Diastasis recti after birth: what to know

After birth, diastasis recti may cause abdominal doming or reduced trunk support and can improve with guided rehabilitation. Pregnancy stretches the tissue joining the two front abdominal muscles; recovery varies, and symptoms are more useful than appearance alone when deciding whether to seek help.

You may notice a ridge along the centre of the abdomen when coughing, rising from a lying position or lifting. Other experiences include a weak-feeling core, back ache, altered posture, or difficulty coordinating the abdomen with the pelvic floor. A clinician checks movement and pressure control rather than relying on a home finger-width test. A bulge near a surgical scar or the navel may have a different cause.

Use slow exhalation during effort, keep loads close, and turn onto your side before pushing up from bed. Choose gentle movements that let you breathe normally and keep the abdomen controlled. Increase challenge gradually, stopping if pain, marked doming or pelvic pressure appears. Postnatal Physiotherapy can provide an individual assessment and exercise plan: [Postnatal Physiotherapy](/treatments/pelvic-floor-and-rehabilitation/postnatal-physiotherapy/).

Book an appointment when symptoms interfere with walking, lifting, exercise, intimacy or bowel movements, or when they are not settling. Get urgent help for severe or rapidly increasing pain, a hard tender bulge, vomiting, fever, faintness or inability to pass stool or gas. Those signs need assessment for conditions beyond diastasis recti.

Ask whether your symptoms fit diastasis recti, whether a hernia should be excluded, and which exercises match your current control. Ask how to lift your baby comfortably and when to review progress.