Belly gets bigger the more I exercise!! Help

[Mummyoftwo28]

Someone please help. What am I doing wrong?

I weigh 48kg, I’m 5ft 2 and after two close pregnancies I lose all the baby weight and back down to my pre pregnancy weight of 48kg. Obviously the belly isn’t the same as it was before kids even though the weight is so I’ve been doing lots of ab and tummy toning exercices but I’m finding my tummy is getting bigger not smaller!!! I’m not eating badly, not eating more than usual. What’s going on? I could literally look 5 months pregnant if I didn’t suck it in.

But when I go through no exercises phases it gets flatter than it is now!

I dont know the technical terms and name of the muscles but in myself the more i work on my abs and tummy toning I find its almost that a band of muscles actually lifts my belly to make it stick out. So after Pump classes and weight lifting and 1000s of squats I actually look bigger as the carrying muscles are stronger so lifting my belly higher.
Make sure its not a hernia especially after pregnancy and speak to a personal trainer to remedy it and change some positioning during workouts.

Have you checked for diastasis recti?

Yes I did and I had diastis recti if 4 fingers wife but managed to close it up with excercise soon after giving birth. It’s just the fat and buldging that’s not going away! I’m 20 months post pregnancy

Of 4 fingerds width **