Can I Have More Children After Diastasis Recti Repair?

Diastasis recti is the stretching out of the rectus abdominis muscles (6-pack muscles) which occurs with pregnancy.  It cannot be improved with exercise and it is a permanent change that occurs with pregnancies.  This is what gives women who have had children a doughy appearance especially to their lower abdomen.  It is usually repaired and tightened in conjunction with a tummy tuck.  You can have more children after a tummy tuck and diastasis repair but most likely you will have the loosening again after child bearing and you will need some sort of surgical tightening again although you probably won't need another full tummy tuck.

The abdominal muscles are together in the midline of the abdomen to directly balance the opposing muscles of the back. Our abdominal muscles are encased in a fibrous layer which stretches during pregnancy and weight gain. After pregnancy or significant weight loss the strength layer investing the muscle does not tighten and so the muscles do not return to their original position. No amount of exercise will reposition those muscles and so surgery is necessary to do that. This strength layer has the ability to stretch again if a subsequent pregnancy or weight gain happens the tissue will stretch. This will not compromise a pregnancy but will compromise the appearance of  the abdomen and can lead to a recurrence of the diastasis. This why we recommend waiting until after completing the family.

Good luck and I hope this was helpful