Postpartum Fitness & Nutrition Blog

“Help! My Diastasis Isn’t Healing!” Don’t Forget to Try This.

You’ve been doing all the “how to fix diastasis” exercises.

And avoiding all the “don’t do these” exercises.

You’re working hard. Trying your best.

But you’re still not seeing the progress you’d hoped for.

So what gives?

Why won’t your diastasis just go ahead and heal already?

Well there’s a key piece of the puzzle that a lot of moms don’t even realize is the #1 reason they aren’t getting the results they want.

And if you aren’t implementing this simple strategy on a daily basis, all that hard work could be in vain.

How I’m Getting Ready(ish) For Baby #2

The first time I did this I had no idea what I was doing.

I had no experience with labour, nursing, changing a 1 day old baby…

It was all new and slightly terrifying.

Now with baby #2 coming in a couple short months I’ve been busy planning and organizing my life (and my family’s life) to get ready.

And it feels good because I have a better idea of what I can possibly expect.

I’m definitely still nervous but also hopeful that my previous experience will serve me well.

Even though I feel like I can’t remember half of the things I knew!

P.S. Do you remember how to swaddle? Ha! I’m realizing I’ve forgotten so much and will probably be on Google asking all kinds of random questions at 2am 😉

What I do know is that I want to be as prepared as possible for this baby so that all our lives will be as happy as possible.

I know there will be hard days and tough times.

But I’m also not dwelling on the horribleness of it all.

I’m not assuming the worst, while also not expecting the best.

I’m neutral. Staying flexible. And doing what I can to ensure I’m not a total stress ball at all times for those first few weeks of newborn craziness.

Here’s what that looks like for me.

How to Stop Caring About Having the Perfect Post-Baby Body

I love the body positivity movement.

I love that we’re embracing all shapes and sizes and body types and the extra skin and fat and cellulite.

I love the message “love your body”.

The problem is that it’s so, so much easier said than done.

We’re told to love our bodies – stretch marks and all. Because a miracle happened within the embrace of those stretch marks.

But when you’re living in a society that screams “love your body!” then whispers “but change so that you don’t look like you had a baby” it can be hard to not wish your body looked a certain way.

This can lead to feeling like you’re not good enough and can make your postpartum recovery that much harder because you’re under this insane pressure to “bounce back”.

The good news is there’s hope (as there always is).

And you can get to a place of greater peace with your body.

Here’s how.

11 Easy, Wholesome Breakfasts That’ll Give You More Energy Today

Mornings are tough.

Your baby is fussy and won’t let you set her down for a second so you need something you can eat with one hand.

You’re rushing to get ready for work and between trying to sneak in a shower and wrangling your toddler into the carseat to beat traffic and get to daycare, you don’t have time to cook a complicated breakfast. You need to grab and go.

You’ve got a million things on your mind and the last thing you want to do is stress over what to eat for breakfast.

You’ve got all this on your plate and you know you can make healthier choices that don’t give you that mid-morning hangry crash – you know, the one where you need a snack right now or else someone might lose their head.

But you’re just not sure where to start.

So what’s a mom to do?

Read on, because I’ve got you covered!

If You’ve Got Diastasis, Do You Have to Stay Away From Crunches & Planks Forever?

“I just had my baby 6 months ago and I ended up with about a 3 finger wide diastasis above my belly button.

I’ve been able to get it down to 1 1/2 finger-widths and it’s basically stayed there. I want to try doing planks and crunches and stuff again but I’m wondering if I should stay away from them until the muscles come together more (if that’s even possible)?

And if they do come back together, can I start doing crunches and stuff again without worrying about opening the gap back up?”

I get some version of this question in my inbox or via Facebook or Instagram pretty regularly.

It’s a super common issue, and a very valid question.

If your diastasis is essentially “healed” – you’ve regained function back in your core – can you get back into all the crunches and planks and such you were staying away from before?

Well before we get to the nitty-gritty of answering that question, first I need you to ponder this one…

How to Make Your Healthy Habits Stick Around (For Longer Than a Week)

Does this sound familiar?

You set a goal, decide you’re going to adopt a healthy habit, say you’re finally going to do that thing you promised yourself you’d do for months.

You strap in.

You start off strong.

You’re motivated.

You’re feeling good.

You’re doing it!

Then something happens.

You get derailed, bored, go on vacation and can’t get back on that horse again.

It’s so frustrating!

You just wish you could say you’ll do something, then do it without constantly falling off the wagon at some point.

But no matter how hard you try, how many times you set a goal, how many ways you try to convince yourself that this is your moment, you just can’t seem to make it happen.

The truth is that sometimes it’s really not about having more willpower, being super motivated, loving yourself enough to do it, or anything like that.