Do you have diastasis recti after child birth?

Recently I saw this article on diastasis recti and set me wondering what is it and do I have it.

Have you experienced what we have? 

No matter what exercises I did, I still have a tummy that looks like 4-5 months pregnant. Hence, I set forth to seek some info on it after some chance upon this diastasis recti picture. And now I like to shed some light on this condition and let mothers know that finally, we have the answers to our preggy-lookalike tummy and with great effort we can get rid of it too.

I understand that it's depressing to know that we still look pregnant while others do not even have to go through any slimming regime.  We do not want to give up but it seems nothing can help unless we go for plastic surgery.

Different bodies need different treatment and hence, I am excited to start working on it, though I admitted that I was freak out and sad at the beginning to know that I had abdominal separation.

An extract from Wiki:

Diastasis recti (also known as ) defined as a separation of therectus abdominis muscle into right and left halves.

The distance between the right and left rectus abdominis muscles is created by the stretching of the linea alba which connects the two regions.

Diastasis of this muscle occurs principally in two populations: newborns and pregnant women. But anyone can has it too including men.

(However we like to focus on post delivery instead.) 

In pregnant or postpartum women, the condition is caused by the stretching of the rectus abdominis by the growing uterus. It is more common in multiparous women due to repeated episodes of stretching. 

When the defect occurs during pregnancy, the uterus can sometimes be seen bulging through the abdominal wall beneath the skin. Women are more susceptible to develop diastasis recti when over the age of 35, high birth weight of child, multiple birth pregnancy, and multiple pregnancies. Additional causes can be attributed to excessive abdominal exercises after the first trimester of pregnancy.

For a detailed read, click on link, http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diastasis_recti.

Before you even exit our page, I like to emphasised on a few pointers and just a little more info on it since it is not a simple issue and can lead to other conditions if left untreated.

How can I Reduce My Risk of Developing Diastasis Recti in Pregnancy or Repair it Afterwards?

1. Exercise regularly and appropriately! Several studies have shown that women with no or mild diastasis recti were more likely to be exercising regularly than women with moderate or severe diastasis. Do not do strenuous exercise while pregnant but moderately.

2. Avoid gaining excessive amounts of weight while pregnant.

3. Check your alignment. Alignment is a huge component in any pressure related body ailment, including diastasis recti. This is especially important when lifting heavy objects, such as older children or when strength training. A tilted pelvis will push your uterus against your abdominal wall, creating even more pressure.

4. The definite NO NOs! Avoid exercises that exacerbate diastasis recti after the first trimester and immediately postpartum. This includes sit-ups, crunch movements, oblique twists, and plank-position exercises.

5. Performing transverse abdominal (TVA) focused exercises while pregnant will reduce your risk of diastasis recti postpartum. Studies have shown a significant difference in diastasis recti incidence between pregnant women who are active in TVA engagement and pregnant women who are sedentary. TVA training postpartum will help to close or minimize a gap.

How do I Check for Diastasis Recti?

Click on this video to learn how to self check. In this video it also teaches pelvic tilts to help stitch back the gap of those abdominal muscles.
http://youtu.be/uzIrt82maws

How is Diastasis Recti Related to Pelvic Floor Muscles?

Your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor muscles work together. What goes up must come down, what goes in must go out – so to speak. Diastasis recti affects the pelvic floor and vice-versa. In a study of women with diastasis recti, 66% also presented pelvic floor dysfunction symptom. This includes urinary incontinence, faecal incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse symptoms.

Can I Close my Diastasis Recti Gap Years After Childbirth?

Yes!  No matter you have just given birth or it has been 3 years, you can still start on it. You can close or significantly reduce your abdominal muscle gap through rehab exercise. Severe diastasis recti that does not improve with physical therapy may need to be surgically repaired.

My Gap Isn’t Closing and what can I do?

If you’ve been trying to close your abdominal muscle gap on your own and are having no success, see a women’s health physiotherapist for further treatment.

More info:

Type of exercises suitable for closing the gap on Diastasis Recti aka Abdominal Separation or 'Mummy Tummy'

The all Natural-Homemade Postpartum Care Kit | Just too good for mothers on confinement

Giving birth requires a lot of work to recover and hence in Asia context, we have our one month confinement to nurse back our health and at the same time bond with the newborn. Not forgetting that healing can be painful and challenging.

For first time mothers especially, I recalled myself shortage of things that I actually need but never prepare. Luckily, in Singapore, shops are not too far away to send husbands to run an errand to. =p

However, maybe we can relook at our already available home items that we can make used of. And also saving on costs.


Preparing for postpartum in advance is also essential for helping guard your adjusting body against the baby blues and postpartum depression that you are susceptible to after birth.

