mums tum-muscle seperation

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Dannie23187
Dannie23187 Posts: 24
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, just wondering if anyone who has had children and suffered muscle separation on lower tum, have managed to find the secret to getting rid of the horrid line?!?!?!
Although i am still trying to lose weight and tone, when i hit my target weight after first pregnancy and HAMMERED crunches etc, i still could not tone my lower ab.upper fine, but not bottom ????
I am willing to do the hard work to get what i want, i just don't know how to do it! Its frustrating losing alot of weight (lost 7stone after first pregnancy) and still not feeling good if you get me?? Ive got about 17lb to go after second child, its taken me well over a year to get here but am down 4stone from when my little girl was born and could do with some.advice on getting a nice flat lower ab-if possible????

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  • Oriole15
    Oriole15 Posts: 58
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    I have reduced mine a bit but nothing short of surgery would repair the gap completely.

    Be careful with crunches they can make it worse. I was advised by my GP to wrap a towel around my middle and hold on to both ends when starting abdominal exercises again until the gap was less than 2 finger wide at least (I am between 1 and 2 now, started at "can comfortably fit 3 finger width).

    Not sure how much it helped in itself but she also said to be mindful of posture and a few times a day to hold in my ab muscles while standing or sitting (basically imagining I am trying to get my belly button to touch my spine and tightening the musles accordingly).
  • sdpeklo
    sdpeklo Posts: 82
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    I have diastasis recti as well. Some say crunches make it look worse. Protrude more. I do lots of plank work ...side planks to bring it in as close together as possible. Per my doctor unless I have the muscles sewn together....not much I can do about it. The procedure is not medically necessary unless I develop a hernia from the separation and even then I think they would just fix the hernia the rest is considered cosmetic. I will say losing a fair amount of weight has helped me to focus more on tightening up the midsection. However it will not be like it was pre pregnancy. Probably not exactly what you wanted to hear but again planks pulling inward on side from ribcage to hip bone has helped to somewhat draw things in. Best wishes. :)
  • naamahgoddess
    naamahgoddess Posts: 14 Member
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    Mine was very very bad after I had my first kid. I had what looked like a whole in my stomach. I started doing 3 sets of 5 sit ups like 5 weeks after she was born, and just that many hurt sooo bad. After the sit ups I move on to reverse crunches and planks.It got better in like 4 months, and now the gap is probably about 1 1/2 inches.
  • Dannie23187
    Dannie23187 Posts: 24
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    Thankyou, i do try to do planks and they are certainly a struggle! Ill keep persevering thanks ????
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
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    Crunches will make it worse. Google "ab vacuums" - it's an exercise, not some freaky as-seen-on-tv product. The good news is that four years after having my youngest daughter, I managed to close the gap, so it's definitely not hopeless even if you've already made it worse with too much of the wrong kind of ab work.
  • Dannie23187
    Dannie23187 Posts: 24
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    Crunches will make it worse. Google "ab vacuums" - it's an exercise, not some freaky as-seen-on-tv product. The good news is that four years after having my youngest daughter, I managed to close the gap, so it's definitely not hopeless even if you've already made it worse with too much of the wrong kind of ab work.

    That's good to hear! Will do, thanks ????

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