QuestionHi Helene,
After reading great reviews for your book, I decided to ship your DVD to Dubai ! I am one year post partum with my second baby. She was relatively big at 4.1 kgs (C-sec) and i had a huge protruding belly while I was pregnant with her and it looked like my belly was a separate ball that was attached. I am 5'.3" and weigh 61 kgs now. And I look 7mts pregnant even now. I checked and may have a gap of 3 finger widths in my lower abdomen. We want to have another baby and am worried I am not in good shape for this. I don't feel confident that my tummy will go back in since its really huge, even though the rest of me looks slim. Also, is it possible to do something during the next C-sec with the 3rd baby, so that I don't have such a huge belly.
Also, am worried about what sort of cardio exercises I can do without worsening the gap; is the cross-trainer ok? What cardio exercises can I do at home?
Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks a ton in advance!
Deepa.
AnswerTo flatten your abdomen and close diastasis, you need to first build A LOT of strength in your deepest abdominal muscle, your Transverse Abdominis. Try to do the "Belly Lacing" exercise daily to strengthen this muscle.
Also, take the time to teach your body how to do the "Hollow Pelvic Tilt" (called Belly Scooping in the DVD) exercise really well. These two exercises form the technical basis for the rest of my program.
Try to get as strong as possible before your next pregnancy. In your next pregnancy, there are exercises to maintain strength and functional control in your Transverse Abdominis to prevent/lessen the severity on the condition. You can see these exercises on page: http://befitmom.com/abdominal_separation.html
Some doctors will place a few stitches across the mid line connective tissue as part of a C-section, you should discuss this option with your doctor. Most will not want to make this surgical correction until after a women is sure that she will not have any more babies.
Low impact cardio exercises are safe.
