HEALTHY FAMILY
Expecting? Pregnancy Risks Your Doctor
Doesn’t Always Warn You About
BY MELANIE SWITZER-REILLY
Since healthy women
of childbearing age
are too young for
doctor-ordered screening bone
scans, which
measure bone
and mineral density,
they usually have no
idea how their bone
health is, or that a
pregnancy could
compromise it.

24 WashingtonFAMILY JUNE 2019
Diastasis Recti
Diastasis recti (DR) is your pre-pregnancy
“six-pack” being spread apart. About half of
pregnant women will get DR. This happens
when you’re pregnant to make room for the
baby, but problems can occur post-preg-
nancy if this separation doesn’t naturally
correct itself.

Lucky Bennett, a naturopathic doctor at
The Women’s Club in Chantilly explains that
DR is common during pregnancy because at
this time, “the brain can lose the connection
to these muscles almost entirely.”
If you’ve recently given birth, or even if
it’s been several years and you’re wonder-
ing if you might have this condition, there
are some common symptoms to look out
for, including:
• A bumpy ridge that goes down the cen-
ter of your abdomen
• Mid or lower back pain
• Urinary incontinence
• A “pregnancy pooch” that just won’t
go away
Your doctor or a personal trainer can
confirm if you have DR. But, you can also
find out on your own by trying out this sim-
ple at-home test:
Step 1: Lay on your back, knees bent, with
your feet flat on the floor and one hand sup-
porting your head.

Step 2: Place your index and middle fin-
ger from your opposite hand just above
your belly button, then raise your head and
neck up while pressing your fingers into the
separation between your ab muscles.

Step 3: While pressing down, see if you
can horizontally fit more than two fingers
into the opening. If you can, you might have
DR, especially if you can press down to your
first knuckles.

Now, what if you do have DR?
“The good news is that this problem can be
reversed with the right movement and exer-
cises,” Bennett says. It’s all about getting
back control of these muscles and regaining
a strong posture.

Keep in mind, however, that there are
many common abdominal exercises that
are actually unsafe if you have this condi-
tion, and can make it worse. For example,
your abs will be rendered too weak to be
hanging down in a plank.

So, after getting the all-clear to resume
exercise from your doctor, start with
basic core strengthening exercises like
single leg lifts or wall sits. You’ll want to
focus on exercises that pull the muscles
in, not push them out. If hiring a personal
trainer isn’t an option for you, there are
plenty of books and online videos on the
topic to show you the right exercises to
help you heal.

Pregnancy & Lactation
Associated Osteoporosis (PLO)
The second lesser-known, but very import-
ant pregnancy issue to be aware of is
Pregnancy & Lactation Associated Oste-
oporosis (PLO). PLO is a rare form of
osteoporosis with fractures triggered by
pregnancy or breastfeeding or both. It was
first discovered by doctors back in the ‘40s.

Since healthy women of childbearing age
are too young for doctor-ordered screening
bone (DXA) scans, which measure bone and
mineral density, they usually have no idea
how their bone health is, or that pregnancy
could compromise it. In some cases, osteo-
porosis may pre-date the pregnancy, or they
may have an underlying health condition
that has unknowingly compromised their
bones, and then the fractures are triggered
by reproductive events.

ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS/RYANKING999
T here’s never a better time to focus
on good health than when you’re
pregnant. From what to expect
when you’re expecting to what to eat and
how to exercise, there’s an extensive pool
of advice available these days. Yet there are
still some pregnancy issues that often go
unmentioned. Below are two pregnancy concerns that
aren’t as widely talked about, but very
important for every expectant mother
to know.