Stretching abdominal muscles


Your abdominal muscles are being stretched and pushed apart as your baby grows. Muscles are attached to the lower part of your ribs and run vertically down to your pelvis; they may separate in the middle. These muscles are called rectus muscles. The separation will be more obvious when you are lying down and you raise your head, tightening your abdominal muscles. You might even feel the edge of the muscle on either side of the bulge. It is not painful and doesn't harm you or your baby. The uterus lies in the space between the muscles; you may feel the baby's movements more easily here. If this is your first baby, the separation may not be obvious at all. With subsequent pregnancies, the separation becomes more noticeable. Exercising can strengthen these muscles, but you may still have the bulge or gap. Following pregnancy these muscles tighten and the gap closes. The separation may not be as noticeable but it may still be present. A girdle probably won't help you get rid of the bulge or gap; it will probably help conceal it. Correct postnatal exercises will help you lessen the bulge or even get rid of it.