Diastasis Recti After Pregnancy: Doming, Core Strength & Recovery

If you've noticed a bulge, dome, or what people often describe as abdominal separation after pregnancy, you've probably heard the term diastasis recti.

The phrase "abdominal separation" can sound alarming, and I think it sometimes creates the wrong picture in people's minds.

Unlike a hernia, an opening or defect in the tissues, diastasis recti after pregnancy is not a tear or hole in the abdominal wall.

Instead, it involves stretching and thinning of the connective tissue that runs vertically down the center of the abdomen—a natural adaptation that occurs as the abdominal wall changes throughout pregnancy.

In fact, diastasis recti is extremely common during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Let's look at what's actually happening—starting with a little anatomy.

Understanding the Abdominal Wall

Your abdominal wall is made up of several layers of muscle, often referred to as your "core," that work together to support your spine, pelvis, breathing, and movement.

The most superficial layer is the rectus abdominis, commonly known as the "six-pack" muscle. These muscles run vertically down the front of your abdomen.

Beneath the rectus abdominis are the obliques:

• external obliques

• internal obliques

These muscles, oriented diagonally from ribs to pelvis, help provide rotation, support, and strength through the trunk.

At the deepest layer of the core is the transversus abdominis (TVA).

The TVA acts like a natural corset wrapping around your trunk horizontally and plays an important role in core support and pressure management.

These muscles don't work alone. They work together with your diaphragm, pelvic floor, connective tissues, and nervous system to create a dynamic support system for your body.

What Happens During Pregnancy?

As your baby grows, your body needs to create space.

To accommodate that growth:

• Your abdominal muscles lengthen.

• The connective tissues stretch.

• The fascia surrounding the muscles adapts.

• Your skin expands.

• The abdominal wall becomes thinner over time.

One of the structures that often undergoes the biggest change is the linea alba.

The linea alba is a vertical band of connective tissue that runs down the center of the abdomen and connects the right and left sides of the abdominal muscles.

As pregnancy progresses, this tissue naturally stretches and becomes thinner, widening the horizontal distance between the two side of the abdominal wall.

What Is Diastasis Recti?

Diastasis recti, or abdominal separation, is not a tearing of tissue. It refers to a thinning and widening of the central connective tissue (the linea alba) as the abdominal wall adapts to growth.

As pregnancy progresses, it stretches in multiple directions—both vertically and horizontally—because the abdomen expands outward in a three-dimensional way, not just up, down, or side to side.

This is a normal adaptation that allows the abdominal wall to accommodate a growing baby. Near the end of pregnancy, the linea alba can become quite thin, which is why diastasis recti is considered extremely common during late pregnancy.

After delivery, that connective tissue begins to recover. For some women, it regains more tension and support on its own. For others, it remains thinner, more lax, or less effective at transferring force across the abdominal wall.

Why Does Diastasis Recti Persist?

Following delivery, the abdominal wall begins healing and adapting.

For some women, the linea alba regains sufficient tension and function over time. For others, the tissue remains thinner or less effective at transferring force across the abdominal wall.

One prospective study by Sperstad and colleagues found that 32.6% of first-time mothers met the study's criteria for diastasis recti at 12 months postpartum, although prevalence estimates vary depending on how diastasis recti is defined and measured. Importantly, the presence of a diastasis does not necessarily tell us how well the abdominal wall is functioning. A measurement alone cannot tell us how effectively force transfers across the abdominal wall or how well the core system coordinates during movement.

It’s also important to note that we still don’t fully understand why recovery looks different from person to person. This is an area of ongoing research, and current evidence suggests that outcomes are likely influenced by multiple interacting factors rather than a single cause.

This is why many clinicians are shifting away from focusing exclusively on inter-recti distance (the gap size) and toward a more complete picture of function, including force transfer, tissue tension, pressure management, strength, and overall coordination.