Please note that information here are merely to educate, inspire, and motivate you to look into these issues more on your own, or to speak with your own medical practitioner for more information.


1.Postpartum Salt BathFor women going through natural birth, and there's a cut or tear to the perineum area, soak yourself for 5-10 minutes or even wash the area with a bath bath to help healing faster. Fill up warm water in a basin and dissolve in a tablespoon of salt. This can be your table salt. No, it does not sting. We tried it and it indeed help heal the perineum area faster and helps soothes the pain. You can either sit in the solution for 5-10 minutes or wash your perineum area with this after using the loo.

2. Refreshing Perineum SprayFill a small spray bottle with witch hazel and a few drops of lavender essential oil and apply to your perineum after you use the restroom.

3. Postpartum Blues SprayGeranium or bergamot essential oils are excellent to prevent post-partum depression, so dilute a 2-3 drops in a small spray bottle or diffuse around the room to help balance all those adjusting hormones. A small spray bottle with this concoction is another great gift for a new mommy.

4. Homemade Mother’s Milk TeaYes, you need it for the hearty production of your milk supply.
Please refer to the recipe at this link.

If you have more good ideas to share, please drop us a note so that mothers can get prepared. =)

All Natural-Homemade Mother’s Milk Tea Recipe

Here's a good receipe for an all natural homemade Mother's Milk Tea for nursing mothers.

Mother’s Milk Tea
1/2 cup nettle leaf, dried (a vitamin factory, high in calcium, iron, potassium, etc. -strengthens and tones entire system)
1/2 cup red raspberry leaf, dried (nourishing tonic for the reproductive system, high in calcium)
1/4 cup alfalfa leaf, dried (a superlative restorative tonic, rebuilding vitality and boosting milk supply)
1/4 cup dandelion leaf, dried (beneficial for all conditions due to the wonderful source of minerals, vitamins, fiber, and micronutrients)
1/4 cup fennel seed (Increase milk production and tone the digestive system, curtailing colic and indigestion) – you could also substitute fennel with any of these seeds: anise, cumin, caraway, coriander or dill
1/4 cup blessed thistle, dried (Stimulates the milk flow and helps restore vitality to weary mothers)
ground cinnamon, to flavor

You can coose to make a smaller or larger portion; just adjust accordingly the proportions.

Combine herbs well and cover securely with a lid. Store in a dark cupboard as light will cause nutrition lose. Use about 1 tablespoon herbs per cup of boiling water. Allow to steep covered for 15 minutes before consuming. Best results if you consumed 3-5 cups per day. You can change this recipe as desired, if you do not have access to all these herbs. The best galactic herbs are nettle, alfalfa, blessed thistle, and red raspberry leaf. The other herbs add wonderful nutrition and are healing to the body. The herbs can be rather bland and grassy tasting on their own, so I added cinnamon (about 1-2 tsp for this quantity), which provided a delightful flavoring. You could try chamomile or lemon balm as an alternative. A teaspoon of honey tops it off for a refreshing tea beverage.

Use french press or tea bags for this recipe with perfect results. If this are not available, simply filter it off with sift.

Some other methods of increasing milk supply include:

Oatmeal- a good bowl of oatmeal daily is an excellent means of increasing your milk supply. Have it as breakfast.

Bump Up the Calcium – Loading up on calcium is very valuable.

Liquids – drink lots of water and papaya fish soup!

Rest – when the body is weary, it will not be so inclined to produce milk.

Fenugreek – I have been taking a fenugreek supplement in capsule form for its helpful benefits of increasing milk supply. Fenugreek can also be added to the mother’s milk tea listed above.

Pregnancy is not necessarily becoming FAT if you know how to care for yourself

What most women fear…. Being FAT! However, it’s really not posible not to put on weight during pregnancy. Why are some mothers so thin with only a tummy protruding out but some blow up like a balloon everywhere?

By the end of your pregnancy, your extra weight gain should be around 10 to 12kg to be normal.
For practical reasons the pregnancy is divided into three periods:

1. the first period runs from week 0 to 12 where it is normal to gain 1 to 2kg
2. the second period runs from weeks 12 to 28 in which it is normal to gain 300 to 400g a week.
3. the third period runs from weeks 28 to 40 and it is normal to gain 1 to 3kg a month.

It is not necessary to be obsessive about your weight during pregnancy. However, excess weight gain is probably best avoided since most women will want to return to the same dress size within a few months of delivery.


