominis sit close together (note that they are still separated by the linea alba so there is always some degree of separation of the abdominal muscles). 

Due to the increase in oestrogen in pregnancy, there is a change of the collagen fibres from thick and rigid (Type 1) to thin and stretchy (Type 3). As your pregnancy progresses and the uterus expands, the linea alba grows thinner and wider and the inter-recti distance between the two sides of your rectus abdominis increases. This stretching and thinning is what gives the appearance that the abdominal muscles have separated.  It is a natural part of pregnancy, and it can usually be healed with the right exercises and movement patterns.

How do you heal stomach separation?

This is a complex question that requires a multi-faceted approach. In the Empowered Motherhood Program, we work with you to:

 #1 Improve your breathing mechanics. 

The diaphragm is directly connected to the core through a complex system of fascia and connective tissue. The way that you breathe affects how your core functions. Step One is learning to breathe well. As you inhale, fill up your lungs and  imagine your diaphragm dropping and expanding. Allow your abdominal wall to relax and soften. As you exhale, imagine your diaphragm lifting into your rib cage and gently draw your belly button inwards and upwards. You can practice this breath during pregnancy and from birth.

#2 Improve your Posture. 

Have you noticed that almost all of the tasks we do as mums involve an element of bending forwards. Changing nappies, feeding and even rocking our babies in our arms can result in long hours spent hunched forwards. Your core works optimally when your spine is in neutral. Being mindful of your posture throughout your day can support not only your spine, but also promote abdominal wall recovery. This is why exercises to support a strong and healthy posture are a big part of our early postnatal recovery program. 

# 3 Connect to your Transversus Abdominis

The transversus abdominis (TA) is the deepest layer of abdominal muscle and wraps like a corset from the spine to the front of the belly. When transversus abdominis contracts, the waist narrows slightly, and the lower abdomen flattens.

The role of the TA is to stabilize the lower back and pelvis BEFORE you move. Because this muscle is stretched and weakened during pregnancy, we often lose this anticipatory function. This means that every time we place a load on our body, more pressure can be translated through the pelvis and lower back. To help our TvA regain that anticipatory function, we have to ‘use it or lose it’. The ability of your body to synthesise collagen and lay down new muscle is an essential part of abdominal wall recovery and is dependent on the abdominal wall being mechanically loaded.

Studies show that 4-8 weeks of non-loading (not using a muscle group) can result in a 20-30% loss of muscle mass. During the early postnatal period, the abdominal muscles can become sluggish and require gentle activations to help rebuild their strength.

One effective exercise shown in the video above is core activation, which is single leg toe taps and single leg and arm slides in a four-point kneel. Once you become comfortable with these exercises, it's important to incorporate it into your everyday life to ensure that you're engaging your abdominal muscles in your daily movements.

#4 Yes! You can crunch! 

We want to help you return to the type of exercise you love. This means progressing beyond early postnatal exercises to strong and dynamic fitness. Your core needs to support you through your daily #mumlife—not just when you are lying on your back doing toe taps! 

You need to start loading the abdominal wall around 6 weeks postpartum. One key way the abdomen is designed to move is to CRUNCH! For a long time, there was a lot of confusion about whether crunching was safe or not. However if we want to load the connective tissue and rebuild the muscle bulk we need to crunch (safely!).

Crunching is a part of daily life. From getting up out of bed to getting out of a chair, we repeat the crunching movement pattern hundreds of times a day. In the EMP, it is really important to us that you not only heal your body safely but also prepare your body for all the movements you need for daily life.

The research also backs this up. When we compare a group of women who do foundational core exercises combined with crunching, against another group that do foundational core exercises combined with planking - the group that has far greater improvements in inter-recti distance is the group that crunches.

#5 Keep Progressing 

This is one mistake we see so often. Women fail to progress beyond early postnatal exercises and so they feel stuck feeling perpetually postnatal.

The abdominal wall needs to flex, stabilise, rotate and extend – and if we never get off the ground or challenge the muscles then it will never regain its full strength.

All of your body’s natural healing is finished by 8 – 10 weeks after birth, so any additional improvements are going to take a bit of work. Ensuring you are continuing to progress and challenge your abdominal wall safely will ensure you continue to heal and return to your pre-pregnancy strength (or beyond!). 

In the Empowered Motherhood Program our Core Connect Program is designed to support you as you progress from toe taps and early postnatal exercises all the way to strong, functional and dynamic core exercises. This is the missing step in most core programs and is vital if you want to return to running or any other high-intensity exercise.

We hope this helps and we’d love to support you to heal your core well with the Empowered Motherhood Core Connect Program. We start with a personalized ‘Where to Start Quiz’ so that we can find the best workouts and programs for you. 

Kimmy and Lyz x

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