Quick answer: does Diastasis Recti cause bloating?
Not directly. But it makes perfectly normal post-meal expansion far more visible, which is why so many women assume something has gone wrong when it hasn’t.
When the abdominal wall is separated and the deep core is weak, particularly the transverse abdominis (the deep corset-like muscle that wraps around your middle), there is less supportive tension holding everything in place. Your stomach expands after eating, as it is supposed to. There is simply less to contain it, so it shows.
What tends to help:
- Gentle, pressure-aware core rehabilitation, including work that re-activates the transverse abdominis rather than crunching over it.
- Breathing and posture work, so pressure is managed rather than pushed forward.
- Digestion-friendly habits. Meal size, timing, fibre, hydration.
- A gradual return to movement that supports the core without straining against it.
If the bloating is severe, new, or comes with pain, changes in bowel habits, or anything else that worries you, get it checked. Diastasis explains why bloating shows. It does not explain everything.
Diastasis recti is something all pregnant women experience, but troubles arise when it sticks around well after birth. It may resolve itself within a matter of weeks, but some women will continue to notice a prominent separation down the middle of their Rectus Abdominis (six-pack muscles) months or even years later.
Why it’s Important to Recover from Diastasis Recti
Although many moms are eager to get back to their pre-baby selves again, this isn’t the most pressing reason to address Diastasis Recti. Untreated Diastasis Recti can lead to compounding complications like back pain, organ prolapse, incontinence, poor posture, and bloating.
Bloating is one of the most common symptoms of Diastasis Recti, yet many women have never been taught why it can be caused by abdominal wall separation. It all comes down to understanding the form and function of the core muscles.
Core Muscle Anatomy as The Missing Link to Understand Belly Bloat
Core muscles don’t just refer to the trendy washboard abs you’ve seen on movie stars. Instead, it refers to an entire set of muscles in the abdomen and pelvic region. They help support the spine and organs while also creating a centre of stability for the entire body.
Among these essential muscles is a large sheet-like muscle called the Transverse Abdominis that wraps horizontally around the waist much like a corset. This muscle is often weak and underactive in women with Diastasis Recti, and this is one of the reasons the condition is associated with bloating.
The action of the Transverse Abdominis is to create wall tension for internal support. It helps support the low back, but more to the point it holds the internal organs in place. After eating the stomach expands, and if the Transverse Abdominis isn’t able to hold the stomach in place, a noticeable bloat can easily appear.
This means Diastasis Recti doesn’t cause bloating per se, but instead it makes bloating more noticeable thanks to the weakened tension of the abdominal container. This is further exacerbated by stretched out connective tissue down the midline of the Rectus Abdominis. This likewise reduces supportive tension in the abdominal cavity and leaves the belly prone to collapse forward after eating a meal.
What you can do about Diastasis Recti bloating
Diastasis Recti exercises and Hypopressives
The advice most women get for Diastasis Recti is to strengthen their core, which sounds sensible until you look at what they are actually being asked to do. Crunches and sit-ups push pressure forward against a wall that is already struggling to contain it. That is the opposite of what the situation needs.
There are several approaches that work with the deep core rather than against it, and Hypopressives is the one I teach. It uses a combination of breath, postural alignment and movement to work the innermost layers of the core gently, restoring a functional pressure system rather than adding load to a compromised one.
I want to be clear about what it does and does not do. Hypopressives is not a cure for Diastasis Recti. What many women find is that over time their core engages better, their posture changes, and the doming and bloating become less pronounced. That is a meaningful difference to live with, and it is not the same thing as closing a gap. A 2026 randomised trial of postpartum women found exactly this pattern: 12 weeks of supervised Hypopressives training did not reduce the size of the abdominal separation itself, but did produce significant improvements in abdominal muscle function, body image, and pelvic floor symptom scores compared with a control group (Moreira et al., 2026).
The technique itself takes some learning. The breathing and apnea work is what makes everything else effective, and doing it approximately will get you approximately nowhere. That is why I run Fundamentals sessions on Zoom each week, where I take you through every step and give you feedback so you know you are actually doing it correctly.
Some people pick it up quickly. If you are tight through the ribs and thoracic spine, and a lot of women are, it will take longer. That is normal and it is not a sign you are doing badly.
Here is the part that matters most. Three sessions a week, fifteen to twenty minutes each, is what I ask for. Not because more would not help, but because that is the amount I have seen produce real change without becoming another thing you fail at. Consistency does the work here, not intensity.
Digestion and lifestyle habits that help
Core rehabilitation is the main event, but how you eat affects how much your abdomen protrudes after meals, and small adjustments can make the day-to-day noticeably easier.
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals rather than one or two very large ones.
- Chew properly and slow down, which reduces how much air you swallow.
- Include fibre-rich foods such as vegetables, fruit and whole grains, and make sure you are getting enough protein.
- Stay well hydrated across the day rather than in bursts.
- Pay attention to your own triggers. For some women that is very fatty meals, fizzy drinks, or certain FODMAPs (a group of carbohydrates that ferment in the gut).
- Avoid lying flat straight after eating. A short, gentle walk does more than you would expect.
None of this will resolve a Diastasis on its own, and I would be wary of anyone suggesting otherwise. What it will do is change how comfortable you feel by the end of the day, and for a lot of women that is the thing that has been quietly wearing them down.
Getting Started With Hypopressives
For the Hypopressives classes it is important that you learn the Breathing/Apnea technique properly so that you can get the most out of the classes and the time you invest in yourself. Each week Simone runs Fundamentals sessions on Zoom where she explains the technique and guides you through all the steps.
She will also give you feedback to make sure that you’re doing it correctly. For some, the technique may come more quickly than others. Some of her clients, who are tighter in the ribs and thoracic spine do tend to take a little longer. And here’s the golden rule: for impactful change, Simone recommends at least three 15 to 20-minute workouts per week. Consistency is your best friend on this journey towards wellness.
