Abdominal separation?

[KirstenNova]

Hi everyone- I'm FTM and I'm 31 weeks pregnant with anterior placenta.

Recently I've noticed when I lean back or when I'm lying down and go to stand using my abs that a soft bulge appears above my belly button- no pain from it. I naively and probably a bit stupidly thought that this could be my placenta as it's anterior (I was hoping it was as at 20wk scan was told it was low lying and may need section of it doesn't lift....) so seeing this bulge made me think "ah it's pushed up!" .... yet after seeing some posts on abdominal separation/ diastasis recti I'm now worried this is indeed what it is! I have no indent when relaxed and only see a difference in the two positions above.... is this DR? Pic attached of the bulge when leaning back and when "tensing as if to stand"

More worried because I've already had a challenging pregnancy due to existing back problems and I have a disc which is bulging inward in my spine (lowest down). So anything that may increase my existing pain is sickening me with worry not to mention I have a very weak back as is and without my tummy muscles this will obviously be much worse!

Any help/info/advice appreciated x

That's how mine looked when pregnant, it's never caused me any pain. I've recently been doing a lot of core work to close the gap, I am a few years post pregnancy though. Some people require physio, but mine was only a 2cm gap, had that coning from around 18 weeks pregnant I think. I didn't have a great pregnancy for other reasons, but thankfully this didn't cause any issues :) hope the rest of your pregnancy is better

Oh and when sitting up, try rolling over onto your side first, just sitting up normally from laying down doesn't help.

Hi Annlee - thanks for replying! So you think the bulge when using that muscles is separation then? It’s strange as it’s like a ball of it and not from the top of bulge straight to pelvis if that makes sense and only difference from a normal round bump is when I sit up- I can’t see or feel a dip in the muscles. How were you after delivery did your belly go back to flat or were you left with bump/indent etc? No one warned me about this and I’m in a very physical job using those muscles a lot I’ve been standing up wrong etc very frustrating to know I could have tried to avoid! The joys of pregnancy... I was told there would be glowing haha xx

My stomach looked exactly like that at the end of my first pregnancy. I'm 32 weeks now and I just checked and the bulge is back. It is a diastasis, but it went away within a few weeks of giving birth and my stomach went back to flat. So completely normal and temporary in my case.

For now, try to avoid movements and positions that cause the bulge to appear. I second the pp that it's better to sit up by rolling onto your side.

A good tip I got post partum is that every time you feed your baby you do your pelvic floor exercises. But at the same time you exercise your transverse abdominals. These are the ones that suck your belly button in. I always visualised them pulling the two sides of my abs in towards each other like a corset.

Post partum avoid stomach crunches and heavy lifting for at least 6 weeks, or until you're medically cleared to do them, or until there's a one finger width gap or less.

I had this too and when I mentioned it to my Pilates instructor she told me to stop sitting up like I normally would (straight up like a sit up). I thought I was keeping the muscles strong by doing this but she said it has the opposite effect. We need to make sure we roll to our sides and push our way up using our arm strength!
Currently 41+1 and now al I can do is roll out of bed, even my arms have given up under my weight