Diastasis recti

Diastasis recti, a normal condition in newborns, is a separation of the left and right side of the rectus abdominis muscle, which is the muscle covering the front surface of the abdomen. A diastasis recti is seen as a large ridge running down the midline of the abdomen from the bottom of the breastbone to the navel which appears whenever an infant strains or attempts to sit up.

Update Date: 6/17/2011

Updated by: Kimberly G Lee, MD, MSc, IBCLC, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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