---
title: 'What Is Diastasis Recti and How Do You Know If You Have It?'
slug: what-is-diastasis-recti-and-how-do-you-know-if-you-have-it
lifeStage: postpartum
category: Movement
medicalReviewer: 'Dr Clare Bourne, Consultant Pelvic and Digestive Health Physiotherapist'
reviewerId: 'https://blog.bloume.com/postpartum/medical-board.md#clare-bourne'
lastUpdated: '2026-08-06'
primarySource: 'Prevalence and risk factors of diastasis recti abdominis from late pregnancy to 6 months postpartum, and relationship with lumbo-pelvic pain'
wordCount: 1352
readTimeInSeconds: 338
---

# What Is Diastasis Recti and How Do You Know If You Have It?

Diastasis recti postpartum is a separation of the abdominal muscles that can leave the midline of your tummy feeling soft, weak, or different to before. You might notice a ridge or dome when you sit up, or a sense that your core is not quite holding together. This article explains how to check for a separation at home, which movements to be mindful of, where to start with gentle core work, and when to seek a professional assessment.

**Q: How do I know if I have diastasis recti after giving birth?**
A: The signs you are most likely to notice are a dome or ridge along the centre of your tummy when you use your core, a soft or jelly-like feeling along the midline, and a general sense of weakness through your tummy. You can do a simple check at home by lying on your back with your knees bent, placing two fingers and feeling down the fully length of the connective tissue between the rectus abdominus muscles from the bottom of your breastbone to your pubic bone. This check is for awareness only and does not replace an assessment by a healthcare professional.

After birth, you might notice a doming up or dropping down of the tissues along the centre of your tummy when you sit up, or a soft, almost jelly-like feeling along the midline when you press gently. You might feel a weakness in your tummy that was not there before, or sense that your core is not doing very much. These symptoms can be a sign of diastasis recti postpartum, the thinning and widening of the linea alba, which is the connective tissue between the rectus abdominus muscles, that run down the front of your tummy.

## What is diastasis recti?

As your baby grows during pregnancy, the connective tissues between your rectus abdominus muscles, thins and widens, allow the muscles to move apart, to allow more space for your growing baby. This means the muscles sit slightly further apart than they do outside of pregnancy. It is a completely natural part of pregnancy, shown to be present in 100% of women by 35 weeks. The most common way you notice this is a dome or bulge appearing when you use your core, like sitting up from lying down. At rest, the same area can feel soft or unsupported.

## How to check for a separation at home

A check at home is a useful way to get a sense of things, though it does not replace a proper assessment. To try it, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Only do this after 6-8 weeks postpartum, as there is natural healing that needs to occur before this point.

Place two fingers at the base of your sternum (your breastbone) at the top of your tummy and feel down the centre of your tummy, all the way down to your pubic bone, to see how many fingers you can fit between the muscles. Then repeat this as you gently lift your head and shoulders slightly off the floor, as if beginning a small crunch.

A gap wider than two fingers is generally seen as significant and may benefit from specific exercises or physiotherapy. 

The feel of the tissue underneath matters as much as the width. As you press gently, notice whether it feels firm and resistant or soft and deep. A little tension under your fingertips is a good sign your muscles are working. If anything you find leaves you unsure, talk it through with a healthcare professional.

> **INFO**: This article is for general information and is not medical advice. The self-check here is a way to build awareness, not a clinical measurement. If you are in pain, unsure about what you found, or planning to return to exercise after birth, speak to your GP, midwife, or a women's health physiotherapist first.

## Movements to be mindful of in daily life

A simple guide helps here. If you can see or feel a dome rising along the centre of your tummy, the movement is best to adapt for now until you seek further guidance. Doming is not always bad, but you need to understand the best approach for your tummy recovery. 

Getting out of bed is one of the movements you repeat most. If you roll onto your side first and push up with your arms, you put far less strain on the midline than sitting straight up. This may be helpful in your early postpartum recovery, but not something to do forever.

When you lift your baby or anything else, bend your knees, keep your back straight, and gently draw in your deep core and pelvic floor before you lift. Skipping heavy lifting where you can helps in the early days, and good technique matters most for the everyday tasks you cannot avoid.

Straining on the loo when you are constipated also pushes on the abdominal wall, so keeping constipation in check supports your recovery. If it keeps happening, your GP or midwife can advise.

## Breathing and gentle core work as a starting point

The first step in building core support is reconnecting with your deepest tummy muscle, the transversus abdominis (TA). It wraps around your middle like a natural corset and supports your spine and midline.

Your TA works all the time, this exercise helps you reconnect with it and feel it working. Lie down comfortably, breathe in and let your tummy relax fully. As you breathe out, gently draw the lower part of your stomach in towards your spine, as if narrowing your waistline from the inside. Hold for a few seconds while breathing normally, then release. This should feel gentle and controlled, with no breath holding and no bearing down. If you feel any pain, stop and speak to a healthcare professional.

Your pelvic floor and deep tummy muscles work together, so it helps to do pelvic floor exercises alongside gentle tummy work. A pelvic floor exercise means squeezing and lifting the muscles around your vagina and back passage, holding for a moment, then letting go fully.

