Diastasis recti: how to tell if you have it, and what helps

Diastasis recti — a separation of the abdominal muscles — is one of the most common things we see postpartum, and one of the most misunderstood. The good news: there's a simple way to check for it, and a lot you can do about it.

What diastasis recti is

During pregnancy, your growing belly stretches the connective tissue running down the middle of your abdomen, and the two halves of your "six-pack" muscles can separate to make room. For many women, that gap narrows on its own after birth. For others, it lingers — and can contribute to a persistent "pooch," core weakness, back pain, or a feeling that your midsection just isn't working the way it used to.

A simple self-check

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Place your fingers just above your belly button, pressing gently into your midline. Lift your head and shoulders slightly off the floor, like the start of a crunch. Feel for a gap between the two bands of muscle, and notice how wide it is and whether the middle feels soft or springy. This gives you a rough sense — but it isn't a substitute for a professional assessment, which looks at not just the width of the gap but how well your core generates tension across it.

What actually helps

Here's what the internet often gets wrong: the goal isn't just to "close the gap." It's to restore how your deep core works as a system — your breathing, your deep abdominal muscles, and your pelvic floor coordinating together. Some popular exercises (and certain traditional crunches) can actually increase pressure on the midline and work against you. A targeted program rebuilds function in the right order, and many women see real change in how their core looks and feels.

When to get it checked

If you're months or even years postpartum and still notice a pooch that won't budge, core weakness, or related back pain, it's worth an evaluation — diastasis recti can be addressed long after delivery, not just in the early weeks. We screen for it as a standard part of every postpartum evaluation.

The bottom line

Diastasis recti is common, checkable, and treatable. You don't have to live with a core that feels disconnected — and you don't have to figure out the right exercises by guesswork.