Let's talk about tummy bulges. What's going on when there's no more baby, but there's still a bulge? Sometimes that bulge is more than just a bulge. Sometimes it's not just loose skin or even extra fat. When you've done all you can do, and there's still more round than flat in your tummy, something else might be going on.
Diastasis Recti:
A common cause of tummy bulge after baby is called Diastasis Recti. The rectus muscles are those "ab" muscles you work out when you do planks or sit-ups. They're part of your "core" muscles. They are a pair of muscles, one on either side of your belly button, and they run from your lower ribs to your pubic bone. Before pregnancy, the two muscles are pretty close together, so when they are toned, your belly appears flat. After pregnancy, the two muscles can get stretched apart from each other, making a gap between them. This gap isn't filled with more muscle, though, so it's not something you can fix by strengthening your abs. Instead, the gap is just an inelastic type of tissue called the linea alba.
The linea alba doesn't really have any strength, so when the muscle gap is wide (as in diastasis recti), you get a bulge.
Umbilical Hernia:
A
nother reason for bulge after baby is a true hernia. Diastasis recti is not a hernia. The two are completely separate things. A hernia is a bulge of the abdominal contents (usually fat or bowel) through a hole in the lining that usually contains it. So diastasis is a stretched abdominal wall, while a hernia requires there to be a hole in that wall.
Some people have both diastasis and a hernia. Others have just one or the other. The good news is that both can be fixed. And we often fix them at the same time as a tummy tuck. The tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) will address the diastasis and/or hernia, any extra skin and any excess fat to help you get rid of that bulge once and for all.
Call my office for more information or to schedule your consultation time: 404.250.3333.
To your best self! Dr. Kavali
