Do I have diastasis recti or just weight gain? I am so frustrated!

[brandon75689]

I am 7 months postpartum. I had my baby 3 weeks early and I had a c-section if that makes a difference at all. So I had to wait 6weeks before I could do any exercising and so I only did limited walking during that time and a lot of couch sitting and pumping. Before and during pregnancy I went pretty hard in the gym and almost had abs and was pretty toned.
I am so frustrated because I am 7 months now and yes I have lost weight but my stomach is still so squishy and seems to have fat that I can literally pinch that I’ve never had before, I can’t really explain it. I lift weights mainly and do some hiit maybe 1x a week and eat pretty healthy with intermittent fasting. It seriously feels like I have an extra layer of fat over my stomach that is just squishy, even though my abs feel stronger than they did 7 months ago (they were so weak postpartum). And to add, I didn’t even get that big when I was pregnant, my baby was born only 4 lbs 12oz.
Does anyone know what I’m talking about? Is this because of diastasis recti or is it just fat that I will have to keep working to loose? I workout so hard and eat so healthy, yet this squishyness is not like normal weight gain. It’s on my sides too and I have the mom pouch that won’t go away. I know I sound crazy but this is not like my body to be this squishy. Thank you all for your help!

 

[jik]

@brandon75689 It could be so many different things, unfortunately. There are lots of Google results for seeing if you might have diastasis recti. You should ask a doctor, or course, but I had pretty obvious “coning” and could tell right away when I tried to do a sit up.

It might be extra skin. Or things resettling in different spots. My body kept shifting for about 12 months postpartum. My boobs suddenly perked back up around 12 months without me doing anything, so it might be something like that.

Also, a “shelf” often appears over a c-section scar. I got rid of mine with cupping. I went to a pelvic floor therapist (highly recommended) and she showed me how to do it. She also recommended this video in case I wanted to review at home. She also showed me exercises to fix my diastasis recti, but they were personally tailored to my needs so I’d recommend seeing an expert in person for that!

 

[cernunnos]

@brandon75689 Hey. I just wanted to say that I’m 5 months pp, back to my prepregnancy weight, my whole body has toned back up except my abs. Just like you, my stomach is squishier than it’s ever been. I used to have toned tight abs. I know I don’t have diasis recti either. I honestly think it just takes time for things to firm back up. It shockingly doesn’t bother me that much despite how much I’m into fitness. It WILL bother me if it’s still like this in 2 years. For now, be patient, young grasshopper