Postpartum and Return-to-Movement Support

Diastasis recti isn't dangerous on its own, but it's a sign your core isn't yet coordinating the way it should, and it often persists without focused work. For some people the gap narrows with time and daily movement; for many it needs deliberate breath and coordination work, not just time. The width of the gap alone doesn't predict how much it affects you — what matters more is whether your breath, deep core, and pelvic floor are working together under everyday load.

Most healthcare providers give a general clearance around six weeks, but that's checking for immediate complications, not confirming your body is ready for running specifically. The evidence-based guidance points closer to twelve weeks, and even then, only once you can move through basic strength and control checks without symptoms like leaking, pain, or heaviness. Clearance and readiness are two different things — the free guide covers the full timeline in detail.

No. Kegels done in isolation rarely resolve diastasis or pelvic floor issues, because squeezing one muscle group doesn't address why the coordination broke down in the first place. This program starts with breathing mechanics, not any single muscle: breath regulates your nervous system, your nervous system governs how your skeleton is positioned, and skeletal positioning determines which muscles, including the pelvic floor, actually get recruited and when. Kegels attempted without that foundation often plateau or feel disconnected from real-life movement. The pelvic floor gets stronger as a result of that coordination, not through isolated squeezing.

Some leaking in the early weeks is common while the pelvic floor and deep core relearn how to coordinate under load, and for many people it eases within the first couple of months as breath and movement patterns rebuild. It's not something to just wait out, though. If you're still leaking with laughing, sneezing, walking, or lifting past the three-month mark, or it's affecting your daily life, that's worth a proper pelvic-health physiotherapy assessment rather than more time alone. The breath and coordination work in this program is built to support that recovery alongside physiotherapy, not replace it.

Not on its own. Gap width is one data point, but two people with the same measurement can function very differently depending on how well their breath, deep core, and pelvic floor coordinate together. A more useful check than the number: lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat, and take a full, slow exhale that lets your ribs drop down and back, without arching your lower back or gripping your glutes to compensate. If the gap narrows noticeably from that breath alone, that's a good sign the pattern is largely coordination-based and workable. If it barely changes, that's worth having assessed in person.

Yes, one-sided carrying is one of the most common drivers of postpartum SI joint and lower back pain, since your baby's weight keeps increasing while your body is still relearning how to stabilize under load. Alongside a supportive belt or physiotherapy if you're already using them, it's worth paying attention to your breath on the carrying side. Holding your breath or breathing shallowly while you carry, which most people do without noticing, keeps the deep stabilizers around the pelvis from doing their job, so the joint absorbs more load than it should. Switching sides regularly and exhaling fully as you shift your baby's weight can meaningfully reduce the strain.

It's common, but common doesn't mean permanent. Most postpartum guidance focuses on the first six weeks, but your body keeps adapting to new demands like carrying, feeding positions, and disrupted sleep for a year or more. Pain that shows up or persists at four, six, or ten months postpartum is usually still a coordination pattern that responds to focused breath and movement work, not something you've missed the window for. The recovery timeline is longer than most people are told, which is exactly why this program is built around your own pace rather than a fixed number of weeks.

General fitness classes, including yoga, can be a healthy part of your routine, but they're not built to address the specific coordination breakdown that shows up after pregnancy and birth. A regular class assumes your breath, deep core, and pelvic floor are already working together and layers movement on top of that; postpartum, that foundation is often exactly what needs rebuilding first. Without addressing it directly, people can often get through a class and still deal with leaking, gap, or pain in daily life. This program starts with the breath and coordination work most classes don't cover, then builds toward the movement a general class assumes you already have.