A gap down the middle of your stomach. A dome when you sit up. The fix is not crunches. Here is what to do instead, in order.
Not crunches. Not sit-ups. Crunches make it worse.
Breathing patterns, deep core activation, and progressive strengthening are what help the abdominal muscles reconnect and regain function. Diastasis often improves visibly within 4 to 8 weeks of consistent work.
During pregnancy, your abdominal muscles stretch and separate to make room for your growing baby. The connective tissue down the middle, the linea alba, thins. After delivery, these muscles do not always return to their pre-pregnancy position on their own. A separation of more than two finger-widths is considered diastasis recti.
The signs: a visible bulge or dome down the center of your abdomen, especially when you sit up or bear down. Weakness in the core. Back pain. Difficulty with everyday movements like lifting your baby or climbing stairs. A stomach that still looks pregnant months after delivery.
It is not a failing of your body, and it is treatable.
A crunch loads the very tissue that is trying to come back together, and pushes the belly out through the gap. If you see a bulge or doming down the middle when you sit up, that is the gap under load.
Specialized physical therapy, not crunches or sit-ups, is the gold standard for healing diastasis recti. The work below is the same order a pelvic floor physical therapist uses: breath first, then the deep core, then strength.
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Inhale through your nose and let your belly expand. Exhale slowly through your mouth, feeling your belly gently fall. Your pelvic floor should naturally relax on the inhale and gently lift on the exhale. Do not force anything.
5 minutes, 2 to 3 times a day. This reconnects your core system, and it is the foundation of everything else.
Lie on your back, knees bent. Place your fingers just inside your hip bones. Exhale and gently draw your lower belly in, like you are zipping up a tight pair of jeans. You should feel a gentle tightening under your fingers. Do not suck in your whole stomach. The movement is small and low. Hold for 5 seconds, then relax.
10 reps, 2 times a day.
Every one of these starts the same way: exhale, engage your pelvic floor and core, then move.
Heel slides. On your back, knees bent. Exhale, engage, then slowly slide one heel along the floor until your leg is straight. Slide it back. Keep your back flat the entire time. If your back arches, you are going too far. 10 each leg, 2 sets, once a day.
Glute bridges. Feet flat, hip-width apart. Exhale, engage, press through your heels and lift your hips. A straight line from knees to shoulders. Hold 3 seconds. Lower slowly. Do not arch your back at the top. 10 reps, 3 sets, once a day.
Clamshells. On your side, knees bent at 45 degrees, feet together. Lift the top knee open. Do not let your hips roll backward. 15 each side, 2 sets, once a day.
Bird dogs. Hands and knees. Exhale, engage, and extend your right arm forward and your left leg back at the same time. Hold 3 seconds. Keep your hips level. If you are wobbling, start with just the arm or just the leg. 10 each side, 2 sets, once a day.
Bodyweight squats. Exhale and engage as you lower. Heels on the ground. Inhale and relax at the top. 10 reps, 3 sets, once a day.
Wall push-ups to incline push-ups. Wall, then countertop, then a sturdy chair, then the floor. Exhale on the push and engage your core. 10 reps, 2 sets, once a day.
If any exercise causes pain, pressure, heaviness, leaking, or a dome down the middle of your stomach, stop. That is not failure. That is information. Go back a step and keep building.
A gentle belly band can help with awareness in the early weeks. It reminds you to engage your core. Do not rely on it long term. Use it as a bridge while you are building strength.
Diastasis often improves visibly within 4 to 8 weeks of consistent work. A gap at 9 months can still close. Diastasis recti that is not closing with exercise is a reason to see a pelvic floor physical therapist, and so is any doubt about whether you are engaging the right muscles.
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Dr. Meg Cochran is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in pelvic floor rehabilitation, a trained doula, and a mom of four. She treats women after birth through Where You Are Physical Therapy in Oxford, Mississippi.
This article is educational and is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a substitute for in-person care. Products are named as examples. Follow your own provider's instructions. For heavy bleeding, fever, severe pain, or thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, contact your healthcare provider or call 911.
After Birth is Dr. Meg's postpartum pelvic floor recovery guide. Nine chapters, every exercise with its dose, a C-section track, the diastasis check, the return-to-run checklist, and the tight-versus-weak chapter most moms never get. An instant PDF you can read on your phone. It is educational, not physical therapy.
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