If there’s a gap running down the middle of your stomach that won’t close no matter how many crunches you do, you might be dealing with diastasis recti, and crunches are actually one of the worst things you can do for it.
Diastasis recti postpartum is extremely common, not rare, not a sign of a “weak core,” and not something that only happens to some bodies. It actually happens to most bodies. What varies is how much support people get to actually understand it and recover from it, instead of guessing their way through generic ab workouts that make the problem worse.
Here’s what diastasis recti actually is, why it shows up during pregnancy in the first place, why traditional ab work backfires, and what real recovery looks like.
What Is Diastasis Recti?
Diastasis recti is a separation in the connective tissue that runs down the midline of your abdomen, called the linea alba. That tissue connects the left and right sides of your rectus abdominis, the “six pack” muscle. During pregnancy, your growing uterus stretches this connective tissue to make room for your baby, and for many people it doesn’t fully come back together on its own after birth.
This is an important distinction: diastasis recti is a separation in connective tissue, not a torn or damaged muscle. Your abdominal muscles are still there and still working. The tissue holding them together at the midline has simply stretched and thinned.
How Common Is Diastasis Recti After Birth?
Diastasis recti is one of the most common, and least talked about, parts of postpartum recovery. Research cited by Cleveland Clinic puts the rate at roughly 60% of people during pregnancy, and it remains present in a significant share of parents well into the postpartum period, in some cases for months or years without the right kind of recovery work.
If you’re noticing a gap, doming, or bulging down your midline when you sit up, cough, or engage your core, you’re one of a lot of people dealing with the same thing.
Why Crunches and Sit-Ups Make Diastasis Recti Worse
The instinct after having a baby is often to jump into core exercises, crunches, sit-ups, or early planks, to “tighten things back up.” With diastasis recti, that instinct works against you.
Crunches and sit-ups create forward flexion of the spine, which increases pressure straight through the midline of your abdomen, the exact spot where the connective tissue is already stretched and thin. Instead of pulling the two sides of your rectus abdominis back together, that pressure can push them further apart, or keep the gap from closing at all.
Planks and other exercises that require your core to brace hard under load can have a similar effect if your deep core isn’t activating correctly first. The goal in early diastasis recti recovery is to work differently, starting with tissue that can actually support that kind of load again.
What Actually Helps Diastasis Recti Recovery
Real recovery starts smaller and slower than most people expect, and it starts with the muscle you can’t see in the mirror.
Breath work. Diaphragmatic breathing, breathing fully into your ribs and belly rather than shallow chest breathing, is often the starting point. It reconnects your nervous system to your deep core before you add any load at all.
Deep core activation. Your transverse abdominis is the deepest layer of your core, wrapping around your midsection like a corset. Learning to engage it correctly, often cued as a gentle draw-in or “hug” of your midsection on an exhale, rebuilds the support your connective tissue needs without the pressure that crunches create.
A real assessment. Not every diastasis recti is the same width, depth, or tension, and not everyone needs the same recovery plan. A pelvic floor physical therapist can assess your specific separation and build a plan around it, rather than a generic postpartum workout that wasn’t built with your body in mind.
If you’re in the Salt Lake City area, here is a post were written by a local pelvic floor physical therapist we’ve worked with directly, and they’re a good next step if you think you’re dealing with diastasis recti and want an actual assessment instead of guessing.
Diastasis Recti Recovery Takes Time, Not Just Effort
One of the hardest parts of diastasis recti recovery isn’t the exercises; it’s the timeline. This isn’t something that resolves in six weeks, and it isn’t something you can rush by working harder. Real healing here is closer to a slow rebuild than a quick fix, and that’s normal.
This is also exactly the kind of thing that’s easy to miss without support. Nobody hands you a list of what your body is actually dealing with on the way out of the hospital, diastasis recti included. That’s part of why postpartum support exists, not just to help with the baby, but to help you notice and address what your own body needs while you’re focused on everyone else’s. Reach out today if you’d like to speak with one of our postpartum experts.
Frequently Asked Questions
For some people, mild diastasis recti improves on its own in the months after birth. For many others, it doesn’t fully close without targeted deep core and breath work, and in some cases a pelvic floor physical therapy assessment. If you’re still noticing a gap, doming, or bulging months postpartum, it’s worth getting evaluated rather than assuming it will resolve by itself.
A simple self-check involves lying on your back with knees bent, lifting your head slightly off the ground, and feeling along the midline of your stomach above and below your belly button for a gap or soft area between the two sides of your abdominal muscles. This can give you a general sense, but a pelvic floor physical therapist can give you an accurate measurement and a recovery plan specific to your separation.
Yes. Crunches, sit-ups, and planks done too early or without proper deep core activation can increase pressure on the connective tissue and worsen the separation. So can everyday movements done with poor core mechanics, like standing up from bed by pulling straight up through your abs. Learning correct movement patterns is often as important as any specific exercise.
Any time postpartum is a reasonable time to get assessed, but many providers recommend a pelvic floor PT evaluation around 6 to 8 weeks postpartum, once you’ve been cleared for general activity. If you’re noticing a visible gap, doming when you engage your core, or ongoing core weakness, it’s worth scheduling sooner rather than waiting.
No, though the two are sometimes confused because both can create a visible bulge along the midline. Diastasis recti is a separation in connective tissue, while a hernia involves an opening that allows tissue like intestine to push through the abdominal wall. A pelvic floor PT or your provider can tell the difference on examination, so it’s worth getting checked if you’re unsure.
