I’m not seeing progress with my diastasis recti recovery. What gives?
What if it’s been three months…eighteen months…three years since you gave birth, but you still feel like you have a new mommy belly?
Maybe you figured out that you have diastasis recti (or a gap in your abdominal wall which commonly occurs in pregnancy) and have been working on healing it for some time now. Or maybe you just found out about diastasis recti, but an influencer or celebrity or care provider made it seem like it was a quick fix.
It can be frustrating to be working hard on your postpartum recovery and feeling like you’re getting nowhere. You’re likely asking yourself how long it should take to heal a diastasis recti.
You’re not alone.
You’re not “bouncing back,” you’re returning to your core
There’s often two ways the wider public talks about common concerns in postpartum — either you’re stuck with them forever or there’s a quick fix. The reality is (like with most things to-do with our bodies), the answer lies somewhere in between.
With diastasis recti, even if you did a thousand crunches a day, that doesn’t mean you’re actually adding strength back into your core or healing the underlying issue. The gap between your abdominal muscle sets making up diastasis recti is as much an issue of alignment and engagement as it is about muscle strength. Often even moreso.
Want more effective diastasis recti workouts? Get in line.
What does alignment even mean here and why is it so critical to an effective diastasis recovery?
We’re talking about proper spinal alignment or posture. It’s incredibly important for our overall health that we are aligned optimally so that we can be stable and strong. This helps keep our organs where they need to be, shoos away aches and pains during our daily functions, and can help build a strong enough foundation that we can work our muscles properly to be fit.
Many diastasis recti workouts focus a lot on ab exercises without first addressing alignment and stability. MUTU, rather, was built on clinical research suggesting that a thoughtful approach to spinal alignment and breathwork pays off best in terms of recovery. Beyond trying to pay attention to your butt not sticking out too far or being tucked under with your shoulders curled (aka working on good posture), MUTU starts with teaching proper core engagement, pelvic floor exercises (It’s all connected!), breathing techniques for diastasis, and walking.
For more info on body alignments connection to diastasis recti read our indepth article here.
How long does it take to heal a diastasis recti? When will I start to see progress?
Within our MUTU Mamas community, 94% of new mums saw improvement in their diastasis within 12 weeks. Though some started to see changes within the first six weeks of using the MUTU app, the average was closer to twelve weeks’ time. That might seem like forever, especially if you’ve been working on your healing for some time already, but 12 effective weeks for long-term health and fitness is pretty quick!
Posture, breath, and proper engagement are effective, but might not feel like a quick fix. Our bodies are incredible and resilient, but we’re used to expecting things to come together as fast as an overnight delivery. It’s going to take a little bit of time, but we promise not eternity. MUTU has been helping mamas for ten years now and in that time, it’s helped thousands and thousands of new mums heal their diastasis recti.
Things to add to your diastasis recti workouts
Here are a few more things that can potentially shorten your diastasis recovery and improve your overall postpartum health:
Want more information on diastasis recti, including some evidence-based workouts? Check out our diastasis recti main page.
