freaking.

[mommariffic]

So I posted before about my stomach, and how postpartum I still look very much 8 months pregnant...

I've done some very basic exercises to see if it would go away, and it hasn't. I have a doctor/gyno on Monday but I'm sitting here just sort of freaking out because I NEED to know what this is. A little backround:

Post partum with DD my stomach never went "completely" back to normal, expected. Pregnant with DS almost 3 years later I was huge (always get huge during pregnancies) and after my stomach again, never went down. It's HARD on top (above belly button) and not chubby like below (which I know is fat/chunk)...It feels heavy (but not pregnant heavy) just uncomfortable, and it's very much noticable. I look pregnant, my stomach is perfectly round like when I was 8 months. 

Has anyone experienced this? I feel like it could be a fibroid and I'm just sort of freaking because I hope it's nothing serious. Could it REALLY be just stretched muscles? 

[raisingknights]

Do some research on diastasis recti. A couple of mom bloggers that I read have talked about having it. 

http://www.raisingarrows.net/2010/02/im-pregnant-and-huge-a-diastasis-recti-story.html

http://www.storinguptreasures.com/2011/01/altering-your-body.html

I hope that you get answers at your dr. appt.

[Juvysen]

Diastasis is usually not hard on top, though, I don't think?  Mine isn't... but it should be easy to tell by lying down and doing the diastasis check.  Look on youtube.  Basically, you put your knees up and put your fingers down on the middle of your belly, where the long front ab muscles (that make the six pack, when people have one) come in to meet each other (the recti abdominis muscle, I think?)  The connective tissue between the two sides can become stretched out from pregnancy and it basically allows your guts to fall forward and makes you look pregnant...