Diastasis Recti After Pregnancy: Which Exercises Are Safe (and Which to Avoid)

Diastasis recti is the natural separation of your two vertical abdominal muscles along the midline, and after pregnancy the safest exercises are gentle ones that rebuild your deep core from the inside out: diaphragmatic breathing, pelvic floor work, and slow moves like heel slides and bird-dogs. The exercises to avoid early on are the ones that make your belly bulge, cone, or dome up the middle — classic crunches, sit-ups, and full planks — because they push outward on the very gap you are trying to close. This is education, not medical advice; wait for your provider's clearance and follow their guidance for your body.

What exactly is diastasis recti, and did I cause it? #

Diastasis recti is when your rectus abdominis muscles — the two bands that form the "six-pack" — separate down the middle along a strip of connective tissue called the linea alba. You did not cause it by doing anything wrong. As Cleveland Clinic explains, the growing uterus stretches this tissue thinner during pregnancy, and the gap is a normal consequence of carrying a baby, not a sign of weakness or failure.

It is also extremely common, which is worth saying plainly. Roughly 6 in 10 women have some degree of diastasis recti right after childbirth, and about 45% still have it at six months postpartum, according to Cleveland Clinic. For many people it narrows on its own over the first months as tissue recovers — which is part of why MaMile frames the early postpartum window as healing, not training.

How do I check myself for abdominal separation? #

You can do a simple at-home finger check, though it is a starting point and not a diagnosis. The NHS describes the method: lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, lift your shoulders slightly off the floor, and use your fingertips to feel for the gap between the muscle edges above and below your belly button — noting how many finger-widths fit in.

As a rough guide, a gap of 2 centimeters (about two finger-widths) or wider is generally considered diastasis recti, per Cleveland Clinic. But the depth and how the tissue tenses under your fingers matter as much as the width. A pelvic floor physical therapist can assess this far more accurately than you can on your own bedroom floor.

What does "coning" or "doming" look like? #

Coning or doming is when a visible ridge or tent pushes up along your midline as you exert effort — sitting up from lying down, lifting your baby, or holding a plank. It is the single most useful real-time signal you have, because it tells you a movement is generating more pressure than your deep core can yet contain. The simple rule: if it cones, modify or skip it for now.

Which exercises actually help close the gap? #

The exercises with the best evidence are deep-core and pelvic-floor moves that gently re-coordinate the muscles around the gap, rather than aggressive ab work. The NHS recommends regular pelvic floor and deep tummy exercises to help reduce the separation, and notes that pelvic floor work can begin early. A reasonable starting sequence — once you are cleared — looks like this:

1. Diaphragmatic (belly) breathing — inhale to expand your ribs and belly, exhale slowly while gently drawing your lower abdomen in, like tightening a soft corset. This re-links your breath to your deep core.
2. Pelvic floor squeezes (Kegels), often paired with that exhale — ACOG notes these can be started in the immediate postpartum period.
3. Transversus-abdominis draw-ins — the NHS's side-lying "draw in the lower stomach like a corset, hold for a count of 10" exercise.
4. Heel slides and bird-dogs — slow, controlled limb movements where you keep your midline flat and quiet, with no coning.

Honesty matters here: a 2022 scoping review in Healthcare concluded that conservative-treatment studies are still scarce and the ideal exercise protocol has not been standardized. Researchers increasingly focus on restoring tension and function in the linea alba rather than chasing a perfectly closed gap — which is exactly why "effort, not pace" beats any number on a tape measure or a watch.

Which exercises should I avoid early on? #

Avoid anything that makes your belly bulge, cone, or dome up the middle until your deep core can control that pressure. Cleveland Clinic specifically lists crunches, sit-ups, full planks, push-ups, and poses like downward dog and boat pose, plus moves like double leg lifts — because they load outward on the linea alba you are trying to knit back together.

Walking, by contrast, is one of the gentlest and most diastasis-friendly ways to stay active, because it builds whole-body strength without spiking abdominal pressure. If you are wondering where to begin, our postpartum walking timeline and the complete postpartum movement guide walk you through it step by step — no equipment, no wearable, no shame in starting small.

When should I see a pelvic floor physical therapist or my provider? #

See a provider if your gap is wider than about two finger-widths, if you have pain, or if it is not improving over time. Cleveland Clinic advises contacting your healthcare provider for a gap of more than two fingers or any pain, and the NHS notes that a larger separation may take six to twelve months and benefits from a specialist physiotherapist. A referral to pelvic floor PT is one of the highest-value steps you can take — it is treatment, not a luxury.

One last reframe. Pelvic floor and core recovery do not run on a six-week clock — most bodies need far longer, as we explain in why postpartum recovery takes 3 to 18 months. Healing on that timeline is normal, not slow. And if you stop, restart, miss a week, or feel like you are beginning again — that is allowed. The deep-core work that closes a diastasis is patient, low-key, and entirely measured in effort, which is also why you don't need a smartwatch to do it well.