How Pregnancy Affects Your Body

How Pregnancy Affects Your Body

At the end of the day or more accurately, nine months, pregnancy affects every woman differently. Some pregnant women experience Diastasis Recti, which is a torn abdominal muscle. Some women experience the Postpartum belly for months or even years; some have the post-baby belly for just weeks. Most women experience stretched skin around the breast and stomach.

Every woman is genetically, emotionally and physically different. Sometimes an individual’s genetics makes it hard or even impossible to lose weight gain and regain the body they had pre-pregnancy. It’s important to remember that every pregnancy is different, resulting in contrasting outcomes. But these outcomes don’t have to be your reality; you deserve to look your best.

In this article, you will find these questions answered:

• What is Diastasis Recti, and how will it affect me?
• What are the causes of Diastasis Recti?
• What are the Symptoms of Diastasis Recti?
• How to check for Diastasis Recti
• How to Treat Diastasis Recti
• How do I get rid of Postpartum belly?

What is Diastasis Recti, and how will it affect me?

Diastasis Recti is a separation of the rectus abdominis often associated with post-pregnancy. Now the separation can be partial, but in extreme cases it can be complete, leaving a split down the middle of your “six-pack”.

What are the Causes of Diastasis Recti?

During pregnancy, the uterus expands (for obvious reasons). The Abdominal Muscles and connective tissues, in reaction, stretch and expand. During pregnancy, the body experiences an increased dosage of natural hormones called Estrogen and Relaxin that helps muscles, ligaments and the cervix relax and stretch to the required extent. Sometimes in consideration of how physically traumatic a pregnancy can be, the abdominals are stretched too far, resulting in Diastasis Recti.

What are the Symptoms of Diastasis Recti?

The symptoms of Diastasis Recti vary from back pain, poor posture, constipation and bloating. Physically, Diastasis Recti can appear as a bulge or a ridge in the middle of your abdominals. Though a recent study showed that 60% of woman experience Diastasis Recti after pregnancy, not all cases are shown physically.

If you have started feeling some of these symptoms, it’s imperative to see your GP to get a check-up. If you are not feeling extreme symptoms, but you want to see if your abdominals have experienced Diastasis Recti, then there are a couple of tests you can do at home.

How to check for Diastasis Recti

By laying on your back with your legs bent but feet remaining flat on the ground. Lift your body slightly as if you were doing a sit-up, support your head with one hand, and with the other, feel down the middle of your stomach. If there is a gap, you should be able to feel it.

How to treat Diastasis Recti

It’s essential to monitor the gap and your symptoms and alert the doctor of your progression. In some cases, the gap will begin to heal naturally in a matter of weeks, for others it may take months, but there is a range of abdominal exercises to perform and things you should avoid to speed up the healing process.

Trick Tips

• Always exercise good posture
• During pregnancy, any heaving lifting or excessive use of abdominals should be prohibited.
• Always support the lower back; a good way of doing this when sitting, is lodging a pillow or towel between your lower back and the chair.
• When getting out of bed or a chair, ask for help or use the rolling technique; lift your knees up, support your weight with your hands and roll into a standing position.
• Avoid coughing or sneezing without supporting your abdominals.
• Wear a belly wrap post-pregnancy that will support you and help in avoiding abdominal muscle strain

We don’t recommend any specific exercises because each case of Diastasis Recti is different. It is essential to see a physical therapist so they can cater to your circumstances. They will give you great pelvic floor and core strength exercises that suit how serious your Diastasis Recti is.

In some circumstances, it doesn’t matter how many exercises you practise or the amount of precaution you take pre and post-pregnancy your Diastasis Recti may never physically go away. A lot of women in this situation turn to cosmetic surgery.

Cosmetic Avenue offers a range of services that are perfect for women that are striving to get their pre-pregnancy body back. The Tummy Tuck is designed to achieve those results by tightening the skin and the muscles around the mid-section instilling the confidence that you deserve.

How do I get rid of my Postpartum Belly?

Women are constantly under rapid-fire of images and articles on how celebrities and influencers got rid of their belly bulge in just weeks. Well, it’s vitally important to remember that firstly, they probably have two personal trainers, a private gym and a nanny to watch bub while they work out. Secondly, some women genetically aren’t designed to recover as quickly, it’s in our DNA, and you can’t change that. And finally, every woman’s pregnancy is different. The road to recovery may vary, whether you had a c-section, twins, a text-book pregnancy, or you had a macrosomic baby that grew to ten pounds; everyone is different. Some women are left with loose skin and a persistent belly bulge due to the nature of their pregnancy.

Pregnancy isn’t exclusive to the stomach region. A lot of women also experience sagging breasts, excess fat in the thighs, hips, flanks and abdomen. Just because your body isn’t bouncing back, it doesn’t mean that it has to stay that way. The Mummy Makeover is a series of procedures catered to you explicitly, giving you the body that you deserve. Some of the most common benefits include;

• Added volume to the breasts
• Perkier breasts
• A flattened tummy with less excess skin
• Removal of excess skin and fat around the breast area
• A more toned midsection
• Reduced love handles
• And of course, renewed self-confidence.

Cosmetic Avenue is Here For You

At Cosmetic Avenue, we understand that the gift of life comes at a physical and emotional price. And the journey back to a healthy, happy body can be difficult. We want to make life easy for you because every mother deserves to look her best.