Diastasis recti: the gap in your tummy muscles after pregnancy

Diastasis recti is a gap between the two long six-pack muscles down the middle of your tummy, which opens as your belly stretches in pregnancy. The NHS says it is common, often about 2 finger widths, and usually closes by the time your baby is 8 weeks old. A gap that is still obvious after that is worth showing to your GP or a physiotherapist.

Why the tummy muscles separate in pregnancy

Your six-pack muscle, the rectus abdominis, has a left and a right side joined down the middle by a band of tissue called the linea alba. Cleveland Clinic explains that as your womb grows, the linea alba thins and pulls apart. After the birth it can heal and come back together, but like an overstretched rubber band it can lose some of its spring.

Cleveland Clinic lists what raises the odds: less than 12 months between pregnancies, being over 35, carrying twins or more, a big baby, a very petite frame, and pushing during a vaginal birth.

The diastasis recti test you can do at home

The NHS describes a simple check once your baby has arrived:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Use your fingertips to feel between the edges of the muscles, above and below your belly button.
3. Count how many fingers fit in the gap.

Cleveland Clinic adds one step: lift your shoulders slightly off the floor, as if starting a sit-up, so the muscle edges are easier to feel. It says a gap of two or more finger widths is worth raising with your doctor. Repeat the check every so often; the NHS says the gap should get gradually smaller.

You may also notice a bulge or pooch just above or below the belly button, a soft, jelly-like feel around it, or a ridge or dome down the middle when you tighten your tummy or sit up, according to Cleveland Clinic.

What helps the gap close

The NHS says regular pelvic floor and deep stomach muscle exercises can reduce the separation, and suggests avoiding sit-ups, planks and high-impact exercise to start with.

For the first six weeks, Cleveland Clinic advises lifting nothing heavier than your baby and skipping crunches and sit-ups. It also says a binder cannot heal diastasis recti or strengthen your core, which goes for the bengkung wrap used during pantang as well.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals, an NHS trust, says building up your tummy muscles with physiotherapy may lower your risk of back pain, hernia and a protruding tummy later on.

Getting diastasis recti checked in Singapore

Mention the gap at your 6-week postnatal review. A senior physiotherapist at KKH, quoted by SGH, says postnatal physiotherapy treats diastasis recti, and that a full postnatal programme usually starts six to eight weeks after childbirth, once you have had your check-up.

The NHS says to see a GP if the gap is still obvious 8 weeks after the birth, as you may be at risk of back problems. Do not count on it closing by itself: Leeds Teaching Hospitals says up to one third of women still have a separation 12 months after giving birth, and that it may not improve without treatment.

Frequently asked questions

What is diastasis recti?

A widening of the gap between the left and right six-pack muscles, caused by the stretch of pregnancy. Cleveland Clinic says the band joining them thins and pulls apart as the womb grows.

Does diastasis recti go away on its own?

Often. The NHS says the separation usually goes back to normal by the time your baby is 8 weeks old. Leeds Teaching Hospitals says up to one third of women still have a gap at 12 months, so get help if yours has not closed.

Can I do sit-ups with diastasis recti?

Not at first. The NHS suggests avoiding sit-ups, planks and high-impact exercise to start with, and building up with pelvic floor and deep stomach exercises instead.

Will a belly binder fix diastasis recti?

No. Cleveland Clinic says wearing binders cannot heal diastasis recti and will not strengthen your core muscles.

Related terms

• Pelvic Floor: The hammock of muscles holding up your womb, bladder and bowel, which pregnancy and birth can weaken.
• 6-Week Postnatal Review: Your own check-up with a doctor four to six weeks after birth, covering healing, mood, feeding and contraception.
• Pantang: The Malay word for confinement after birth, traditionally 44 days of rest with rules on food, bathing and massage.
• C-section (Caesarean Section): An operation to deliver your baby through a cut in your tummy and womb, planned ahead or done in labour.
• Confinement (Zuo Yue Zi): The traditional rest period after birth, 30 to 44 days depending on community, with food rules and extra help at home.

See every term in the glossary