Here’s my story, which outlines my healing diastasis recti journey and my Tummy Team review.
Healing Diastasis Recti
After suffering through
hyperemesis gravidarum (all of that vomiting can really adversely affect your stomach muscles) and
giving birth to five babies (a couple of them on the larger side, the last one being over nine pounds), my stomach is not
at all what it used to be!
Here’s my story of hope for healing diastasis recti.
My Postpartum Body
I have stretch marks and my skin is all stretched out and saggy. I’m thankful I gave up bikinis years ago (for the record, even if I still had a nice-looking stomach I wouldn’t wear one). 🙂
But the worst part is that I have a diastasis recti, which is a separation of the abdominal muscles.
For me, my diastasis recti represents pain:
- It’s emotionally painful when people ask me if I’m pregnant when I’m not.
- It’s difficult to always have to wear baggy clothing to disguise my poochy stomach.
- It’s uncomfortable to have to wear a restrictive support garment in the heat of summer.
- It’s physically painful when I suffer from back pain when I’ve been standing for long periods of time.
- I experience physical pain often when just getting out of bed in the morning.
Diastasis Recti=Pain
All of my pregnancies were full of pain because of this abdominal separation.
I felt pain when the baby would move. It was painful to stand and painful to walk. I had to wear a
belly binder/splint with all of my pregnancies (and postpartum), but the pain was only alleviated somewhat.
With almost every pregnancy, people thought I must be expecting twins because I looked so large. In fact, one night when my husband took me out to eat (when I was expecting our second baby), a man yelled across the parking lot in a loud voice, “LOOKS LIKE TWINS!!!” And of course, all I could do was yell back, “NOPE, IT’S NOT TWINS!”
The above photo doesn’t do justice to how large my belly was during my last pregnancy. In the photo on the right, I was wearing the same outfit but the size extra large maternity shirt wouldn’t even close at the front. And I still had a week left before my baby was born! I was wearing a belly binder in both photos, but it didn’t help much.
My fifth pregnancy was the most painful of all. My baby was large (over nine pounds), and I had no muscles to hold him in. Everything just spilled out the front. Every time he would move it would hurt so bad that it almost took my breath away.
Looking for a Solution
When I first started researching diastasis recti (almost twelve years ago), there wasn’t much information on the subject. My midwives checked for the separation and then suggested that I do “crunches” to remedy the problem. One midwife told me that the only thing that would help is a surgical tummy tuck.
During my second pregnancy, my midwife was palpating my belly, which was rather painful for me due to my diastasis. The baby started moving around, and my midwife said, “This is incredible! It’s not often that we get to see the baby in the womb so clearly.” And then she called over several other midwives to view the amazing sight, thanks to my poor belly.
Another midwife told me, “This is the worst abdominal separation I’ve ever seen. And you also have an umbilical hernia. You really should do something about this if you’re planning to get pregnant again.” But she never really had any suggestions for how to fix it, so I never did.
This is my stomach today. No, I’m not pregnant, it just looks like it since I have nothing to hold me together. I always try to wear baggy clothing to disguise my “pooch.”
The Tummy Team to the Rescue!
But now I’m ready for a change. I want a stronger, healthier body, and I’m ready to rehabilitate my core!
I’ve tried a couple of different programs that were supposed to help, but so far I haven’t been able to heal this on my own. Not because the programs were necessarily ineffective, but because I needed support and help.
After just a few minutes of looking at
the Tummy Team website, I knew this was the program I wanted to use for healing my diastasis recti. The Tummy Team specializes in core rehabilitation, and in many cases they can help completely close a diastasis without surgery. I’m so excited to begin!
And I’m excited that I’m going to be sharing my journey here with you! I’d love to have you join me for the next couple of months as I work to heal my diastasis.
I know it’s going to be a challenge, and I’d love to have the accountability of blogging about it.I’m planning (Lord willing) to begin the Core Foundations 8-week Online Training Program at the beginning of February. I’ll be checking in here every couple of weeks and sharing my struggles and successes (along with before and after photos).
Follow My Journey
Here are all the posts I did during my weeks of doing the Core Foundations program:
If you also suffer from a diastasis recti, I’d love to hear your story!
And here’s an exciting announcement!
Kelly (the owner of The Tummy Team), has kindly offered a discount for my readers (good through March 2015)!
Use the promo code ARTFUL20 to get 20% off the online programs when you order here!
Disclosure: This post contains my affiliate links.
Loved reading your journey. So motivating and encouraging. Any more updates about healing your DR? I’m currently thinking about starting the Tummy Team and getting a fit2b membership. Do you recommend both? I currently think i have a 4-5-4.I’m 14 months postpartum with my 3rd and would like to have more in the future. Can i do fit2b workouts and tummy team at the same time?