Where do the extra kilos come from?
A baby weighs approximately 2.5 - 3.5kg before birth
The uterus grows to approximately 900g
The placenta weighs approximately 650g
The amniotic fluid weighs approximately 800g
The woman's breasts grow by approximately 400g
The weight of the extra blood is approximately 1.25kg
Water retained in the body tissues weighs approximately 2kg
The layer of fat beneath the skin weighs approximately 1.7kg


How to prevent getting putting on the unnecessary fats and your unborn baby gets the essential food and grows well? You will have to decide for yourself and get your gynae's recommendations.

Eat for 2? True or False?
It is not true that a pregnant woman should eat for two people. What is true is that during a pregnancy, a woman has to provide good nutrition for two individuals – herself and the baby. The growing baby gets all its nourishment from its mother through the umbilical cord, so diet is very important during this stage. If the mother is lacking in any vitamins and nutrients her baby might lack them too.

If a woman has had trouble keeping her weight up or down before the pregnancy, she should make a nutritional plan with the help of her gynae.

How much energy does a woman need during pregnancy?

• A woman who is not pregnant needs approximately 2100 calories per day.
• A pregnant woman needs approximately 2500 calories per day.
• A breastfeeding woman needs approximately 3000 calories per day.

What sort of food should pregnant women eat?
- A well-balanced diet should contain something from all the food groups: dairy products, fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, fat and carbohydrates. A pregnant woman needs to eat something from all these food groups every day in order to get the proper amounts of energy.
- Approximately 10 per cent of calories should come from protein. Protein is mainly found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy products and beans.
- Approximately 35 per cent of calories should come from fat, which is mainly found in butter, oils, margarine, dairy products and nuts.
- Approximately 55 per cent of calories should come from carbohydrates, which are found in bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, corn and other grain products.

Supplements

• Folic acid

During the first three months of pregnancy (and preferably before becoming pregnant) a woman needs folic acid. This is one of the B-group vitamins and is also known as vitamin B9. It is important during pregnancy for the creation of the baby's nervous system.

It can help prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida and other congenital malformations such as cleft palate or cleft lip.


Sources of folic acid are barley beans, fruit, green vegetables, orange juice, lentils, peas and rice. It is recommended that all pregnant women take a daily 400 microgram supplement of folic acid a day for two months before conception and three months into their pregnancy. The dosage of the supplement should be larger approximately 5mg per day .

• Iron

During pregnancy, a woman's body needs more iron than usual to produce all the blood needed to supply nutrition to the placenta. Good sources of iron are green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach, strawberries, muesli and wholemeal bread.
Iron is more easily absorbed if it is taken in conjunction with vitamin C - either as a supplement or in citrus fruit or juice. Tea and coffee can interfere with the body's absorption of iron.

It is often recommended that all pregnant women take an iron supplement every day from the 20th week of pregnancy. This is not necessary if a woman has a good diet and routine blood tests show that she is not anaemic. Iron supplements however may cause constipation.

• Zinc and calcium

The minerals zinc and calcium are also needed for the development of the embryo. However, it is usually possible to obtain enough zinc and calcium by following a varied diet alone.

Remember, the goal of prenatal vitamins is to supplement your diet, not to replace it. Eating a balanced diet is still the best nutrition for your baby. Prenatal vitamin supplements cannot make up for poor eating habits.

What should be avoided during pregnancy?

• Vitamin A

Excess amounts may cause damage to the embryo. Foods containing large amounts of vitamin A include liver, and should be eaten on an occasional basis only.

• Unpasteurized cheeses, blue-veined cheeses

These are not recommended because of the possible risk of transmission of infectious diseases such as Listeria.


Prenatal/Maternal Milk
There are many brands on the shelf that you can consume while pregnant. This milk provides the vitamins needed during pregnancy. If you are already taking in the supplements, always ask your doctor for advice if there’s a need to drink the milk.

Tonics
Chinese herbs have a long history behind them and some people do actually benefit from them. Always consult your doctors before you decide to take them as different women reacts differently to the same kind of herbs due to different health constitute.

Have a wonderful pregnancy.

Post-natal needs...a happy occasion

In the chinese zodiac calendar,  this 2014 is the horse year. And no wonder we have many friends having a baby. Congrats. We are definitely delighted and excited for their delivery, welcoming new babies along the year.

Pregnancy is definitely a wonderful experience a woman can go through. Some women like me likes giving birth but not the days of pregnancy. Oops. That's my honest feedback as I was vomiting all day long for the months.

And Thank God, we can pamper ourselves after delivery.  Asians do go through 1 month of confinement to get back our health.

Well, Embassy of Babies is always bringing you items that are wonderful.

We are bringing in confinement products and hampers. Great for happy occasions.

So stay tuned to our social platforms and you will be in for a series of surprises.

A peep into one of our hampers.

Have a great weekend.  Cheers...