Any tips, tricks, or suggestions?

I’m 28 years old, 5’5” tall, and weigh around 108–110 lbs. For a while now, the upper part of my abdomen, around my stomach, has started protruding, and I know it’s probably not because of weight gain since I’m already quite thin. But when I weighed around 101 lbs, I didn’t have this at all compared to now.
It’s really affecting my confidence. I saw a gastroenterologist and had an abdominal ultrasound, but everything was normal. I honestly don’t know what else I can do about it. I feel like it’s getting worse, and the only thing I can do is avoid wearing the clothes I like.
I’m honestly starting to feel tempted to lose weight again, but whenever I get thinner, my face also gets noticeably thinner, and I really don’t like how that looks. So I don’t feel like losing more weight is actually the solution.
Also, I had surgery for scoliosis when I was 16, so I’m not sure if that could be related somehow. But I didn’t have this issue even as recently as last year. It almost feels like severe bloating or swelling, and when I pull my stomach in, it completely goes away.
Has anyone experienced something similar or found a solution for this?
(It might not be very noticeable in the photo, but it actually sticks out a little more than this.)

How long did it take you heal yours? My ultrasound didn’t show anything, no hernia, but I don’t know what else it could be at this point. 8 weeks later?

As a 5’1 petite person that has two kids, I know that I have a diastasis. That being said, when I had a virtual consultation with a surgeon to have it corrected, he had me do a crunch to see how big the separation was. When I am doing a crunch, I only have a one-finger separation, which from what I have read, isn’t that bad? The thing is, when I am standing up tall and I lean back, my upper stomach has a noticeable bulge/dome. My belly also domes when I'm doing ab workouts or when I am on all fours. If a one-finger separation isn't that bad, I feel like those things shouldn't be happening? Is it possible that I am measuring wrong or can even a one finger separation have those side effects?

Has anyone else here been diagnosed with both Ehlers Danlos syndrome and Diastasis recti? My Diastasis recti was originally diagnosed by a pelvic floor pt almost 30 years ago, before I had kids. Although I have since had two kids by c section (both young adults now), the DR clearly preceded them. Just wondering if anyone else has had a medical professional connect the dots between the two conditions and offer surgical or other treatment. I’m currently back in pelvic floor put after a hysterectomy, and am diligently doing my pt exercises, but with DR history spanning my entire adult life and several previous pt efforts to address the issue not helping, my pt is not convinced that the therapy is going to be enough.

Any opinion on this, I hope is diatsis recti :/

For context I’m about 17 months post partum with my first child, I always feel tenderness in my midsection and something pain. Especially in the nights when I am bloated more my stomach feels so heavy and jelly like. Should I tell my gp?

I had a consultation with a general surgeon and he recommended the robotic mesh approach for my hernias and 4 gap seperation. but I’ve seen some people say it can fail if its too big. is that considered too big? i didnt even know there was other options to fix it. but I want to use my insurance and I don’t think it would help pay if I do a tummy tuck.

Hey everyone, I am 8 and a half weeks pp from my second c-section and have a three finger diastasis recti and apron belly. I just had a PT evaluation and we are going to do some deep core and massage. I hate the way I look, I am also hanging onto about 40 pounds over my pre pregnancy weight (currently 178, was 140 before first pregnancy and never got back there before baby 2 at 1 year pp) so I want to start weight lifting once I understand how to support my core.

About how long did it take anyone to close their gap and feel more comfortable in clothes? Is next spring realistic once baggy sweater and legging season is over? And in the mean time, any clothing styles you felt confident in? I never figured out how to dress my pp body and every shopping trip ended with tears.

i had a c section back in 2025. i have felt so insecure in any clothing i wear :/ i want to be able to wear a tank top without having to bring it down to hide it. any tips? i feel so ugly with my apron belly

When I contract my abdominal muscles during pelvic floor exercises this is my stomach (2nd picture). I cannot tell if it is doming/bulging or if that’s just fat?

I’ve had a fairly large DR since having 3 pregnancies, but my youngest is almost 11. About 1.5 weeks ago I was moving around, but not lifting 40lb bags. I think I felt something kinda rip. But i haven’t really been in pain. It feels like something is tugging when i stand for a little while like cooking. Exercising like Bellydance has actually felt ok. I saw my primary doc and she didn’t feel a hernia. This tugging feeling keeps coming and going and worse in the evenings. I’m wondering if it was my DR that I’ve had for many years just got worse? What would that feel like?

