Postpartum Ab Separation: Understanding Diastasis Recti & Exercise

Question
Helene, I notice a gap in my abs muscles after my pregnancy.  My baby is 7 months old now.  I know I am not supposed to .... but when I do a crunch with my head & shoulders off the floor & my abs muscles RELAXED at the top of the crunch, my recti muscles are right next to each other (less than 1 finger width).  But then when I pull my belly button in at the top of the same crunch, I feel my gap widens to 3 finger width.  Does sucking my tummy in actually stretches or widens the midline?  When I suck my tummy in before I raise my head & shoulders off the floor, the gap stays at 3 finger width.  Why should I suck my tummy in during a crunch when it widens my gap or midline?  Would my midline close after 7 months postpartum?

Thanks,
Samantha

Answer
Since your gap closes during a crunch, this tells me that your muscles are functioning correctly (at least most of the time) and you do not need to worry about too much stress on your mid line.

But your description of how the gap reappears is unusual. Most likely, you are recruiting your diaphragm when you try to "suck in" you abs. This is a common problem. Start to do lots of Transverse Abdominis isolation exercises to teach your body how to contract this muscle while breathing normally.