Stomach Muscle seperation. How long if ever will it get back to some kind of normal?

[TaRhLi.]

My twins are almost 9 mths old and I still have stomach muscle seperation which doesn't seem to be getting any better, at the hospital after delivery the physio told me it was a 4 finger seperation but from just under my rib cage down I have a nice vertical bulge that won't budge.

For 4 months after they were born I was wearing SRC recovery shorts to help try and get them to mesh back together but as the warmer weather kicked in I put them away as it was getting too hot and uncomfortable to wear them.

So now I've had to dig them back out of the draw and also purchase some good old "granny knickers" with the control panel to help keep things where they are supposed to be.

I know I am losing the baby weight from my tummy (not that there was alot to loose) as the skin around my belly button is getting very "crepey' now as it was stretch so much and I know the only way to get rid of that is a tummy tuck, but it shows to me the fat is reducing but my waist size is still the same as I have no muscles underneath to tone.

If you suffered from stomach muscle seperation did it rectify itself or did you need to get further treatment? With the kids being so young still surgery is out of the question as the recovery would be too hard to manage at the moment. Maybe it is something I have to deal with until they are older and I can get it fixed...

[Rainbow_Mumma]

I still have mine too! I hear you on the crepey belly too my girls tell me i must be old coz my belly is all wrinkly they dont understand how much the twins stretched my belly

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[Bengal]

Oh , the phsio bought this up in anti natal classes tonight, she said the granny undies do the same things
As the src shorts. Mrs did you wear fitted undies after birth ?

K : how long did you wear yours for ?

[Rainbow_Mumma]

I did for the first 6 months until like Kelly it got way too hot

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[HotI]

Did the physio give you exercises to do? I had a 6 finger gap after DD, and got it back to a 2 finger gap within a year. I wore tubigrip for months and did the physio exercises regularly.

After this pregnancy, i can't even find the edges of the gap. i am wearing tubigrip or support bands each day and have to start my exercises again. my midwife says i will probably qualify for a medicare funded tummy repair.

[TaRhLi.]

HotI: No they didn't give me any specific exercises to do apart from wearing the Recovery Shorts. I suppose it doesn't help having to lift 2 babies and a toddler in and out of the car on a regular basis and then add that to a 20kg double pram plus just general housework etc. Interesting about the medicare funded tummy repair, I might have to look into that one.

Bengal: I started wearing them in hossy, but had to stop until I got home as with having the restiction around my stomach it meant all the excess fluid after delivery was being held in my legs making them swell up to look like tree trunks. So I had to wait until I had passed all the fluid and then I started wearing them until the boys were about 4 mths or so, they were getting too hot and uncomfortable to wear all the time. But I've had to get them out again to try and help hold everything in place.

As I mentioned I also have invested in some "granny knickers" but the recovery short come up to right under your bust so hold in all of the abdominal area when the knickers are more to hold in the excess skin and hold up the "apron" of overhanging skin.

[OceanPrincess]

Get to a physio ASAP. Mine rectified itself after DD but after DS I needed physio help.

She gave me gentle exercises to help bind them back together. It took maybe a few months. The quicker you get onto it the better.

The physio will probably be able to tell you if you need a surgical repair.

[Lenny]

Physio. Definitely. And i didn't have twins in there either!
I wore tubigrip, which just helped relieve the pain a bit. Cheaper and easier to wear than recover shorts. I borrowed a swiss/fit ball and did some excerises.

[Cricket]

It's pretty common to have a separation. By the time you've had 3 pregnancies, I think something like 80-90% of women will have some degree of muscle splitting. Only consider surgery if you're done having kids! Pilates is supposed to be good, but no crunches - I discovered I had a separation on my own after DS, and just doing pilates pretty much closed it right up. However, it was only about 2-3 fingers to start with.
Anyways, there is a lady who has a blog with lots of great info on her battle with diastasis. The blog is raising arrows dot net, and you can search for the posts on diastasis recti. Or, if you can't get at it - ask me to PM it to you!

[starangelk]

I'm doing pilates through my physio for this at the moment. It's definately closing the gap........I can feel it with my fingers getting slightly smaller. It's still ridged but I think if I persist with the exercises it will be okay. As for the crepe skin.............I'm hoping rosehip oil starts working miraculously.

[HotI]

Anyways, there is a lady who has a blog with lots of great info on her battle with diastasis. The blog is raising arrows dot net, and you can search for the posts on diastasis recti. Or, if you can't get at it - ask me to PM it to you!

Wow, heaps of similarities with my story on that blog! Even having a transverse breech baby because the stomach muscles weren't there to give it structure. Bit scared to hear that she still looks pregnant now even when she is not, i was hoping that was only short term.