You had your baby weeks, months or even years ago, but your belly still pokes out, especially when you sit up or lift. You might have diastasis recti: a separation of your six-pack muscles along the middle of your belly. It's very common after pregnancy. Nothing is broken. Your body made room for a baby, and now it's learning to work together again.
It's not about how wide. It's about how deep.
Between your right and left abdominal muscles is a band of connective tissue called the linea alba. In pregnancy it stretches to make room. Most people only measure how many fingers fit in the gap, but the width tells you very little on its own.
What matters is depth and tension: how far your fingers sink in, and whether the tissue feels soft or firm and springy, like a trampoline, when you engage your core. A wide gap that feels firm can work beautifully. A narrow gap that feels deep and soft needs more support.
A real example: one of my patients was pregnant with twins. After birth, her gap was 4 fingers wide and 3 knuckles deep. We focused on building tension in the connective tissue, not on closing the gap. Her gap is still wide, but now it's only one knuckle deep, and her core feels strong and supported again. That depth, the strength of the connective tissue, is what matters most.
How to check yours
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Place two fingers just above your belly button, pointing down. Gently lift your head and shoulders. First notice the depth: do your fingers sink in, or do they meet firm tension? Then notice the width. Check above and below the belly button too.
Where crunches fit in
Crunches aren't bad. Your core just needs to learn to manage pressure first. If you see a dome or ridge down your middle when you sit up, that's a sign to build the foundation first. As your core gets stronger, crunches and harder workouts come back into your routine.
One thing you can start today: the 360 breath
Sit tall on a chair or stand, feet hip-width apart. Upright is better than lying down here, because your core has to hold you up and the tissue at your midline gets real work. Put one hand on your lower ribs and one on your belly.
Breathe in through your nose and let your ribs widen out to the sides and into your back, not just your belly rising. Then breathe out slowly through pursed lips, like blowing through a straw, and let your ribs soften back down. Near the end of the breath, notice your lower belly gently drawing in on its own. You don't need to squeeze or hold anything. Do 5 slow breaths, twice a day.
Why it works: your diaphragm and your pelvic floor move together, like a piston. MRI shows both move down when you breathe in and back up when you breathe out (Talasz et al., 2011). Ribs that move well give that system room to work, and a long, slow exhale gives your deep core gentle tension along the midline. That tension is the depth we are building.
Then take it into your day: breathe out as you lift your baby, stand up from the floor or carry the car seat. In my program we build from there, week by week, back to the workouts you love.
It's not just Kegels
Your core is a team: your ribcage, your diaphragm (your breathing muscle), your deep core and your pelvic floor. They have to work together to manage pressure. That's why Kegels alone, or ab exercises alone, rarely change much. In my programs we work on all of it: ribcage mobility, diaphragm breathing, pelvic floor connection and deep core strength, step by step.
What the research says
You're not alone. In a study of 300 first-time moms, 60% had diastasis at 6 weeks after birth, and about 1 in 3 still had it at 12 months. Women with and without diastasis reported similar low back and pelvic pain at 12 months, so the gap alone doesn't decide how you feel. (Sperstad et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016)
Depth and tension matter. When women with diastasis engaged their deep core before a curl-up, the gap narrowed less, but the midline tissue distorted less. The researchers suggest this may help the belly wall transfer force better, even without closing the gap. (Lee & Hodges, Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 2016)
There's no one magic exercise. A 2021 systematic review found only very low-quality evidence for any single exercise program for diastasis after birth. That's why a guided plan that adapts to your body matters. (Gluppe, Engh & Bø, Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, 2021)
Want the full plan?
My Postpartum Reset: 6 Weeks to Heal Your Core & Pelvic Floor walks you through every step with videos, at your own pace. It's never too late to start, even years after birth.
Start the Postpartum Reset ($105) →
Have pain, a bulge that doesn't go away, or not sure what you feel? Book a free 15-minute intro call →r baby weeks, months or even years ago, but your belly still pokes out, especially when you sit up or lift. You might have diastasis recti: a separation of your six-pack muscles along the middle of your belly. It's very common after pregnancy, and it isn't your fault. Your body made room for a baby.
