There's no rhyme or reason to who gets a popped-out belly button. Everyone's body — and every pregnancy — is different. Just don't confuse this common condition with an umbilical hernia. If your popped-out belly button is painful or there seems to be a bulging mass alongside your belly button, see your doctor.
It's possible some women will experience the popping of their belly button in one pregnancy, and not in the next. Some women's belly buttons don't pop out. They stay the same, or they become flat.
Your Pregnant Belly: Second Trimester (Weeks 14 to 27)
Around the 20-week mark your uterus will have grown up to your belly button, which for many women causes their belly to noticeably protrude or pop.
As your tummy grows and stretches during pregnancy, the pressure on the abdominal wall increases, and tiny holes there that never caused problems before can become larger, or new hernias can form. If you have a hernia, you'll probably notice a soft lump around your belly button, or sometimes in your groin area.
It's related to the presence of space between the skin and the abdominal wall, he says. If the soft tissue protrudes through, you've got an outie, which is much rarer in people than the more-desired innie.
Not every mom-to-be who had an innie gets an outtie, and sometimes it's more like a flat navel. And the good news is, in almost every case it'll be back to an innie after the baby comes and your belly shrinks back to normal (or close to it).
Here's how it works: As your baby and belly grow, the muscles of your abdomen stretch. The belly button area (a remnant of your time as a baby!) doesn't have much muscle over it, so as when your uterus begins to push against it from the inside, it pretty easily gets pushed outward, says Kasper.
If you have a soft lump around your navel, or your belly button protrudes markedly, you may have an umbilical hernia. Sometimes, there is no lump, only a slight swelling or pressure around the belly button. You may experience a dull ache and increased pain when you cough sneeze, bend over, or exercise.
What else can be mistaken for a hernia? While a hernia is the cause for most people who experience lumps in their abdomen, there are several other possibilities such as a hematoma, lipoma, a gynecological issue in women, or an undescended testicle in newborn boys. In rare cases, a lump may indicate a tumor.
An umbilical hernia appears as a painless lump in or near the belly button (navel). It may get bigger when laughing, coughing, crying or going to the toilet and may shrink when relaxing or lying down. In many cases, the umbilical hernia goes back in and the muscles reseal by the time a child is 4 or 5 years old.
You might feel a soft lump around your navel that's more noticeable when you lie down, and you might see a bulge under the skin. You might also have a dull achy pain in the belly button area that becomes more noticeable when you're active, bend over, sneeze, cough or laugh hard.
Belly Button Goes Flat
Yes, as your stomach expands with the baby, you may notice that your belly button becomes flat and taut against your skin. This is normal and will usually revert back to your normal belly button once your baby is born. Sometimes you will see a flap of skin that lays flat with an indent.
Depending on your stage of pregnancy, your body type, and even the time of day, sometimes your belly will feel soft and other times it will feel tight and hard. The reality is, there's no normal to compare yourself with. Pregnant bellies come in all shapes, sizes, and firmness.
“It is largely inaccessible, so it remains dirty even after showering.” The shape of your navel makes it easy to collect dirt, which can even cause a strong smell. Dr. Richardson cautions against touching your belly button with your germy fingers, as it can lead to serious infections.
In most people, the linea nigra darkens enough to be visible in the second trimester (around 20 weeks). Before you're pregnant, the line is called linea alba or "white line." When you are pregnant and the line gets dark and visible, it's called linea nigra.
Symptoms of strangulated hernias include:
Bloated, round abdomen. Constipation. Discolored bulge that may be purple, red or dark. Fever.
An umbilical hernia creates a soft swelling or bulge near the navel. In babies who have an umbilical hernia, the bulge may be visible only when they cry, cough or strain. Umbilical hernias in children are usually painless. Umbilical hernias that appear during adulthood may cause abdominal discomfort.
Most people who have an "outie" fall into one of two categories: either they were born with a tiny umbilical hernia, which is most likely, or had a small infection at the base of the umbilical cord that went unnoticed. This will cause unusual tissue called granulation tissue to form.
Pregnancy may cause an umbilical hernia, or render a preexisting one apparent, because of progressively increasing intra-abdominal pressure. Hernia symptoms present in the second trimester in most patients. A hernia may be diagnosed during first, second, or third pregnancies (1).
A hernia is when a part of the intestine pushes through a weak spot in the belly muscles. A hernia creates a soft lump or bulge under the skin. A hernia that happens in the belly button area is called an umbilical hernia. A hernia that happens in the groin area is called an inguinal hernia.
As you can see, it is not attached to anything in the body. The belly button is where the umbilical cord attaches to the fetus, connecting the developing baby to the placenta.
Toward the end of your pregnancy or after giving birth, some women notice either an indentation or a bulge in the middle of their belly. This is likely a common condition known as diastasis recti. Fortunately, this abdominal gap usually closes on its own, though there are a few strategies that can help it heal.
Nearly all pregnant people get an "outie" navel during pregnancy, thanks to increased pressure pushing outwards from an expanding uterus, but in some situations, that pressure becomes so great that it can actually weaken the abdominal muscles, causing an umbilical hernia.