The reality is that recovery is influenced by many factors working together, including:

• connective tissue characteristics

• genetics

• pregnancy-related changes

• movement patterns

• pressure management strategies

• overall strength and conditioning

What Does Diastasis Recti Look Like?

One of the most recognizable signs is doming or "bulging" through the center of the abdomen. Some women report they still "look pregnant" months postpartum.

Many women notice the abdominal bulge when:

• Getting out of bed

• Sitting up from a chair

• Lifting their baby

• Carrying a car seat

• Picking up groceries

• Exercising

The core naturally engages, or attempts to engage, during movement. However, when the integrity of the abdominal wall is compromised by diastasis recti, the body may rely on increased abdominal pressure to create stability instead of using the deep core system efficiently.

This often shows up as abdominal bulging, but the bulge does not always appear in the same location (see image for variations). Some people notice it around the navel, while others see it higher in the upper abdomen or lower in the belly. Where the bulging occurs can provide clues about how pressure is being managed through the abdominal wall, often revealing an area of compensation or reduced support within the core system.

It's valuable to note that not everyone who experiences abdominal bulging has diastasis recti. In some cases, the deep core system may simply be weak, uncoordinated, or struggling to manage pressure effectively—a common occurrence during the postpartum period.

Even when a true diastasis is not present, these compensatory patterns may still be associated with symptoms such as pelvic pressure, back pain, or urinary leakage and are often worth addressing through rehabilitation.

When the deep core system is not functioning optimally, the body may rely more heavily on the superficial abdominal muscles, particularly the rectus abdominis (the "six-pack" muscles), to manage pressure and create stability. While this strategy can help in the short term, it is often less efficient and may reinforce patterns that contribute to ongoing symptoms.

This is one reason why simply looking for doming doesn't tell us the whole story.

Understanding why it's happening is often more important than whether it's happening.

That's also why two people with similar-looking doming may need very different treatment approaches.

Why Recovery Is About More Than Closing the Gap

One of the biggest misconceptions about diastasis recti is that success is measured by making the gap smaller.

In reality, there is naturally supposed to be space between the right and left sides of the rectus abdominis.

Even people with very defined abdominal muscles do not have their rectus muscles touching.

What matters most is:

• How effectively force transfers across the abdominal wall

• How well the entire core system functions

A person can have a wider gap and still have a functional core.

Likewise, someone can have a relatively narrow gap and still struggle with pressure management, weakness, or symptoms.

The goal isn't simply to close the gap.

The goal is to create a strong, adaptable, and functional core.

While the distance between the muscles can provide useful information, it doesn't tell us the whole story.

A wider gap doesn't automatically mean a weaker core, and a smaller gap doesn't automatically mean the core is functioning well.

Looking at how the abdominal wall performs during movement often provides a much more complete picture.

Can Diastasis Recti Cause Pelvic Floor Symptoms?

This is one of the most common questions I hear.

The relationship between diastasis recti and pelvic floor symptoms isn't completely clear in the research.

Some older studies have found associations between diastasis recti and symptoms such as urinary leakage or pelvic organ prolapse, while others have found little to no relationship. At this point, we can't confidently say that diastasis recti directly causes pelvic floor dysfunction.

What we do know is that the diaphragm, abdominal wall, pelvic floor, and deep core muscles work together as a pressure management system.

Because of that connection, it's possible that changes in how someone manages pressure, generates support through their core, or coordinates movement could influence both the abdominal wall and the pelvic floor.

This is one reason I don't look at diastasis recti in isolation. I want to understand how the entire system is working together.

How are you breathing?

How are you generating support through the abdominal wall?

How is the pelvic floor responding during movement?

Can you create tension through the core without excessive gripping or bearing down?

Those answers often tell us far more than a measurement alone.

What Does Treatment Look Like?

Whether you're pregnant or postpartum, one of the most valuable places to start is learning how to coordinate your:

• Breath

• Deep core muscles

• Pelvic floor

• Pressure management system

Many women have never been taught how these systems work together.

When breathing, pressure management, and deep core activation become more coordinated, the entire system becomes more efficient.

