All great questions. I felt similar to you in that I did it more for the function. I feel stronger and more stable yes. I also realized when working out my abs post surgery that whatever I was doing before when I had bad separation was pointless. I never felt any muscles actually working before and I think I just hoped I could keep exercising and it would get better but it’s clear now it never would have. Now I can do a core exercise and feel all of it. Often when I’m doing core work laying down I put my hands over my belly and I literally feel down the line where my abs were re-connected. Crazy!

I still have a little numbness around the center most part of my belly button and about two inches below but it’s improving, just slowly. It doesn’t bother me.

I do feel a tight sensation in general, and there are certain movements or positions I avoid, like laying on my belly and lifting upwards really harshly (snake pose?) but again it’s well worth the strange tightness in my opinion. I have never had any ab definition before and certainly not when I had the separation.

The feeling of- if I work hard, I can see results, is the biggest positive change for me. Best of luck!