Thank you, Alexia! I completed the Tummy Team program 3 1/2 years ago, and I still highly recommend it. My diastasis is currently at 2.5, which isn’t considered fully closed, but still way better than it was when I started, when it was at a 4. After completing the program, I got a terrible cough for several months, and that didn’t do my diastasis any favors. I know I could get my muscles to close the rest of the way if I took the time to consistently work on it. Also, I’ve gained some weight in the waist area (thanks to pre-menopause and some health issues). The key to success with this program is to be consistent, which isn’t always easy, especially during busy or trying seasons of life.
I do recommend both programs, but I would go through the Tummy Team program first. Walking is a great exercise to pair with the Tummy Team, if you want to do more while going through the program. Fit2B does have what they call tummy-safe workouts, though, that are great to pair with the later stages of the Tummy Team program.
I can already see how a sickness can derail things. It’s really hard for me to do active sitting for a long time or even supported sitting. I didn’t realize i was so weak. I want to slouch so bad or lay down. Did you also face these challenges? I think I can feel a pulse at my belly button. I was doing Lindsay Brin Postnatal Slimdown, but I think the weights and too active of cardio was making it worse.
Yes, my core was extremely weak and easily fatigued when I started. It can be hard to put aside the more rigorous exercise when working on your core, but I think it’s worth it in the long run. Walking (outside or on a treadmill) is gentle and so beneficial.
I would also like to share my story with all the readers. I did not know that this is classified as illness. My first pregnancy was twins. the first twin weighed 3.1 kg and the second weighed 2.6 kg. that means i carried 5.7 kg in the end. after the second twin came out, my stomach collapsed. it resembled a flat tire tube or deflated exercise ball. when standing it sagged and covered my entire abdomen. i asked my midwife, a doctor, if i was ever going to be normal. she said i was not going to be normal but that i can at-least be better if i get used to tucking my tummy. she said i should wrap my stomach tight with a fabric or tight underwear during the day and try to do stomach exercises. i did exactly as i was told, two years later i got pregnant again, after the second birth i still held on to the same advise. this time i was told that breast feeding could also help to contract my body. i breast fed for 1 year 5 months. i held on to the stomach exercises. i now go to the gym 5 days a day. my stomach is flat, not very well toned but i’m getting there. i run 10 km once a week on Saturdays. With exercise there is hope for everyone.
Thank you so much for sharing your encouraging story! It’s so encouraging to hear that all of your hard work and persistence paid off!
I’m so sorry that you have had to deal with this! It’s great that you are bringing awareness to diastasis recti. I had never heard of it, and I’m sure many others haven’t either. I’m glad that you have brought this to my awareness! I’m glad that you found the Tummy Team, and I wish you much success on your journey with them.
Thanks so much, Natalie!
I had never heard about abdominal muscles separating to such a degree before! So sorry to hear about all the pain you’ve been through. But I’m glad you’ve found a process that can help to heal things. Wishing you all the best in the journey ahead!
Thank you, Jelica!
Hi, it’s great to hear your story. I have had 6 babies in the last 9 years and my poor stomach muscles have suffered terribly. I am like you, small build and European size 8 but carried very big babies the biggest nearly 11 pounds!! I’m only 6 weeks since I gave birth to our last (and final!!) baby and my pooch is still very big. It is good to hear that something can be done to make things improve and not be depressed by being told how only surgery will fix this belly.
Thanks for sharing.
Martina (from Ireland)!
So glad it was encouraging, Martina! From many of the stories I’ve seen, it seems like the more petite a mother is, the more likely it is that she might deal with diastasis recti. Especially with larger babies. Congratulations on your newest baby, and best wishes for healing!
I just came across your blog, looking for something else completely, but your post on diastasis rectii caught my eye. It’s something I have been researching a LOT now that I am pregnant with my 4th child. I can only recommend to you to find Julie Weibe and read/view ALL of her materials. She is an expert on healing/preventing diastasis rectii.
I would love to know how your journey is progressing!
Hi Sari,
Thanks so much for your comment! I went through the Tummy Team program last year and it’s such an amazing program for preventing and healing diastasis recti. Kelly also has a prenatal program which many women have said helped them keep a strong core throughout pregnancy and also helped them have a better birth! I had great results with Kelly’s program. Now I just need to continue on integrating core strengthening habits into my daily life. I hope you have a great birth with your 4th baby!