## Why professional assessment matters before returning to exercise

A smaller separation often improves on its own with gentle work and careful movement. A larger one can take longer and may never fully resolve and tends to do better with guidance from a specialist. A women's health or pelvic health physiotherapist can check both the width and depth of the separation, give you an exercise programme suited to you, and look at other symptoms, like back pain or pelvic floor problems.

Before you go back to higher-impact exercise like running, gym classes, or sport, a professional check helps you to know the best approach for your body so you get back to what you love quicker.

Improving diastasis recti is rarely a straight line. Some weeks you feel stronger, others feel harder, and that variation is a normal part of the process. You can ask your GP for a referral to a physiotherapist at your postnatal check, or at any point if you are worried. Access and waiting times vary across the UK, and you are entitled to ask.

**Q: How do I know if I have diastasis recti after giving birth?**

The signs you are most likely to notice are a dome or ridge along the centre of your tummy when you use your core, a soft or jelly-like feeling along the midline, and a general sense of weakness through your tummy. You can do a simple check at home by lying on your back with your knees bent, placing two fingers and feeling down the fully length of the connective tissue between the rectus abdominus muscles from the bottom of your breastbone to your pubic bone. This check is for awareness only and does not replace an assessment by a healthcare professional.

**Q: Which exercises should I avoid if I have a diastasis recti?**

The main idea is to avoid any movement that makes your tummy dome or bulge along the midline. Sit-ups and crunches often cause this and are best left during early recovery. Getting out of bed by rolling onto your side, rather than sitting straight up, also helps initially. As your core gets stronger with guided rehab, you can gradually bring back a wider range of movements, ideally with input from a physiotherapist.

**Q: How long does diastasis recti take to heal?**

There is a natural healing window for everyone in the first eight weeks after birth. A larger separation can take longer, and some take six to twelve months to improve with the right exercises and guidance. Recovery is not always a straight line, and timelines vary from person to person. If you are not seeing improvement, or you have significant symptoms like back pain or pelvic floor issues, speak to your GP about a referral to a pelvic health physiotherapist.

**Q: Can I do pelvic floor exercises alongside core work for diastasis recti?**

Yes. Your pelvic floor and deep tummy muscles work together, so doing both is helpful. A pelvic floor exercise means squeezing and lifting the muscles around your vagina and back passage, holding briefly, then releasing fully. The Squeezy app can help guide you through pelvic floor exercises.

### Clinical Sources
- [Prevalence and risk factors of diastasis recti abdominis from late pregnancy to 6 months postpartum, and relationship with lumbo-pelvic pain](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25282439/)
- [Diastasis Recti (tummy muscle separation) After Childbirth](https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/uploads/25751.pdf)
- [Diastasis of Recti (Separation of stomach muscles)](https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/services/physiotherapy/pelvic-health-physiotherapy/obstetric-physiotherapy/diastasis-of-recti-separation-of-stomach-muscles/)
- [NHS — Your post-pregnancy body](https://www.nhs.uk/baby/support-and-services/your-post-pregnancy-body/)
- [Diastasis rectus abdominus muscle – advice and management](https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/mini-apps/leaflet/?id=579)
- [Diastasis of Recti (Separation of stomach muscles)](https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/services/physiotherapy/pelvic-health-physiotherapy/obstetric-physiotherapy/diastasis-of-recti-separation-of-stomach-muscles/)
- [Tummy Muscle Separation (Diastasis Recti Abdominis)](https://thepogp.co.uk/patient_information/womens_health/tummy_muscle_separation.aspx)
- [Diastasis rectus abdominus muscle – advice and management](https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/mini-apps/leaflet/?id=579)
- [Diastasis of Recti (Separation of stomach muscles)](https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/services/physiotherapy/pelvic-health-physiotherapy/obstetric-physiotherapy/diastasis-of-recti-separation-of-stomach-muscles/)
- [Tummy Muscle Separation (Diastasis Recti Abdominis)](https://thepogp.co.uk/patient_information/womens_health/tummy_muscle_separation.aspx)
- [Tummy Muscle Separation (Diastasis Recti Abdominis)](https://thepogp.co.uk/patient_information/womens_health/tummy_muscle_separation.aspx)
- [Tummy Muscle Separation (Diastasis Recti Abdominis)](https://thepogp.co.uk/patient_information/womens_health/tummy_muscle_separation.aspx)
- [Diastasis of Recti (Separation of stomach muscles)](https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/services/physiotherapy/pelvic-health-physiotherapy/obstetric-physiotherapy/diastasis-of-recti-separation-of-stomach-muscles/)
- [NHS — Your post-pregnancy body](https://www.nhs.uk/baby/support-and-services/your-post-pregnancy-body/)
- [Tummy Muscle Separation (Diastasis Recti Abdominis)](https://thepogp.co.uk/patient_information/womens_health/tummy_muscle_separation.aspx)
- [NHS — Your post-pregnancy body](https://www.nhs.uk/baby/support-and-services/your-post-pregnancy-body/)
- [NHS — Your post-pregnancy body](https://www.nhs.uk/baby/support-and-services/your-post-pregnancy-body/)

---
Reviewed by Dr Clare Bourne, Consultant Pelvic and Digestive Health Physiotherapist | [Medical Board](https://blog.bloume.com/postpartum/medical-board.md) | August 2026