New here, rectocele and diastasis recti issues, 4 months postpartum

Hi ReckaimingMyself and congratulations on your new baby,
It does take two years for the body to naturally heal itself after having a baby, so expect many changes during that time. I had to look up the diastasis recti. Ouch! Can't say I had that after having a baby. I also looked up the exercises they suggested for it. There was one called the bridge where you lay on your back with bent knees, feet on the floor, and lift your butt up and down that actually is in Christine's 3rd wheel yoga DVD. So that one is at least prolapse friendly.
I wouldn't want to give you too much advice about that, because I don't know anything about it or how fast you are suppose to heal, and because you have that I am not sure how much of the whole woman practices you could actually do at this point. Maybe one of the other ladies will have some more insight to this.
Wish you the best and hang in there!!

Use the search boxes on both the forum and blog to research this. I will look later but have to go out for awhile. - Surviving

Here is one link you could look at...
https://wholewoman.com/forum/node/4558

I am dealing with both the prolapse and diastasis too and just hate them! I am having the same questions too. The look of my diastatsis really depresses me as I still look pregnant! But I'm afraid to do the usual exercises I used to do for it because of how they may affect my diastasis. After 2 babies I used the Tupler method to close my diastasis. I was using it again after my last baby when I discovered my prolapse. I contacted the Tupler method woman and she said to STOP doing the exercises! Instead of doing several 1000 a day, not to do more than 25. The other day I decided to try Christine's "new kegels" and see if that helped with the diastasis. (It will help the prolapse.) Maybe if I do enough reps of those it will heal up my diastasis. I don't know and it is depressing. :( I hope someone reading this has had some success and tells us what they did!

Dear ReclaimingMyself & Lilium
I read your previous posts & I don't know how long it is since your last birth, so take exercise gently & consistently keep in the WWPosture.
Read Christine's post that you have been referred to in your first post as it is fundamental in the work we do.

The "modern dark ages" concept of the woman body beautiful is skewed & contrary to women's health, self esteem & wellbeing.

The suck & tuck & flat belly thin culture has been dominant since I was a teen, along with unhealthy tight clothing - a continuation of the corset era, & we need to reclaim our true body beautiful, which is actually that, healthy, strong, & will see us into old age intact.

I started this work some 17yrs after discovering prolapse during my 2nd pregnancy, & had a third not affected by this prolapse.
I expect I did have some separation of the abdominal muscles. I did do a lot of walking & a few yrs back adopted an extreme diet & sucking & tucking. The results were worsening prolapse & hip problems.

I have been in WWP for nearly two years, & the benefits are life changing.

Along with the exercise DVDs that I have been doing regularly lately, I can feel my abdominal muscles as a natural, ever strengthening wall as I stand in WWP .

My mummy tummy is being accommodated into the lovely curve of my belly.

I feel taller, stronger, feminine & naturally beautiful... I truly feel extremely lucky & blessed to be part of Christine's community...

You have the opportunity to learn to love your body unconditionally & your prolapse as this has brought you here to have your physical, emotional & sacred feminine health restored & managed as nature intended.
Read & absorb all the research that Christine has given us so generously, take your time, & let us know how you are going.
In our journey together,
Best wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister

This is such a lovely post, Soul Sis, thank you.

While I didn't have a separation per se, to this day (22 years after my last birthing experience) I have a fairly substantial mummy belly (which would probably be improved if I lost a few pounds overall). But what Soul Sis has described so beautifully, really does happen...."mummy tummy being accommodated in the lovely curve of the belly". The proof is in the mirror, with or without clothes.

