Diastasis Recti - does this impact having a natural birth?

I’m 36 weeks and at around 25 weeks I discovered I had abdominal separation as I noticed my stomach would cone when sitting up or moving a certain way. I have a few concerns, one being vanity related and being worried I’ll be left with a lot of wrinkly saggy skin on my stomach once I’ve given birth. I’ve come more to terms with this as my post pregnancy body is the body I carried my child in so I’m not going to feel ashamed but I do feel like I’m going to be self conscious. Also, does it cause any extra discomfort during the labor? Is there anything I can do before to help?

Show your support

I mentioned this to my physio and she didn’t seem concerned at all, I think it’s really normal and I’m planning on doing some gentle online yoga to encourage it to “knit” back together after birth x

Very normal that they separate. Best wait to see after baby is here to see impact. Most women’s stomach will cone when pregnant when sitting up etc. even people 6 six packs have a separation. You can see the gap down the middle x

I had this with my first and I snapped straight back to normal and never had any saggy skin at all on my stomach… I have it again this time and I’m guessing it will go again like it did with my first but who knows! I think saggy skin and all of that all comes down to genetics x

DR comes back together after birth. But do see a women's physio afterwards for guidance! Every woman should do this to check abs, pelvic floor etc.x

Coning doesn't necessarily mean you have DR, it just means at the point of seeing it you were putting pressure on your abs that they were struggling with. The only way to know for certain is post birth and a physical check with a specialist physiotherapist. Being mindful of how you move/use your abs will help reduce the risk of DR, aka, avoid anything that causes coning! It doesn't impact birth at all

Thank you everyone 🥰❤️

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌

‌

‌
‌