After giving birth to my first child, I retained a bit of baby weight. I worked hard exercising and ate nutritiously, but I still couldn’t get the “pouch” I had to go away.
I decided to research what else I could do, and that is when I first heard of a condition known as diastasis recti. The more I looked into the situation, the more it made sense. I suddenly had an epiphany moment. I wondered how many others out there had the same condition, thinking it was only “baby weight” and would eventually go away?
The problem is that it can only be remedied in one of two ways: surgery or a lifestyle change.
I chose a lifestyle change. It took a while, but I achieved my goal, and as a result, the idea for this book came about.
I hope that what I have learned, and achieved, will serve to help others who also have diastasis recti.
I gave birth to my first of two children four years ago. Much like all new moms, I was in complete awe of this tiny little being. I would kiss on my all day long and snuggle with him every chance I got. Even though those early days were so joyful and magical, I rarely took pictures of us together because I didn’t particularly like how I looked in photos.
I had unfortunately gained a significant amount of weight with my pregnancy, and even after giving birth, I still weighed 25 pounds heavier than I started. Every time I looked into the mirror, I hated what looked back at me. One day, I woke up and began with the mindset that enough was enough, and I started an exercise routine suggested by my husband.
In the few following months, I lost 20 pounds but still had a pouch that made me appear five months pregnant. It wasn’t until later that I was diagnosed with severe Diastasis Recti. This condition presents with the core muscles becoming severely overstretched, which then creates a vertical space in the middle of the abdominal muscles that present with being squishy.
After learning that the condition was a fairly common one experienced by women after giving birth, and my physician, like most, recommended cosmetic surgery. The catch was that if I had the surgery, I would not be able to have more kids—and I wanted more kids.
After having given birth to my daughter, I had once again piled on several pounds. Six weeks postpartum, I visited a local physiotherapist who was knowledgeable in diastasis recti and how to battle it. It was with their help that I began my journey,
I soaked up every bit of information I could find on the subject, learning that more women suffered from the condition than many have thought. It seemed to have a certain stigmatism with it that had many keeping it hidden, as if in a closet. Currently going through it myself at the time, I felt an overwhelming need to bring diastasis recti out in the light of day and banish those feelings of needing to hide it.
So, here I was, a mother of two, who was once more significantly overweight and a diastasis recti victim herself. I knew one thing for sure at that time, I wanted to feel lighter, better about myself, and have more energy. I started combining my DR exercises with my high-intensity workouts. Over time, the regime began to work, and my diastasis measurement went from 4.5 fingers to 1 finger wide.
During this whole time, I thought about all those post-partum mothers out there who, for one reason or another, thought that surgery was their only answer. And with choosing surgery was choosing not to be able to bear any more children.
I was confident that what I had learned would help these individuals, and after months of gathering the information I had, I decided to offer what I had learned in a book.
The book Diastasis Recti Secrets For New Moms walks you through the process that was a significant success for me. I start off by educating you on what diastasis recti is and how to determine how severe a case you may have. I then segue you into the beginning exercises that permit you to engage your traverse abdominus muscles and point out some of the mistakes that many have made.
I offer up seven secrets associated with DR and the main ideas that you need to be aware of behind each of them. I laid out the book, step by step, so that you may measure your success at each step of the journey. The process will be a somewhat lengthy one, but as you work to get your body back into shape, you will also be somewhat rebuilding your self-esteem and your all-important self-image.
I have included examples with each step, along with useful illustrations and what I hope to prove as helpful little tips. You will learn how to make the proper choices not only for exercising but also for better nutrition as well.
My method is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and as such, I work to present the tools and knowledge you need to make the change you are looking for. A quick start guide is included in the book.
Dealing with diastasis recti is not an easy feat, but I hope that the information offered in this book empowers you to form a plan and take that first step on the journey to regaining your pre-pregnancy self.
Looking forward to seeing your transformation, mama!