The entire focus of this work brings you to a wonderful appreciation for your body, and a more joyful outlook on everything. Reclaiming and Lillium, I understand it's harder when you're young and busy with babies to be able to take a step back. But trust me, this work will help you find yourself when the time is right. - Surviving

Hello ladies,
First of all, it definitely needs to be noted that there is a HUGE difference between embracing your curves and tummy as a woman and a diastasis! A diastasis of more than one finger IS AN INJURY which should be taken care of accordingly! A diastasis can be healed at any time, regardless of how long ago you had your babies, so don´t give up hope!
There are numerus posts on this forum about how the lengthing of the rectus muscles with WW posture will help close a diastasis...well...sort of. The main thing about diastasis, if the midline (linea alba) connective tissue is weak, thin, stretched etc, it cannot heal if there is continued pressure put on it. It needs a chance to knit back together. So many things put pressure on your linea alba that you probably don't even think about...to name a few...sucking and tucking, any time your belly button is facing the floor (ie. to bend over and pick something up), any crunch like motions you might make throughout the day put pressure on a weak midline and the connective tissue does not get a chance to heal.
This is turning into a novel, so I am going to go straight to my diastasis tips (I have prolapse and a now almost healed diastasis).
1. WW posture is good, with the note that if you are learning WW posture I think it is very easy to "over flare" the ribs and this will worsen your diastasis (puts to much pressure on the midline) So...no over-flaring ribs.
2. Any position where your belly button faces the floor ie. hands and knees, this position might make your prolapse feel better, but it will absolutely worsen your diastasis...TO MUCH PRESSURE on the weak area (think gravity pulling down on all the weight of your abdominal contents straight through your midline).
3. "New Kegels" are a no-no with a diastasis. The instructions are "push your belly as far forward over the thighs" again this is too much pressure on weak connective tissue, you will explode your midline. If you have no diastasis..well knock yourself out with these.
4. No exercises with crunching or twisting.
5. If you are postpartum your transverse ab muscle might have gone on holiday (mine atrophied around my waist for one year), make sure you know where it is and that it is functioning during daily activities. Sucking is not using your transverse (that is a whole separate post).
Healing your diastasis will probably help your prolapse as they are connected. Healing can happen with posture and body awareness (about where pressure is), but connective tissue can be slow to heal so be patient, and good luck.

Hi Sea turtle,

I absolutely disagree with your assumptions. A diastasis of the abdominal wall and a diastasis of the pelvic wall are of a similar nature and can only be improved by pulling the midline together - closing the walls like a pair of elevator doors. This is accomplished by twisting motions as well as lifting the chest, due to the fact that the internal obliques, external obliques, and transverse abs are all integrated into the linea alba. The obliques, rectus muscles and linea alba are all broadly connected onto the fifth rib of the chest as well as the xiphoid process. Because of this positioning, lifting the chest is the *only way* we have of truly lengthening the abdominal wall. Your information about “flaring the ribs” is just not factual. Any sort of proposed “corseting” using the transverse abs is a misconception in terms of stabilizing the spine, reversing prolapse, or treating diastasis recti.

To be human is to have an anteriorly placed abdominal wall. This is verified by human development, as well as the dynamics of the pregnant female body. Pulling in the abs will not cure a diastasis. When we push the belly over the thighs in a pelvic rock (“new kegels”) we are essentially lifting the chest to the utmost degree. WW firebreathing on hands and knees has the same effect. When we lock our wrists above our head while sitting in WW posture and twist the head, arms and torso as one unit side to side, we are encouraging midline closure of the abdominal wall. Twisting and lifting are the means we have of bringing the abdominal wall back to anatomic dimensions. You are assuming “pressure on weak connective tissue” instead of strengthening the musculature of the abdominal wall. Muscles are the only structures that can do this. Solely focusing on the transverse abs is an old, dated, and inaccurate argument. By lifting the chest and relaxing the abdominal wall so natural breathing can take place we can be assured our transverse abs are functioning correctly.

*Any level of chronically pulling in the abdominal wall causes an equal degree of flattening of lumbar curvature, pulling the pelvic organs away from the lower abdominal wall, and placing the center of mass over the front of the acetabular roof where all hip disease is known to be located.*

Christine

No where in my post did I write or imply "corseting, or pulling in of the abdominal wall". I mentioned be careful not to "over flare" ribs when learning WW. There is a difference between lifting the chest and "over flaring". One creates length the other pressure.
Have you had a diastasis? Do you know what it is like to have your connective tissue in your midline feel like melting jello? Do you know what it feels like to stick fingers or possibly and entire hand in that? Continued pressure by inappropriate exercises on melting jello simply blows it apart. Once a diastasis is healed or mostly healed lots of the WW exercises will continue to strengthen it, but when the linea alba is still jello attention to pressure is most important.
My diastasis really began to close once I stopped anything on my hands and knees, a simple reduction of pressure to let the tissue get a chance to knit back together.
I appreciate your input and work, but please do not accuse me of writing things that I have not.

