A beautiful, intimate, challenging time full of LOVE and EMOTIONS! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that begins with childbirth and will end one day… But when?

In medical literature, the postpartum period is defined as the time immediately following childbirth, during which the mother’s body undergoes anatomical and physiological changes as it returns to its normal (pre-pregnancy) state. The female body undergoes regeneration. The uterus empties and, together with the vagina, contracts and returns to its original position. Lactation begins during the first few days to weeks. Birth injuries heal. The abdominal wall re-strengthens, and pregnancy-related diastasis recti resolves. Ovarian function is also gradually restored. According to the literature, the postpartum period lasts 6 to 8 weeks.

There’s a lot going on during the six weeks after childbirth! And the postpartum period doesn’t always go according to the “textbook.” Sometimes, the woman’s body’s recovery simply SLOWS DOWN!!!

The body remains stuck in the postpartum period for several months or even years. The uterus clears out and contracts, so from a gynecological standpoint, the woman is healthy. BUT! The pelvic floor and abdominal wall with diastasis REMAIN DYSFUNCTIONAL!!! A woman in such a body endures…and the QUALITY of her female body and being is LOST!!!

My milk hasn’t come in yet, my breasts hurt, and my nipples are chafed. My belly just won’t go back down!!! My delivery wounds hurt, burn, and feel like they’re being pulled. The thought of having sex with your partner after the six-week postpartum period doesn’t appeal to you at all—it’s downright terrifying!!! The hemorrhoids that appeared at the end of your pregnancy still haven’t gone away!!! And when you were loading the stroller into the car, you leaked urine!!!

These are real-life situations that many mothers struggle with. Few of them seek help. But where should they even look for help? Should they turn to an obstetrician, a gynecologist, or their family doctor?

THE BEST OPTION IS TO FIND A PHYSICAL THERAPIST WHO SPECIALIZES IN WOMEN’S HEALTH.

Physical therapy can be nothing short of miraculous during the postpartum period!!! The difficulties mentioned above can be effectively addressed. Sometimes all it takes is one treatment and the right guidance, and a woman leaves the clinic as a healthy, confident mother who is aware of her body (abdominal wall, scar, pelvic floor) and KNOWS WHAT TO DO WITH IT ALL!!!

After complicated deliveries (tears, perineal injuries, episiotomy, cesarean section, vacuum-assisted delivery, pelvic pain), the assistance of a physical therapist is absolutely ESSENTIAL. A physical therapist helps a woman achieve optimal function of her body: the abdominal wall, the pelvic floor, and the entire female reproductive tract.

AND THAT IS WHY, IF YOU DON’T WANT TO REMAIN CAPTIVE TO THE “SIX-WEEK” PERIOD FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, make an appointment with a physical therapist who specializes in the postpartum period.

If you had a smooth delivery and are experiencing no complications, PREVENTIVE therapy with a PHYSICAL THERAPIST after the six-week postpartum period is sufficient—ideally after a follow-up visit with your gynecologist.

If you had a complicated delivery or are experiencing difficulties, I recommend IMMEDIATE PHYSICAL THERAPY, either at a clinic or at home. Don’t wait any longer! The longer you put off addressing the problem, the longer the treatment will take!!!

Pregnancy is a time when the rectus abdominis muscle naturally separates. After the 20th week of pregnancy, diastasis occurs in almost every pregnant woman. Although this is a physiological phenomenon, by taking proper care of her body and adopting the right movement patterns, a woman can keep diastasis within normal limits.

The pregnant belly grows, stretching the skin, subcutaneous tissue, fascia, and muscles. And of course, the uterus and the baby inside it are growing as well. The shape of the belly itself, the mother’s overall posture, natural muscle tone, and tissue quality all have a major impact on diastasis. If a woman exercises sensibly and regularly during this period, her abdominal wall will be sufficiently active, flexible, and, above all, prepared for childbirth and the expulsion of the fetus.

After childbirth, the body undergoes significant changes that gradually restore the mother’s body to its original state. If a woman was healthy and energetic before giving birth and had good movement patterns, she will be back in shape within about 3 months after giving birth, and her abdominal wall will have tightened.

Sometimes you need to give your stomach a little help. In this case, it’s extremely important to know how. You definitely won’t shrink your stomach or flatten your belly with sit-ups and crunches!!! On the contrary, these exercises will actually make the problem worse!!! The best and safest alternative is to see a physical therapist who specializes in this issue.

However, diastasis is not limited to pregnant women. Physiological diastasis can also be observed in newborns. Through proper exercise and the gradual strengthening of the core, the abdominal wall naturally becomes firmer overall, and the gap closes.

Diastasis doesn’t spare the male population either. We can see this gap mainly in people with “potbellies” who have a lot of visceral fat. In my experience, “beer bellies” are the hardest to work with.

If we want to get diastasis under control, we need to know what type of diastasis we have and which activities, positions, and exercises cause it to worsen. For a physical therapist, an abdomen with diastasis is an immediate sign that the deep stabilizing system is not functioning properly. This is because the abdominal wall is part of the “core” system. Therefore, when working with diastasis, we don’t just exercise the abdomen and the rectus abdominis. We work on diaphragmatic breathing, intra-abdominal pressure, the deep transverse abdominal muscle, the oblique abdominal muscles, and the pelvic floor muscles. In addition, it is extremely important to position the pelvis and chest in their correct physiological alignment.

When treating diastasis, it is very important to correct a woman’s overall posture and the movement patterns she uses throughout the day. This means she must know how to get up from a chair correctly, move from a lying to a sitting position, breastfeed in the correct position, and carry and lift her baby properly.

If diastasis has already developed, it requires diagnosis by a physical therapist, as well as proper, long-term, mindful exercise and the use of the abdominal muscles during everyday activities.

You can’t beat diastasis without a comprehensive approach!

You’ll learn how to avoid them, but also what to do if you do end up taking them home with you.

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