I also dealt with hyperemesis gravidarum with both of my pregnancies (my kids are 8 & 2) and didn't discover that I had diastasis recti until I kept getting what felt like I was going to end up with a hernia, but it would go back in. It freaked me out enough that I asked my midwife about it at my well checkup, and she confirmed I have a 2-3 finger width separation. I need to schedule myself for physical therapy to work on healing it. I ended up with the stomach flu yesterday and had to press against my body while I was getting sick in order to feel like I wasn't going to get a hernia from it. I'm convinced that I ended up with DR primarily because of the HG 🙁
Hi Kim~
I totally agree with you about the correlation between HG and DR. It's so much forward, forceful pressure on the abdominal muscles that it's likely to cause injury. I know after all of that vomiting my stomach was never the same again. 🙁
Oh, I'm so sorry you were dealing with the flu and DR at the same time–that's miserable! I hope you're feeling better today, and hope you have great success healing your DR!
I am currently pregnant with my second child and suffering from HG. I had a hernia before getting pregnant, but HG has made it so much worse. Since I am a wheelchair user, my AB muscles were super weak anyway. I ended up with a NG tube because I lost so much weight and not throwing up all the time really helped with the pain associated with my diastasis. I would love to try this program, but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate for a wheelchair user.
I’m so sorry to hear you’re suffering with HG! I had that with all 5 of my pregnancies (my story is here), and I know how miserable it is. Regarding the Tummy Team program, many of the exercises can be done while sitting, but I would send them an email and ask to make sure and to see if there are any modifications that would be needed.
I'm only 5'4" and when I'm pregnant, I get the "twins" and "when are you due?" comments starting at 7 months. My 3rd baby was 9lb 8 oz. and I had a lot of hip pain from carrying him so low and because (I think) my pelvic and core muscles are so stretched out. I probably should, but I can't afford to spend money on a program to fix my core. prob can't afford not to do anything about it either.
I'm so sorry you struggle with this too, Trisha. I totally understand about not being able to spend the money for the program. I've seen some free resources out there that are available for diastasis issues–maybe they would be helpful.
Hi Joy, okay, as much as I understood of the video, it looks like I probably just have a good old fashioned chocolate reserve! But thank you for sharing this information on the Art of Home-Making Mondays this week!
Oh, good! Glad to hear you don't need to worry about this. 🙂
Joy, thank you for sharing this with us. I really didn't know this existed and am curious to watch the video but my internet is slow right now. I will be back because maybe this will explain this cute little pooch of mine!
Thanks for your comment, JES! Hopefully you don't have this condition! 🙂
I had some diastasis recti from Baby Boy. I did a bit of work on it when I was more newly postpartum and that was before I really knew that it could get worse. Right now, my diastasis seems minimal if not almost completely gone (and I haven't done anything in over a year). We're also not done with babies (or so we hope anyway), but I know this is something I'll always be on the lookout for.
I hope this program works wonders for you….for yourself, not for society! 🙂
That's great that your diastasis is at a manageable point! Mine wasn't too bad after my first, but then it got progressively worse with each pregnancy. Since you're already aware of it and checking for it, you'll probably never have a serious issue with it (thankfully!).
I think education is half the battle with this, which is why I feel passionate about sharing with other mothers, particularly younger mothers who are just starting out. Prevention is so much better than having to be rehabilitated! The exercises are really pretty basic and simple, and if care providers would just share them with women, we wouldn't have so many cases of diastasis.
Thank you so much for stopping by and for the kind words! 🙂
I'm sitting here crying because it feels like I wrote this. Everything you said hits home for me. I had 3 babies back to back, all over 8 lbs – my last 10 1/2 lbs at 37 weeks. I'm 5' and before kids a good 105 lbs soaking wet. I am now 178 lbs. It hurts to workout – feels like my insides are going to fall out. They won't do surgery b/c it is "cosmetic." One doctor even told me that "I'm not in pain b/c of my DR, I'm in pain b/c I'm fat." Said it in front of my 3 year old daughter too. Nice. I have been to PT, endless doctors, tried binding, Tupler, MuTu, etc. Nothing …. I feel hopeless. I hate when people ask me when I'm due. My bulge is high up so I have to do baggy clothes too b/c I really do look 6 mos pregnant. Awful, I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.
Dear Leigh, I wish I could just give you a hug! I can so much empathize with your pain. It hurts so much to have the feeling that your body has betrayed you (at least that's how I've felt through this).
I'm also only 5' 2", and weighed barely 100 lbs when we married. I always thought I would be thin, and I never had any idea my body could possibly look like this!
I've also tried Tupler, and I wasn't able to be successful with it. I think that program really does work, but I didn't have any support with it and the way it was laid out wasn't intuitive to me so I felt lost.
