02/18/2026
Let’s raise the bar on this conversation.
Medical definition:
Diastasis recti is the separation of the re**us abdominis muscles caused by stretching, thinning and elongation of the linea alba (the connective tissue that joins abdominal muscle bellies).
Clinically, it’s defined by an increased inter-re**us distance, not “ab weakness,” “mom pooch,” or the ability to wear a bikini… it is an actual measurable structural change.
How common is it?
Statistics vary, with evidence citing 60% to even 100% having it in late pregnancy. And around 30–40% still have measurable separation months postpartum. In other words, it is a normal physiologic adaptation but that doesn’t mean it’s meaningless, cosmetic, or something to guess your way through on Instagram.
What prevents it? Worsens it?
Here’s where the internet gets loud and the evidence gets quiet.
There is no high-quality evidence that any specific exercise, movement pattern, or “core rule” reliably prevents diastasis recti. Not planks. Not avoiding crunches. Not special breathing hacks. Not magic alignment cues.
Pregnancy changes connective tissue and muscle loading in ways exercise alone cannot override. You can support function and recovery- absolutely! But prevention claims are marketing, not medicine.
Evidence of specific exercise moves that make it worse are equally cloudy. No one move is off the table depending on YOU in both both pregnancy and postpartum.
As with any body tissue we must be mindful of stretch and tension over time- so having twins with a larger stretch over longer time periods can alter this as can added inappropriate loading of the core- but to what extent we are learning.
Why this matters:
When we reduce a medical diagnosis to a buzzword, we miss what actually deserves attention- nuance and physician level thinking, abdominal wall function, load transfer, symptoms, recovery timelines, and individualized strategies.
So yes… keep using it. The more we talk the more attention it gets.
But if you’re teaching about it, selling programs for it, or making promises about it, let’s hold you to a higher standard.
Anatomy first. Evidence second. Content third.
Moms deserve more 🫶🏼
