AboutHelene Byrne Expertise I can answer all questions regarding prenatal and postpartum fitness and exercise.
I will not answer any questions that are not related to prenatal and postpartum fitness and exercise. I will not answer questions regarding getting pregnant, or signs or symtoms, only fitness and exercise during and after pregnancy.
No due dates, medical problems during pregnancy, signs or symtpoms of pregnancy, pregnancy tests, vaginal problems/smells/discharge, periods or ovulation.
Experience Pre-and-Postnatal Exercise Specialist
ACE certified Personal Trainer
Author: "Exercise After Pregnancy: How to Look and Feel Your Best" Book
Author: "Bounce Back Fast! Post Natal Core Conditioning" DVD
Founder: BeFit-Mom
Teacher: Post Pregnancy Exercise Workshops
Organizations IDEA Health and Fitness Association
Publications numerous regional parenting magazine
Education/Credentials Dancing Thru Pregnancy, Pre/Post Natal Exercise Specialist Certification 2000
Resist-a-Ball Core Program, 1999
American Council on Exercise, Personal Trainer Certificate, 1999
Peak Performance, San Francisco, CA, Pilates Instructor Training Program, 1992
Health and Fitness Institute, Cal State Hayward, Personal Trainer Certificate, 1990
American College of Sports Medicine, Group Exercise Leader, 1989
Boston Conservatory, BFA/Dance, 1982
Awards and Honors �Bounce Back Fast! Post Natal Core Conditioning�, 2005. Winner of the Platinum Award from the Family Review Center, 2007.
I worked out a lot during my 1st Pregnancy and did a lot of Pilates as well.
I had my first child 20 months ago and had a serious divarication following this of 8 centimetres, using your DVD and Pilates I was able to reduce the gap to 2 fingers. My stomach still had a slightly uneven appearance in profile.
I am now 11 weeks into my 2nd pregnancy and I can already see that my belly button is popping out and my belly looks odd much more pooched out down the midline. I am not sure if there is anything I can do during the pregnancy to reduce the risk of serious damage
Thanks
Susanna
Answer Most likely, your abs will separate again. For some women, this is how their bodies respond to pregnancy. So don't blame yourself for doing something wrong.
To lessen the amount of separation, you should try to get your Transverse Abdominis (TvA) as strong as possible, and maintain as much strength as you can as your abdomen expands.
Conversely, you should also refrain from all movements that stretch your mid line and exercises that flex the upper body off the floor, like crunches and all Pilates exercises that utilize the "head float" position.
Make sure that as your pregnancy progresses, you prevent your pelvis from tipping (or as much as you can) because this common pregnancy posture increases the stress on the mid line. To view illustrations of how pregnancy can impact posture go to: http://www.befitmom.com/physiological_adaptations.html
You should perform TvA isolations daily to strengthen the muscle. These can be done side-lying, sitting, or standing. My web site features two safe TvA standing variations that you can do throughout your pregnancy. Since your first separation was severe, I suggest that you add on manual splinting of the Rectus Abdominis as you do both of them. For the exercise descriptions go to: http://www.befitmom.com/strength_training.html and scroll down to the bottom of the page.