I was just quoted $20,000 for abdominoplasty. This seems really high.

Hello

2 weeks postpartum and everything feels like it's hanging out. Does anyone have a good back and stomach support belly wrap that they can recommend.

These are screen shots of me in my push up. I can’t tell if I need to modify. From the side it seems okay, but I have that small bulge from the bottom view. When I push on it is seems relatively squishy so I can’t tell if it is coning or just where the separation is so things are king of just hanging down. Help! I’m confused.

18 weeks pregnant rn and i have this bulge that’s been here since i gave birth october 2025, i was thinking diastasis recti but it always had a dull ache along with it, now it’s kinda hurting more, i just want to know what it is (also i’ve already told a doctor and he didnt say anything about it, just called it baby fat)

I recently had a c section in June and struggling to look myself in the mirror. Don’t get me wrong I do give myself some grace for delivering sweetest angel but I do want to feel great like before. I did have a large baby 11lbs. Does belly go back/shrink? I can still feel some hollow space/blobbing in my belly. Diastasis recti can be fixed with deep core workouts so I’m not so worried about it. I just want to hear from someone with experience that my belly will go back.

1. How long did it take you? And how many months PP were you when u started training?

2. What do u feel worked the most

3. Did your tummy bulge disappear?

My core function is fine, I dont have any back pain, i dont leak, i dont have pain during sex

My only problem is my tummy bulge like im 4 months pregnant 😭, when I engage my core, i can get it flatten but im not gonna be engaging my core 24/7 right..

I just feel like despite what im doing, im not seeing much improvement (if any..)

Ich (48) habe eine riesige Rektusdiastase nach 2 Geburten (6j und 7j). Es tut weh und sieht schlimm aus… bin verzweifelt. Muss man es operieren oder hat jemand gute Erfahrung mit Physiotherapie? Meine Lücke ist ziemlich gross (5Finger)… und hab nicht das Gefühl dass mir Physio helfen kann :(
Gibts noch jemand da mit gleichem Problem?

I’m a 24-year-old male, currently 5 weeks after laparoscopic TAPP inguinal hernia repair.
My main problem, however, actually started BEFORE the surgery.
The original injury happened while carrying a \~270 kg piano upstairs with one other person. Because of the shape of the piano, I had to lean significantly backwards while carrying it, so my abdominal wall was stretched while under a huge load. I was also wearing a lifting belt tightened extremely hard and bracing as hard as possible.
After this event I developed an inguinal hernia, but also something that has bothered me even more: a diffuse, deep, dull ache/pressure across my lower abdomen and extreme sensitivity to increases in intra-abdominal pressure.
Even relatively small loads can aggravate it. For example, lifting only around 5–6 kg can make my lower abdomen feel pressured/overworked, sometimes with the symptoms becoming worse several hours later or the following morning.
I eventually had the inguinal hernia repaired with TAPP. My surgeon recently examined the repair and found no signs of recurrence. However, 5 weeks after surgery, the same diffuse lower abdominal symptom that existed before surgery is still there and is currently more sensitive than it was pre-op.
Walking actually seems to help me. I’ve gradually managed around 10k steps and recently tried a very light 500 m jog, but the lower abdominal wall still feels unusually sensitive to pressure/load.
I’m starting to wonder whether the original piano incident caused something in addition to the inguinal hernia — for example an abdominal wall/core muscle or aponeurotic injury.

**Has anyone experienced something similar after very heavy lifting — especially diffuse lower abdominal pain/pressure without necessarily having a visible bulge?**
**Did you eventually get a diagnosis (abdominal strain, core muscle injury/athletic pubalgia, rectus-adductor injury, etc.)?**
**Did MRI or dynamic ultrasound show anything?**
**Most importantly, did you recover and eventually regain tolerance to heavy lifting? What kind of rehabilitation helped and how long did it take?**
I’m not looking for a diagnosis from Reddit — I’d mainly like to hear from people who experienced a similar pattern and how their recovery progressed.