Dear sea turtle,
You are angry - that is plain to see. It seems that we are the brunt of it today. It is good to be able to vent feelings on a forum such as this but you will not take the joy out of this thread & the positive things said only to lift spirits & help others to love themselves & their bodies, which is the start of whole healing, body & soul.
This forum takes the fear from us & gives us tools to work with - I am so glad that your diastasis is nearly healed. Congratulations!!
Best wishes & (((hugs)))
I hope you find peace & thank you Christine for your post.
Aussie Soul Sister

Dear Surviving 60,
Thank you for all you do for this forum, S60.
Living in Whole Woman is like opening wonderful surprise gifts often...
((big hugs))
Best wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister

Hi Sea turtle,

From the beginning of developing the Whole Woman work I have been very careful to assure that not only are all factors of WW posture anatomically accurate, but self-evident as well. Thus we avoid these sorts of cat fights over people’s opinions and ideas.

I reiterate that your suggestions are neither logical nor sound. The body resolves a diastasis (which I would certainly not call an injury, but a chronic condition) in the exact same way that it builds a healthy abdominal wall in the first place. How is it that posture and exercise would be any different for a postpartum diastasis, than an incomplete midline closure in a toddler - umbilical hernias are very common in infants and almost always close on their own. This is accomplished through natural human posture and movement - twisting and elevating the abdominal wall. The abdominal aponeurosis will only knit back together if muscles maintaining it are approximated toward the midline.

What is slightly irritating is that you have not thought your ideas through very well and you do not understand WW posture. Go ahead and arch your upper back, flaring your ribs to the max. Now bring your shoulders down, make your upper back flat and broad, and pull up through the back of your neck by slightly tucking your chin. Understand that it is impossible to hyperextend the spine or “flare the ribs” in WW posture. Misrepresentation of WW posture has been widely propagated by promoters of other forms of posture.

Try this simple exercise to feel for yourself what pulls the rectus muscles together at the midline. Lie flat on your back on a firm surface. Lift your head slightly off the floor to create a separation in the midline - right under your ribcage. Now rest your head back on the floor, but looking up with a lifted chin. From here hyperextend your thoracic spine by lifting your chest to the max (flaring your ribs). You will feel some movement toward the midline as the wall lengthens. Keep your fingertips on those same muscles and slowly bring your chin down and in. Now the abdominal wall is approximated as closely as possible at the midline. Anatomically speaking, the abdominal muscle line continues upward to connect onto the lower jaw and mastoid process - the bump behind your ear. Holding your head in WW posture is an essential part of this work.

Your statement that any crunch-like motions made throughout the day will worsen diastasis is just not defensible. Full restoration depends on full range of motion of the abdominal wall. It is our primary posture - how we spend the majority of our time standing and sitting that builds a strong and closely approximated abdominal wall. Connective tissue cannot stay continuously “loaded”, so the body is constantly off-loading from one to the other. Breathing is a prime example.

My apologies for assuming you meant that correcting ‘rib flare’ means to pull the lower ribs in and down, as other teachers of posture instruct. There is no rib flare in WW posture.

I also am happy to hear your condition is resolving. Adding spinal twists with arms overhead (try “cactus arms” by bending 90 degrees at the elbow), and WW firebreathing - in any position - could only potentiate your healing.

Christine

Christine, you were going to make an excersise program for diastatis available to people who purchased the on-line ww package. Is this available now?

Astronaut, it's coming, so just keep an eye on the forums (and your inbox) and you'll find out when the rest of us do! - Surviving

thanks

I presume you saw this post:
https://wholewoman.com/forum/node/6217