During pregnancy, your body experiences many different changes that allow for your baby to grow safely in your belly. One of these changes is the separation of the abdominal muscles to make space for the growing baby, known as diastasis recti.

While it might sound scary, it’s actually incredibly common among pregnant women and those in early postpartum. It’s a completely natural process and the muscle separation can last a while after giving birth as you slowly recover. But even though it can heal by itself, there are certain exercises that you can do to help speed up recovery!

In this article, we’ll walk you through the best exercises for diastasis recti that you can try during your postpartum period to help you feel better after giving birth. But first, make sure you read our guide to postpartum exercise to help you get started working out safely after having a baby!

Abdominal bracing

When it comes to healing diastasis recti, deep breathing and learning how to engage your abdominal muscles correctly will go a long way – and this is exactly what abdominal bracing exercises do!

How to do it:

1. Place your hands and knees on the floor, keeping a straight back and neutral spine with your head looking down.
2. Take a deep breath, then slowly begin exhaling while you tighten your core muscles for at least 5 seconds, feeling your abdomen fully contracting.
3. Finish exhaling, then brace your core once more before taking another deep breath and repeating.

Dead bug

The traditional dead bug movement is another safe way to exercise your abdominal muscles without putting them under too much stress, helping you fix your diastasis recti while strengthening your abdominal wall.

How to do it:

1. Lie with your back on the floor, then lift your arms straight up and bend at the hips and knees so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and your shins parallel to it.
2. Engage your core and begin by extending your right arm overhead and your left knee down until they’re both parallel to the floor and in line with your torso, keeping your opposite arm and leg in the air.
3. Return to the starting position, then perform the same movement with your left arm and right leg, alternating sides on each rep.

Toe taps

During this exercise, you keep your rectus abdominis muscles contracted while you lightly tap the floor with one foot at a time, keeping the other leg in the air without losing your balance.

How to do it:

1. Lay on your back with your arms to your sides, then bend your hips and knees so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and your shins parallel to it.
2. Brace your core and begin the movement by lowering your right leg until your foot touches the floor while you keep your left leg in the air.
3. Bring your right leg back up to the starting position and lower your left leg next so that your left foot touches the ground, alternating sides on each rep until you’re done.

Heel slides

This exercise can be performed laying flat on the floor or with your lower body up against a wall, and it involves sliding one heel at a time as you extend and contract your legs, keeping your core braced.

How to do it:

1. Lay on the floor with your legs fully extended and your arms to your sides or on your abdomen.
2. Tighten your core and begin by bending your right knee, sliding your heel across the floor as you bend your leg until your right foot is firmly placed on the floor, keeping your left leg extended.
3. Slowly reverse the movement by sliding your right heel back to the extended position, then repeat the movement with your left leg, alternating sides on each rep.

Reverse sit-ups

While regular sit-ups are not recommended during the early postpartum period because they place too much tension on your abdomen, reverse sit-ups are a lighter alternative that you can try to help fix diastasis recti.

How to do it:

1. Lay on your back with your hands at either side of your body or behind your head, and bend your hips and knees so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and your shins parallel to it.
2. Lift your feet off the floor, engage your core, and begin the movement by gently rocking your lower body toward your abdomen until your knees are close to your chest.
3. Slowly reverse the movement until your feet are almost touching the floor and repeat.

Single-leg stretches

During single-leg stretches, you keep one leg extended without touching the floor while you bend and stretch the other leg, keeping your pelvis floor muscles braced throughout the full range of movement.

How to do it:

1. Lay with your back on the floor and your arms to your sides, and keep your legs extended.
2. Begin by raising your left leg slightly off the floor, then brace your core and bring your right knee towards your chest, pushing your leg against your abdomen or as close to you as you can with your hands.
3. Reverse the movement by extending your right leg until it’s almost touching the floor, then repeat the movement with your other leg, alternating sides on each rep without letting the opposite leg touch the floor.

Banded glute bridge

Glute bridges, as the name suggests, are amazing for your glutes, but they also target all the muscles surrounding your core while laying on the ground, making it a great exercise for diastasis recti – especially if you add a resistance band!

How to do it:

1. Lay face up on the ground with your arms close to your sides and your knees bent so that your feet are firmly planted on the floor.
2. Loop a long resistance band around your thighs and secure them under your feet to create resistance when you go up.
3. Tighten your core and begin the movement by slowly raising your hips off the floor until your torso and thighs form a straight line.
4. Squeeze your muscles, then reverse the movement until your hips are back on the floor, and repeat.

Support your postpartum recovery with the right exercise program

Remember that the changes that your body went through during your pregnancy were all in the course of 9 months, so don’t try to push your body too hard expecting a super quick recovery. Everyone is different, so be gentle with your body and take it easy during your recovery period.