Why Does My Stomach Dome When I Sit Up?

Noticing your stomach dome, cone or form a ridge when you sit up can feel worrying, especially after having a baby. This shape often appears along the centre of the abdomen when pressure pushes forwards through weakened connective tissue.

For many women, abdominal doming is linked to diastasis recti, also known as abdominal separation or a ‘tummy gap’. 

If the problem continues, causes discomfort or affects your return to exercise, PelviCare can help. Diastasis recti after pregnancy doesn’t have to just be endured; our expert in physio and women’s health can help identify what is happening and guide your recovery.

What causes abdominal doming?

During pregnancy, the abdominal muscles stretch to make room for the growing baby. The linea alba, which is the connective tissue between the two sides of the abdominal muscles, also becomes thinner and more flexible.

After birth, this tissue may remain stretched or weakened. When you sit up, lift your head, cough, carry your baby or perform certain exercises, pressure inside the abdomen can push against this area. This creates the visible ridge or dome.

Abdominal coning does not always mean that you have caused damage. However, it can show that your abdominal wall is struggling to manage pressure effectively. This is one reason why physio and other treatments after pregnancy may be recommended for diastasis recti.

Is doming always caused by diastasis recti?

Diastasis recti after pregnancy is a common cause of doming, but the width of the gap is not the only factor that matters. A women’s health physiotherapist like Magdalena will also assess the depth of the separation, the tension through the linea alba and how your core responds during movement.

Your breathing and posture, strength of your pelvic floor and everyday habits can all affect abdominal doming. Holding your breath while getting out of bed or lifting your baby, for example, can increase pressure through the stomach.

Should I stop exercising?

You do not necessarily need to avoid exercise completely. Instead, activities may need to be modified while you rebuild strength and control.

Exercises that repeatedly cause pronounced doming should not simply be pushed through. A tailored programme of physio when recovering after a pregnancy can help you improve breathing, core coordination and confidence before progressing to more demanding activity.

How PelviCare can help

PelviCare provides specialist after-pregnancy physiotherapy for women experiencing diastasis recti, abdominal doming, pelvic floor weakness and postnatal pain.

During a postnatal assessment or Mummy MOT®, your physiotherapist can check your abdominal separation, posture, breathing, pelvic floor function and movement patterns. Treatment may include personalised strengthening exercises, breathing techniques, posture correction, visceral mobilisation, kinesio taping and scar management where appropriate.

PelviCare’s clinic in Greenwich, London, supports women at every stage of postnatal recovery. Whether you gave birth recently or have had symptoms for several months or years, our physiotherapists can help you understand the cause of abdominal doming and improve your core function safely.