Pregnancy is a rollercoaster-ride of changes to the female body, not least of which is the expansion of the abdomen to fit the growing baby. As the belly stretches, so do the muscles that cover it. These muscles are then held in a stretched position until the baby is born, and because of this will lose some strength and elasticity. This article will guide you towards regaining a toned abdomen post-childbirth.
After childbirth, yoga practice can help relieve back pain by finding core strength.
The Myth of the Six-Pack
Most people know about the coveted “six-pack” called the rectus abdominus, and they lie uppermost on the abdomen, so they are often considered a sign of health and core strength. However, there are several other muscle groups that make up the abdomen, and are equally important for overall core health.
Picture the abdomen as a precious package that holds within it many major systems of the body (like digestion and reproduction) but without the protective covering of the ribcage. It would make sense to wrap this package in every direction, the way you would wrap a package in tape, to provide the greatest coverage for those important organs. In addition to the “six-pack” muscles, there are two sets of opposing diagonal muscles that wrap around the sides of the torso. There’s also a wide band of muscle that wraps horizontally like a cummerbund and attaches onto the back of the body. All of these muscles overlap each other to provide maximum coverage to the precious organs (and precious baby in utero!) beneath. And so they all need strengthening to create a support system for the lower back.
What Happens To Muscles After Childbirth
During pregnancy, these different layers of muscles get stretched to accommodate the growing baby. For about one-third of all pregnant women, the “six-pack” muscles will actually split down the middle at some point during pregnancy, labor, or delivery, a condition called diastasis recti. Although not especially dangerous, this condition does tend to lead to greater lower back pain, as the core muscles are not able to work as effectively. After childbirth, the abdominal muscles are no longer being held in that stretched out position, but they have lost a lot of their elasticity and strength. Apart from our vanity that propels us to get that “six-pack” back, we need all of those muscles to support the body while taking care of the baby’s many and varied needs!
1. Relieve Lower Back Pain with Self-Massage If you are currently experiencing lower back pain, I recommend self massage at home with the Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Balls. You’ll experience the relief of deep muscle relaxation after only a few sessions.
2. Begin A Core Strength Routine To build core strength, begin to add yoga fitness to your daily routine with a beginner yoga dvd.
3. Get Stronger and Stronger! For a more advanced core strength program, you can increase the difficulty of your routine with a more challenging yoga exercise program.
A strong and well-functioning core after childbirth will not only support your lower back but will increase your overall health and energy!
The miracles of childbirth are often a mystery to men. Isn’t it hard enough to pass a whole person through the obturator foramen? The amount of damage that can take place by compression and tearing of all those important organs in the pleural cavity was known to me, but it was interesting to hear that the rectus abdominus might actually tear down the linea alba. In any kind of muscular or ligament injury I can see strengthening the muscles would be beneficial.
Thanks! I never knew that the “six-pack” muscles will actually split down the middle at some point during pregnancy, labor, or delivery, a condition called diastasis recti.
Great article. I am currently working on my core strength after two pregnancies, and am finding myself getting stronger every day. I just learned how to massage my lower back with the yoga tune up balls and it feels wonderful. Thanks!
nice- it seems like with more weight anteriorly there will be a tendency for the spine to be drawn into chronic flexion. strengthening the erector spinae and multifidus might all be really helpful in retaining overall postural health and balance.
Great article about a common issue with diastasis recti during pregnancy! I teach Pilates and have done pre/post natal training for Pilates. Once the rectus abdominal muscle splits, it is really hard to get it back together. Some of my clients have a 2 inch wide gap in their abdominals even 1 year post partum. One of the ways we learned to help lesson the risk of diastasis recti is to teach women to breath and let go right at the beginning of pregnancy. If a woman has really over-developed rectus abdominals, we learned that it can increase her risk for the separation to occur as the muscles are so tight that they cannot stretch to accommodate the pregnancy. Pre-natal pilates exercises are altered to reduce use of the rectus (no sit up type forward flexion of the spine!) and recruit more obliques and transverse abdominals. But a huge focus is also on breath work to learn to relax and be open to all the changes your body is going through, I am excited to be studying yoga now as well, and I am sure I will learn even more about relaxation and breath work for all — pregnant or not!
Before pregnancy at 5′3 & 115 Ibs I never imagined having a 10Ib 8 oz baby girl. Thankfully after many hours of intense labor a C-section was an option. However, I have had diastasis for many years. I love your recommendations on stretching your low back & strengthening your core . Since practicing yoga I no longer deal with the low back pain that is common with this condition. My core is stronger now than before children & I love sharing my progress with others. It is wonderful to offer hope to students who have stories of C-sections, week abdominal, and diastasis.