Many people do not expect to have Diastasis Recti; however, it is common with pregnant women. Many people will call this the pooch. This is when the belly will stick out further because the left and right muscles of the abdomen have widened. We are going to talk about eight things you can do to help prevent Diastasis Recti.
What to Do
Exercise is one of the biggest things you can do to help prevent this problem. One of the most common exercises is crunches, however, you will soon learn they shouldn’t be. You may visit momsintofitness.com for more information on how to prevent this problem. However, follow along and we will talk about eight different things you can do to help prevent Diastasis Recti from occurring.
Roll Over
When you are lying in bed, you will normally just sit straight up. However, this is something you should be avoiding. When you sit straight up, you are putting pressure on the abdominal muscles. To fix this, you should roll over to your side. Use your arms to help push you up so that you are not putting the pressure on your abdominal muscles.
Avoid Crunches
It is a good idea to engage in your core; however, you should not focus on it too much. If you are doing too many crunches or focusing on your abdominal muscles too much, you could be separating them. You should also stay away from planks as well, however, each diagnosis is different.
Avoid Heavy Lifting
You should be engaging your core throughout your pregnancy; however, you should avoid lifting heavy things. When you are lifting heavy items, you are putting pressure on the abdomen and it could lead to separation. If you must lift other children, items at work, or other heavy items you should wear a support belt. There are several types of maternity support belts available.
Safe Abdominal Exercises
There are several abdominal exercises that are safe to do during pregnancy that will also be helpful for preventing this problem. You can practice doing Kegel exercises, pelvic tilts, hip rolls, and squats.
Wear Support
When you are pregnant, you should be wearing belly support. This will help with several things. It will help alleviate pressure off the bladder and it will help promote posture. Having better posture will reduce your risk of your muscles separating.
Postpartum Girdle
You should also invest in a girdle after your pregnancy. Not only will it help shrink your belly after you give birth, but it will support the weakened muscles. It will help them get back together without separating.
Good Techniques
Every day you should be focusing on your posture. Your posture is everything. It is the main way that you can prevent DA from occurring. Practice having good posture throughout your pregnancy.
Kinesio Taping
This is something you can start halfway through but you should wait until the third trimester. You are helping the muscles in the abdomen stay put.
As you can see, there are several things you can do to help prevent DA while you are pregnant. It is common; however, you don’t have to be part of the statistics if you follow these tips.
