Understanding Diastasis Recti Postpartum: Common Signs and Symptoms

Diastasis recti—a separation of the abdominal muscles that can leave you feeling less than your strongest self. So, how do you know if you might have it? Let’s dive into the common signs and symptoms of diastasis recti postpartum and what they might mean for you.

What Is Diastasis Recti, Anyway?

Before we get into the signs, a quick explainer: Diastasis recti happens when the rectus abdominis muscles (those “six-pack” muscles) separate along the midline of your belly. Diastasis is the weakening of your linea alba - the connective tissue between your 6-pack muscles.

During pregnancy, your growing uterus stretches these muscles to make room for your baby, and sometimes they don’t fully come back together after delivery. While it’s super common—studies suggest up to 60% of women experience it postpartum—it’s not always talked about enough.  

9 Common Symptoms of Diastasis Recti

While there are many signs and symptoms of diastasis recti, here are the 9 most common we help women with inside the Natal App.

Feeling a 'gap' in the center of your abs:

Want to check for yourself? Lie on your back with your knees bent, lift your head slightly, and gently press your fingers along the midline of your belly, from just above your navel to below it. If you feel a soft gap that’s more than one finger-width wide, you might have diastasis recti.

Belly distention / the mom 'pooch':

One of the most noticeable signs of diastasis recti is a persistent belly bulge that doesn’t seem to go away, even as you lose baby weight. It might look like you’re still a few months pregnant, especially when you stand up or engage your core. This isn’t just extra skin or fat—it’s often the result of that gap between your abdominal muscles, which can cause your belly to protrude.

Squishy midline or a general feeling of core weakness

Feel like your midsection just isn’t as strong as it used to be? Noticing it in weird ways during everyday tasks, like lifting your baby's car seat or sitting up out of bed? Diastasis recti can leave you with a sense of instability in your abdominal wall because those muscles aren’t working together as they should. It’s not just about aesthetics—your core plays a huge role in posture and strength, too.

Coning at the midline of your abs

Lie on your back, lift your head slightly (like you’re starting a crunch), and look at your belly. Do you see a ridge or tenting popping up down the center, almost like your makes triangle? That’s called “coning” and it’s a classic symptom of diastasis recti. It happens because the separated muscles can’t fully support your internal pressure. Pressure will move towards path of least resistants aka the weakened tissue down your midline.

Back pain

Surprise—your abs and back are besties! When your abdominal muscles are separated, they can’t support your spine as well, which might lead to nagging lower back pain. If you’ve been chalking it up to sleepless nights or carrying your little one around, diastasis recti could actually be a sneaky culprit.

Umbilical hernia

While not every umbilical hernia is caused by diastasis recti, the two are linked often enough that doctors consider an umbilical hernia a potential red flag. If you notice a soft, squishy lump near your belly button that gets bigger when you stand or strain—and especially if you’ve got other signs like a persistent pooch or core weakness—it’s worth checking for diastasis recti. The good news? Both conditions can often be addressed with targeted exercises or, in some cases, medical intervention if needed.

Pelvic pain

The abdominal muscles support the pelvis, and vice-versa, so when they weaken or separated, they can't support the pelvis as well. This can put extra strain on the pelvic floor muscles and pelvis, causing discomfort and chronic pain.

Poor posture

Your core, pelvic floor, and posture are interconnected. A weakened core, a common consequence of diastasis recti, can lead to poor posture and difficulty supporting the body's weight. 

'Offline' lower abs

'Offline' lower abs refers to severely weakened lower abdominal muscles that are no longer contributing. When your lower abs are weak, this causes your pelvis to either spill forward (an anterior pelvic tilt - APT) or backward (you'll grip in your glutes) to provide the necessary support that is lacking.

Okay, so we learned about the Abdominal Separation GAP, but what about the DEPTH of that Gap?

The width of a diastasis recti gap is starting to become common knowledge, but what's actually more telling is the depth of squishiness of the tissue. 

This tells us the INTEGRITY of the linea alba.

The "depth" aspect of a diastasis recti gap often relates to how much the connective tissue has stretched or thinned, allowing internal pressure, organs or abdominal contents to push forward (sometimes causing that bulge we mentioned earlier). This isn’t typically measured in precise depth units (like millimeters into the abdomen) but is assessed by palpation. You can press into the gap to feel how deep the laxity extends or how much resistance the linea alba offers. If the tissue feels soft or the fingers sink in easily, it suggests weaker connective tissue integrity.

We need strong, firm connective tissue for optimal core function. (You can actually have optimal core and pelvic floor function with even a 1 finger gap!) A shallow or narrow gap might not cause issues, while a wider, deeper separation could lead to worse symptoms.

The Connection Between Your Diastasis Recti & Pelvic Floor Muscles

You Abdominal muscles and pelvic floor muscles are all interconnected. When one component—like the abdominal wall in diastasis recti—is compromised, it can disrupt the balance and function of the entire system, including the pelvic floor.

Core Canister: Think of the core as a pressurized canister. The diaphragm forms the top, the pelvic floor muscles are the bottom, the transverse abdominis (deep abdominal muscle) forms the front and sides, and the spinal muscles form the back. The rectus abdominis muscles, though more superficial, contributes to overall stability. In diastasis recti, the separation of the rectus muscles stretches and weakens the linea alba (the connective tissue midline), reducing the abdominal wall’s ability to generate tension and support this canister.

Pressure Dynamics: The pelvic floor muscles and abdominal muscles work together to manage intra-abdominal pressure (e.g., during coughing, lifting, or bearing down). If the abdominal wall is weakened by diastasis recti, it can’t effectively counter pressure, forcing the pelvic floor to bear more load. Over time, this can strain or weaken the pelvic floor muscles.

Reciprocal Effect: A weak or dysfunctional pelvic floor can also exacerbate diastasis recti. If the pelvic floor can’t provide a stable base, the abdominal muscles (including the transverse abdominis) struggle to engage properly, delaying healing of the rectus separation or worsening the gap during activities that increase abdominal pressure (e.g., improper exercise).

Remember... a 'gap' or 'Diastasis' is just ONE symptom of core dysfunction. It’s not just these tissues, but the WHOLE core system that is affected.

How to Fix Diastasis Recti & Heal Your Core & Pelvic Floor Postpartum

Yes, the good news is this CAN be corrected - through specific core and pelvic floor exercise, you can close your gap and strengthen the integrity of your tissues, as well as correct your posture, strengthen your pelvic floor, and lose all unwanted symptoms!

What we need to do is correct the pelvic floor dysfunction, release the tight muscles, strengthen the weak muscles, teach the body how to activate properly, and distribute and manage inter-abdominal pressure properly. We need to re-learn how to get that entire core canister working together optimally again.

We do this in the Natal App Ab Rehab program through re-learning range of motion, breathing techniques, and core-corrective pelvic floor, abdominal, glute, and posture exercises. We focus on healing your core and pelvic floor postpartum completely, from the inside out, giving you a flatter, stronger, and more functional core!

Our Ab Rehab program inside the Natal App will address ALL symptoms of core dysfunction, including both the width and depth of your Diastasis Recti! 

And remember...

It's NEVER too late to heal, no matter how many years postpartum you are!

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