- Joined
- Mar 11, 2013
- Messages
- 5,235
- Reaction score
- 74
I know this is not a popular topic but I'll try anyway. Anyone currently have diastasis recti and planning to have more children in the future?
I currently have a 3 finger separation... my mom also had it, and she eventually had a surgery to repair it. Hers was probably more than 3 fingers, though. If I'm not mistaken hers had caused an umbilical hernia.
To be honest, I'm embarrassed to say this, but the first time I discovered I had the separation, I had been in a plastic surgeon's office. I just didn't understand why my belly was so huge and every part of my body shrinks except for it. It bloats so easily and my posture is constantly tipped forward. I wanted to see if abdominal liposuction would help... the surgeon said that the problem isn't fat. My BMI is 26... an average woman my size wouldn't have a belly this big. Apparently urinary incontinence has also been linked with this condition, which I have. I've been on medication for it and it seems to have made it worse...
It's been really hard to accept this as a part of my body. I've been looking for people to talk to but it gets brushed off as a normal part of life. I wish I'd known about it beforehand. I mean, I did know my mother had it and I kept trying to work out and keep my core strong but it completely slipped my mind in recent. Sometimes preparing for something is half the battle. I hate looking at myself in the mirror. Some people say don't have the surgery if it's not a medical necessity. But it's just so easy for someone that isn't in that situation to have that opinion? I get asked if I'm pregnant ALL the time. I've asked physio therapists if there's anything that could help close up the gap... they tend to tell me to "just lose weight" and it's very upsetting. I have not been able to lose weight lately and it probably wouldn't have bothered me if my gut wasn't hanging the way it does. I am an active person, and exercise is a normal part of my life. I do reduce my workouts when I come up to specific busy parts of my semester, but hopefully I'll be done with that soon and won't have to reduce in the future.
I've seen several plastic surgeons to get an opinion about the muscle repair. I don't know what other drs are specialized in this? But I also know I am not interested in any keyhole surgery for the repair as I am aware (due to reading and friend's mom's experience) of the limitations of such a procedure.
Has anyone had their babies even after finding out that they had diastasis recti of 3 fingers or more? Would it automatically worsen? Can it cause an umbilical hernia? Would one have considerably more back-pain in pregnancy if one has diastasis recti?
Surgeons tend to recommend that you finish your families before having the surgery... but since we have no plans about when our family will be complete and don't feel ready to make that decision, does that mean I would only get rid of this gut in 10 years when I am in my 40s?? I don't feel okay with that. The surgeons I saw said that they could use dissolvable sutures for muscle repair in case of future pregnancies (since they do ask if your family is complete)... but could I have even 1 more baby and my muscles would separate and I would look the same way I do now with my guts hanging? It also isn't worth it to have a surgery only to have all of the benefits erased in 3 years time... I was also worried that if I had the surgery with excessive skin reduction along with the repair, that my abdomen wouldn't be able to stretch to accommodate a future pregnancy...this is still a fear of mine but one of the surgeons said she had the surgery after she had completed her family, but then had a surprise pregnancy several years later and had to have a cosmetic touch up because she had some excess skin again.
I know people are critical of plastic surgery. I honestly never cared about plastic surgery. But whenever I think too deeply about my situation my eyes start tearing up. I have been a fit and active person my entire life and just don't understand how this happened and why this happened. I loosened the reins on what to eat during pregnancies but it was due to the fact that I was extremely strict with my diet whole adult life. I am not strict now and will never be that strict again because I'm sick of it.
Sorry that this topic is long, but I just feel so alone. I don't know anyone that is going through the same thing. Please tell me I'm not alone?
I currently have a 3 finger separation... my mom also had it, and she eventually had a surgery to repair it. Hers was probably more than 3 fingers, though. If I'm not mistaken hers had caused an umbilical hernia.
To be honest, I'm embarrassed to say this, but the first time I discovered I had the separation, I had been in a plastic surgeon's office. I just didn't understand why my belly was so huge and every part of my body shrinks except for it. It bloats so easily and my posture is constantly tipped forward. I wanted to see if abdominal liposuction would help... the surgeon said that the problem isn't fat. My BMI is 26... an average woman my size wouldn't have a belly this big. Apparently urinary incontinence has also been linked with this condition, which I have. I've been on medication for it and it seems to have made it worse...
It's been really hard to accept this as a part of my body. I've been looking for people to talk to but it gets brushed off as a normal part of life. I wish I'd known about it beforehand. I mean, I did know my mother had it and I kept trying to work out and keep my core strong but it completely slipped my mind in recent. Sometimes preparing for something is half the battle. I hate looking at myself in the mirror. Some people say don't have the surgery if it's not a medical necessity. But it's just so easy for someone that isn't in that situation to have that opinion? I get asked if I'm pregnant ALL the time. I've asked physio therapists if there's anything that could help close up the gap... they tend to tell me to "just lose weight" and it's very upsetting. I have not been able to lose weight lately and it probably wouldn't have bothered me if my gut wasn't hanging the way it does. I am an active person, and exercise is a normal part of my life. I do reduce my workouts when I come up to specific busy parts of my semester, but hopefully I'll be done with that soon and won't have to reduce in the future.
I've seen several plastic surgeons to get an opinion about the muscle repair. I don't know what other drs are specialized in this? But I also know I am not interested in any keyhole surgery for the repair as I am aware (due to reading and friend's mom's experience) of the limitations of such a procedure.
Has anyone had their babies even after finding out that they had diastasis recti of 3 fingers or more? Would it automatically worsen? Can it cause an umbilical hernia? Would one have considerably more back-pain in pregnancy if one has diastasis recti?
Surgeons tend to recommend that you finish your families before having the surgery... but since we have no plans about when our family will be complete and don't feel ready to make that decision, does that mean I would only get rid of this gut in 10 years when I am in my 40s?? I don't feel okay with that. The surgeons I saw said that they could use dissolvable sutures for muscle repair in case of future pregnancies (since they do ask if your family is complete)... but could I have even 1 more baby and my muscles would separate and I would look the same way I do now with my guts hanging? It also isn't worth it to have a surgery only to have all of the benefits erased in 3 years time... I was also worried that if I had the surgery with excessive skin reduction along with the repair, that my abdomen wouldn't be able to stretch to accommodate a future pregnancy...this is still a fear of mine but one of the surgeons said she had the surgery after she had completed her family, but then had a surprise pregnancy several years later and had to have a cosmetic touch up because she had some excess skin again.
I know people are critical of plastic surgery. I honestly never cared about plastic surgery. But whenever I think too deeply about my situation my eyes start tearing up. I have been a fit and active person my entire life and just don't understand how this happened and why this happened. I loosened the reins on what to eat during pregnancies but it was due to the fact that I was extremely strict with my diet whole adult life. I am not strict now and will never be that strict again because I'm sick of it.
Sorry that this topic is long, but I just feel so alone. I don't know anyone that is going through the same thing. Please tell me I'm not alone?