Looking Beyond the Abdomen

Your abdominal muscles attach to both your rib cage and pelvis, which means alignment matters.

Postpartum, I often see:

• Rib cages that remain flared upward

• Pelvises that are tipped or shifted forward

• Significant tightness through the back body

• Restrictions through the side body

• Overactive obliques or rectus abdominis compensating for difficulty engaging the deeper core muscles

When these patterns are present, it can become much harder to effectively recruit the muscles that create support throughout the system.

Part of treatment may involve:

• Improving rib cage and pelvic alignment

• Restoring mobility where joints and tissues are restricted

• Reducing excessive muscle tension

• Improving pressure management

• Building strength progressively

Common Myths About Diastasis Recti

Myth #1: The Goal Is to Completely Close the Gap

If you've read through the whole blog so far, you've probably noticed this is a point I keep coming back to: many women are still told that success means getting the abdominal muscles back together.

But, as I mentioned earlier, even people with strong, well-defined abdominal muscles have space between the right and left sides of the rectus abdominis.

The goal isn't necessarily to eliminate the space.

What matters most is how well the connective tissue functions and whether the abdominal wall can effectively create support during movement.

Myth #2: Crunches Are Bad If You Have Diastasis Recti

One of the biggest myths I still hear is that if you have a diastasis, you should never do crunches.

But here's the thing: we curl our trunk all day long.

We do it getting out of bed, sitting up from the couch, picking toys up off the floor, and moving through everyday life.

The question isn't whether crunches are bad.

The question is whether your body is ready for them yet and whether you can manage pressure, use your core well and feel good well while doing them.

For some people, crunches aren't the right starting point. But that doesn't mean they're off limits forever.

Myth #3: You Should Never Twist

Twisting is another movement that often gets unfairly labeled as "bad."

But life requires rotation.

We twist to grab a dropped pacifier in the back seat, load groceries into the car, reach for something behind us, and carry our kids throughout the day.

The goal isn't to avoid rotation forever.

The goal is to gradually build strength and control through rotational movements so your body is prepared for real life.

Recovery Should Progress Beyond "Safe" Exercises

Early rehabilitation often focuses on creating stability and improving control.

That's important.

But life doesn't happen in a perfectly neutral position.

Eventually, your body needs to tolerate:

• Bending

• Reaching

• Rotating

• Twisting

• Lifting

• Carrying

• Returning to exercise

A comprehensive rehabilitation plan gradually progresses from foundational stability work into the movements you actually need in everyday life.

The goal isn't to avoid movement forever.

The goal is to build a core system that can confidently handle movement.

Wondering If You Have Diastasis Recti?

If you've noticed doming through the center of your abdomen, feel unsure how to engage your core, or you're doing all the "right" exercises but not seeing the progress you'd hoped for, you're not alone.

One of the most common things I hear is:

"I've been doing exercises I found online, but I honestly don't know if I'm doing them correctly."

And that's completely understandable.

Breath, pressure management, core activation, pelvic floor coordination, posture—there are a lot of moving pieces, and sometimes a small adjustment can make a huge difference.

If you're pregnant or postpartum and wondering what's actually going on with your core, I'd love to help.

While there's no one-size-fits-all approach to diastasis recti treatment, postpartum rehabilitation often focuses on improving pressure management, restoring core function, and progressively rebuilding strength.

During an evaluation, I'll look at more than just the distance between your abdominal muscles. We'll look at how your breathing, pressure management, posture, movement patterns, and core coordination are working together—and identify what might be holding you back from making progress.

Whether you're hoping to return to exercise, lift your baby more comfortably, feel stronger in your body, or simply understand why your core doesn't feel quite the same after pregnancy, you'll leave with a clearer understanding of what your body needs and a plan that makes sense for you.

If you're in LaGrange, NY or the surrounding Hudson Valley area, schedule an evaluation and let's figure out what's really going on with your core so you can move forward with confidence.