During pregnancy, the right and left sides of the rectus abdominis muscle separate as your linea alba stretches to make room for baby. That’s how your body makes room for your baby. 
Due to this, many women experience an indentation in the middle of their bellies. This indentation differs from one woman to the other.
Some mothers experience a broader gap that often requires diastasis recti repair. Such a more full separation is known as diastasis recti. There are many ways to fix diastasis recti, but the common one is through exercises supervised by a professional.
These exercises play a significant role in fixing this postpartum condition. Read on to verse yourself with these exercises.
Diastasis recti repair workouts
To know whether you need a diastasis recti repair, you first have to confirm whether you have diastasis recti symptoms. You can either do a self-diagnosis or get diagnosed by a medical practitioner.
To self-diagnose, lie on the floor or a mat, with your knees bend, and your head curled upwards. Engage your core and, with two fingers, start feeling your core from the belly button moving upwards. If your fingers press down chances are you may be having an ab separation.
Finally, test the width of the separation; if it’s wide, then you have diastasis recti. You can decide to have surgery to fix your diastasis recti. Alternatively, exercises work ideally in diastasis recti repair. Below are a couple of core exercises you need to fix this condition.
Umbrella Breathing with Kegel
You don’t necessarily need a kegel to perform this exercise, especially if you’re doing it at home. If you lack a kegel, you can opt for a filled jerrycan with a good handle. To perform this exercise:
- Start in a standing position with knees slightly bent, or sit on a chair
- Assume that your ribcage is an umbrella opening as you inhale
- While exhaling empty out your low belly, middle, and your chest
- While exhaling ensure that you’re engaging your abdominal muscles
Kneeling Leg and Arm Extension
Same us the above exercise, get in your fours with arm extended forward. This exercise stretches your abdominal muscles and enables them to contract and fix the wide gap. To perform this exercise:
- Begin by exhaling while drawing your core towards the spine
- Ensure that you maintain your core contraction and reach your right arm ahead and the left leg knee right behind you
- Do the same with your left arm and right knee
- Alternate both sides for ten reps
Toe Taps Lying on Back/ Alternating bent leg raises
This exercise lets you contract your abdominal muscles while lying in your back. When doing this exercise, ensure that your back is flat and not unnecessarily arched. To perform this exercise:
- Lie on your back with your legs in a tabletop position and knees directly over your hips. While lying, ensure that your back is straight. An arched back will ultimately affect the contraction of your abdominal muscles.
- Inhale into your ribcage as you tap one foot down to the floor while drawing in your core. Do the same with the other foot. And inhale as you return to a neutral position
- Alternate both legs and perform ten reps
You can perform diastasis recti repair exercises at home. You don’t have to speed much to stay fit. However, it’s advisable to consult professionals like Every Mother on what approach to partake in fixing diastasis repair.
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