Postpartum Fitness & Nutrition Blog

How I’m Healing My Diastasis After Baby #2

It sure feels like everywhere you look someone’s talking about diastasis recti.

And with so much information out there it can feel overwhelming and anxiety-boosting.

There are so many ideas on…

What to do.

What not to do.

What “healed” even means.

How to even check it or assess it in the first place.

The truth is that diastasis is a very normal, natural part of pregnancy and could actually be protective of your pelvic floor (maybe even helping prevent other issues like pelvic organ prolapse).

It’s honestly not something to freak out about – unless it’s not healing well (you’ve got a deep, big gap beyond 2ish finger-widths and your linea alba isn’t responding well to be challenged – more on that here) or it’s impacting your life/exercise life in some way.

But I get that there’s so much (scary) information out there about diastasis (and how “ruined” your body is) that you’re wondering what you can do to help ensure your abs heal, and heal well.

So I thought it would be helpful to share what I’ve been doing post-baby #2 to help my own core and pelvic floor recover.

8 Essentials I’m Packing in My Hospital Bag (That Weren’t There The First Time)

You know how you can get a lot of great suggestions and tips by Googling and asking friends and family, but there’s nothing like going through an experience yourself to really understand and appreciate what it’s all about?

I remember Googling what to pack in my hospital bag for my first baby and I ended up being pretty well prepared.

But now that I’m about to become a second time mom – and I’m coming into this with a lot more research under my belt – my hospital bag has some essential extras that weren’t in there the first time.

Of course I have the diapers, comfy pants, a sweet playlist, my phone charger…

But beyond that I’ve added some simple additions that I have a feeling will make my labour and postpartum experience different than the last time. Good different.

And I wanted to share what I’m bringing with you because I have a feeling these could end up making your labour and postpartum experience in the hospital (or home if you’re opting for a home birth) as positive an experience as possible, too.

Here’s what I’m adding to my bag.

P.S. Most of these things go beyond the labour and delivery and will be super helpful in those early postpartum days where my body (and yours) needs all the healing help it can get!

“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!