By: FitNRG.net

Your abdominal muscles run up and down from your chest to your pubic bone. These muscles take most of the pressure of the growing baby during pregnancy. It’s common for your abdominal muscles to weaken and soften during pregnancy. And sometimes the pressure of the growing baby is so great that it can cause your ab muscles to separate like a zipper being forced to split open under stress.

Separation of the abdominal muscles is not something you want to happen. When you get out of bed or a bath and notice a bulging along the middle of your abdomen, you could have a separation in your abdominal muscles. If you do have abdominal muscles split, you shouldn’t do sit-ups, and exercises that twist the hips, rotate or bend the trunk to one side. Sometimes, doing abdominal exercises incorrectly can cause the space to widen and worsen your condition.

During pregnancy it’s important to take good care of your abdominal muscles. If you don’t have a pregnancy abdominal separation you can do light ab exercises to keep these muscles taught. And there are also things you can do to lessen the strain to these muscles.

• Don’t use your ab muscles to pull yourself out of bed. Instead, take your time, getting out of bed by turning onto your side and pushing up with both arms.
• Avoid doing exercises that requires you to curl up.
• Don’t hold your breath when you lift or carry something.

Abdominal Muscle Separation After Pregnancy

Before starting an exercise program after birth, you should check to see if you have a separation in your abdominal muscles. Here is a test you can do too see if you have an abdominal separation after pregnancy.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
• Lift your head and shoulders off the floor
• Place your hands flat on your abdomen with your fingers pointed towards your toes.
• If you feel a gap or bulge in your abdomen, you may have a pregnancy ab muscle separation.

Caring for your abdominal muscles during pregnancy is very important. If you don’t have an abdominal muscles split you could do light abdominal exercises throughout your pregnancy to keep these muscles taught. Strong ab muscles will help make labor easier and more efficient. It also helps preventing a saggy post-partum midsection.

Along with light abdominal exercises during pregnancy, there are other exercises such as walking, riding a stationary bike, swimming, and low-impact aerobics pregnant women can do. Staying fit during pregnancy will keep your pregnancy weight down, reduce pregnancy discomforts, and speed up post-partum recovery.