One is a clinician-built rehab library. One is a $15 guide you read tonight.
Both can rebuild your core after birth. They are built for very different mums, budgets and amounts of spare time.
Quick answer
Core Exercise Solutions is an online postpartum program founded by a physical therapist, Dr. Sarah Duvall. It is deep, clinically detailed and built around pressure management, and it also trains fitness professionals. Mumma Glow is far simpler and cheaper: a one-time digital guide from $15 (full bundle $50) with no subscription, written for mums who want a clear plan they can start during a nap.
Choose Core Exercise Solutions if you want an in-depth, clinician-led library and you are comfortable spending in the online-program price tier. Choose Mumma Glow if you want the affordable, one-time, no-subscription option and you would rather have ten pages you will actually follow than a hundred videos you will not.
Why this comparison keeps coming up
Abdominal separation after birth is common, not a personal failure. In the most widely cited prevalence study, Sperstad et al. (British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016) found diastasis recti in 60% of women at 6 weeks postpartum, 45.5% at 6 months and 32.6% at 12 months. That is a very large group of mums looking for help, and the postpartum program market has grown to match.
The problem is that the options sit at wildly different price points and depth levels, and nobody explains which one suits which mum. If you are still working out what these programs even cost as a category, our breakdown of what it typically costs to rehab abdominal separation is a useful starting point.
of women still had diastasis recti at 6 weeks postpartum (Sperstad et al., 2016)
still had it at 12 months, so time alone does not close every gap
the entry price of a single Mumma Glow guide, paid once, no subscription
60%
45.5%
32.6%
Source: Sperstad et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016.
What Core Exercise Solutions actually is
Core Exercise Solutions is an online business founded by Dr. Sarah Duvall, a physical therapist who works in pregnancy and postpartum rehab. It sells structured postpartum and pelvic health programs to mums, and it also runs certification-style courses that teach trainers and clinicians how to program for this population.
Its genuine strengths are worth naming plainly:
- Clinical depth. The material goes well past "do these five exercises". It covers breathing mechanics, rib position, hip and glute contribution, and how load is distributed through the abdominal wall.
- Pressure management is central. Rather than banning exercises outright, the approach teaches you to manage the pressure your body generates during effort. If that phrase is new, we explain it in plain English in our guide to intra-abdominal pressure after birth.
- Professional credibility. Because the same brand teaches practitioners, the consumer material is unusually well referenced and progressive rather than fear-based.
- Video-led coaching. Demonstrations and cueing are extensive, which helps if you learn by watching rather than reading.
The honest trade-offs: it is a substantial time commitment, the volume of material can feel like a second job in the newborn fog, and it sits in the online-program price tier rather than the impulse-purchase tier. Prices and bundles change, so check the current figure on their own site rather than trusting any blog, including this one.
What Mumma Glow actually is
Mumma Glow sells one-time digital postpartum recovery guides. Individual guides start at $15, the full bundle is $50, and there is no membership, no auto-renewal and no app to keep paying for. Core Reconnect is the core and abdominal separation guide; the bundle adds pelvic floor, C-section recovery, glute rebuilding and energy.
Its strengths are the mirror image of the above:
- Low barrier. One payment, instant download, readable on a phone while feeding.
- Short and directive. It tells you what to do this week rather than teaching you the whole subject.
- No subscription trap. Nothing renews, so a month where you do nothing costs you nothing.
And the honest limits: there is no live coach, no personalised assessment, and no video library. If you want someone watching your technique and adjusting it, a guide is not that, and we say so in our comparison of guides versus trainers versus physios.
Side by side
| Factor | Core Exercise Solutions | Mumma Glow |
|---|---|---|
| Built by | A physical therapist (Dr. Sarah Duvall) and team | A small team writing plain-English guides for mums |
| Format | Online video program plus written material | Downloadable PDF guides |
| Depth | High. Teaches mechanics and reasoning | Moderate. Teaches the plan, not the theory |
| Time to start | Set-up, assessments, module order | Minutes. Open it and begin |
| Payment model | Program purchase, tiers and bundles vary | One-time. $15 per guide, $50 bundle, nothing renews |
| Also trains professionals | Yes | No |
| Best for | Mums who want the full clinical picture | Mums who want an affordable plan they will finish |
Price is not the only cost
The cost that sinks most postpartum programs is not money, it is attention. A program you open twice does nothing, however good it is. That is the real argument for starting cheap and simple: you find out whether you will actually do the work before you commit a larger budget.
It also works the other way. If you have already tried short at-home plans and stalled, or you have pain, prolapse symptoms or a gap that has not budged, the extra depth of a clinician-built program is worth paying for. Our piece on free versus paid abdominal separation programs walks through where the free tier genuinely runs out.
Want the affordable, one-time option?
Core Reconnect is the Mumma Glow guide for rebuilding your deep core and closing the gap at home, in short sessions, with no subscription. One payment, yours to keep. Use code GLOW20 for 20% off.
The honest verdict
These are not really rivals. Core Exercise Solutions is the better fit if you want clinician-level detail, you learn from video, and the price tier is comfortable for you. Mumma Glow is the better fit if you want to spend $15 to $50 once, start tonight, and avoid another monthly charge. If money is tight and you are early postpartum, start simple, be consistent for eight weeks, and only escalate if you plateau. If you have pain, heaviness or leaking that is not improving, see a women's health physiotherapist first, whichever program you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Is Core Exercise Solutions worth it?
It is worth it for mums who want depth and are willing to work through a longer, clinically detailed program. If you want a short plan you can follow in the gaps of your day, the depth becomes a barrier rather than a benefit. Results vary from mum to mum.
Is Mumma Glow a subscription?
No. Guides are a one-time purchase from $15, or $50 for the full bundle. Nothing renews and there is no app fee.
Can I use both?
Yes. Some mums start with an inexpensive guide to build the habit, then invest in a deeper program later if they want more coaching or hit a plateau. There is no conflict between the two approaches.
Do I still need a physiotherapist?
An online program is not an assessment. The NHS and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists both encourage postnatal review, and a women's health physiotherapist can examine you directly. See one if you have pain, a feeling of heaviness or dragging, leaking, or a gap that is not changing.
How long before I see a change?
Most mums judge too early. Give consistent deep core work eight to twelve weeks before deciding a program is not working, and remember that prevalence data shows natural improvement continues over the first year. Results vary from mum to mum.
Sources: Sperstad JB et al., "Diastasis recti abdominis during pregnancy and 12 months after childbirth", British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016. Guidance on postnatal review and returning to exercise from the NHS, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Cleveland Clinic. Program descriptions are based on each provider's publicly available information at the time of writing.
This article is general education, not medical advice. Mumma Glow is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Core Exercise Solutions, Dr. Sarah Duvall, or any other program named here. Results vary from mum to mum. Always check with your GP, midwife or a women's health physiotherapist before starting or changing postnatal exercise, especially after a caesarean or if you have pain, heaviness or leaking.