divided ab muscles, what's that called?

[crazyrunningmama]

Cause I've got it. And do I need to worry about it? And how do I fix it?

[ivymae]

Diasis recti. Do a bit of googling - there are postures and ways of moving during pregnancy to limit how much further it spreads, and then there are exercises you can do postpartum to rebuild the area. There are also loads of exercises you should avoid, so make note of those. It can be harmless to a degree, but having a strong core will help you avoid issues later in life (bowel and bladder issues are a lot more common in women with diasis recti from a pregnancy).

[earthyamber]

I have it pretty bad. It happened with my first and got worse with my second. It has been 5 years since having my daughter was born and I can still feel the gap inbetween my muscles and the top part of my belly is hard and bulges out (midwife said it is because of my muscles). I wish I would have done something during pregnancy and after to correct it! So, this pregnancy I am going to work on not letting it get worse. I would google and find ways to help it. Good luck!

[somegirl99]

Julie Tupler's books Maternal Fitness (for pregnancy) and Lose Your Mummy Tummy (for post-partum) address diastasis in great detail. I believe she also has DVDs and a website.

[RedOakMomma]

I have it from my first pregnancy (15 pounds of twins at 40 weeks...OOF!), but it hasn't gotten any worse since then, even in my next (singleton) pregnancy. I don't notice anything from it, other than my waistline being a little thicker than it used to be. It's also weird to be able to palpate the area and feel your artery pulse as it heads down to your legs...bizarre!