I'm really hopeful that The Tummy Team will be able to help me. Kelly Dean (the owner and the one who teaches the program) also had a very huge diastasis. Her testimony is amazing. Even though she was a physical therapist, she didn't have an understanding of diastasis because it isn't something that is widely understood in the medical community. She was also told that she would need surgery in order to fix hers, but she was able to heal it using the Tupler program. That gives me hope!
I chose The Tummy Team because it seems more doable to me than Tupler, and it has more personal support, which I need. Just today I posted about getting started with the program here: Getting Started With The Tummy Team .
My heart goes out to you, and I sincerely hope that you're able to get the healing you need for this (I'm praying the same thing for myself!). ♥
Many women have never heard of it until they're personally dealing with the symptoms. I didn't really think much about it until after my 2nd pregnancy, but then it started causing difficulties for me.
I recently read a statistic that said something like an estimated 98% of women have some degree of diastasis. So, even though it's common, doctors and midwives often don't know how to help women once they have it (and they don't know how to prevent it).
Regarding crunches and sit-ups, Kelly says, "The shearing and pressure that these movements place on the connective tissue is counterproductive to any of the strength benefits. The internal core (Transverse Abdominis) cannot be held fully engaged at the spine and remain there when doing these exercises. Working the core means bringing the transverse to the spine and holding it there. If you can’t do that with any exercise then you will be making the diastasis larger (if you have one) or creating one if you don’t have one."
Hope that helps explain it a bit better, and thanks for the well-wishes! 🙂
I have never heard of this. I hope the program helps you. In the comments you mention you used to work out a lot and that sit-ups and crunches can be damaging. I wonder why? I'd have thought they might help.
Thanks for bringing attention to such a common problem! I'm pregnant with #7 and look like you do in the pictures. The doctor told me I needed surgery, too. I don't think I have a hernia. I started clean eating and exercising and will see where I am after this pregnancy. Have you considered the Mutu system?
Thanks for stopping by, Andrea!
I did look into the MuTu system, but I chose The Tummy Team since I love the fact that Kelly Dean (the owner) is a physical therapist and has suffered with this problem herself (and was able to heal it without surgery).
I also wanted the accountability that this program offers, including the option of a Skype session with Kelly Dean, to make sure that you're doing the exercises properly, and also offering pointers to help each individual heal. I also like that The Tummy Team uses a splint during the weeks that you're working to heal your diastasis, which I think is important.
The Tummy Team also has a program for expectant mamas which I've heard can improve the birth experience and also prevent or help heal a diastasis in pregnancy.
I received my splint and I'm hoping to start the program next week! 🙂
I started the Tummy Team program at the end of January a year ago. It was one of the best things I have done for myself in a very long time! It helped me so much! You are going to be SO GLAD you did this.
Thanks for the encouragement, Brooke! I look forward to reading about your journey!
I just bought the Core Foundations program as well and look forward to traveling along beside you. I've had six precious children and my stomach looks about like yours (maybe a little more, but I'm only three months postpartum 🙂 I'm looking forward to my clothes fitting better, but mostly to regaining some strength in my core and losing the back pain!
Oh, yay! I'm so glad to hear that you're doing this too, Andrea (and so glad to hear I'm not the only one with a stomach like that—although my youngest is 5 already)! I look forward to hearing how the program is working for you after you get into it. Please keep in touch!
Following the birth of my sixth, my midwife gave me advice I had never heard before and runs counter to our current culture. She advised me to lift nothing heavier than the newborn baby, do NO chores for 2 weeks. Kind of like modified bed rest. Showers and caring for baby were all that were really allowed. It made all the difference in my healing and post partum. I think we are so quick to jump back in the game of life at full speed, and we don't realize the toll that pregnancy, labor, and delivery take on our bodies! Hoping your training/strengthening plan will give you pain relief! Pain is just not fun…and remember man looks at the outside, but God looks on the heart. You are beautiful! 🙂
That's good advice. My midwives told me the same thing, and I took advantage of that time to just enjoy my newborn and heal. I think the reason I've had so many issues with my diastasis is that I'm short (only 5' 2") and then my babies were bigger (and one of them had excess amniotic fluid), so it just was too much for my poor muscles. Also, I used to work out quite a bit, and I did lots of sit-ups and crunches, which can really be damaging.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! ♥
I do not have that BUT I twin pregnancy looked like you did and my abdomen now looks like yours. Shortly after the boys were born I had to have a mesh screen because my muscles split up the linea alba. It has been so long I am pretty sure I didn't spell that right. Sit ups are out of my league, plus my stomach will never be flat short of surgery. So I don't have the same thing but I look the same. My husband has constant back pain so I can see how demoralizing chronic pain can be. I will pray for you.
I can imagine that twins could be really hard on abdominal muscles! Thank you so much for the prayers, Christy!