From the Guidelines
Yes, your belly button can appear to get bigger when you're pregnant due to the stretching of the skin on your abdomen. As your uterus expands, it pushes against your abdominal wall, causing the skin to stretch and sometimes protrude outward, which can make your belly button appear larger or more pronounced 1. This change is completely normal and temporary, and after delivery, your belly button typically returns to its pre-pregnancy appearance. Some key points to consider include:
- The stretching of the skin on the abdomen can cause melanocytic nevi, including those near the belly button, to appear larger 1
- This change is not unique to the belly button, as other areas of the abdomen may also be affected by the stretching of the skin
- The changes to the belly button during pregnancy are usually temporary and do not require any treatment 1
From the Research
Pregnancy and Physical Changes
- There is no direct evidence in the provided studies to suggest that the belly button gets bigger during pregnancy 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- The studies focus on various aspects of pregnancy, such as trauma management 2, massage therapy 3, uterine massage to reduce blood loss after vaginal delivery 4, point-of-care ultrasound for evaluation of vaginal bleeding or abdominal pain in early pregnancy 5, and vaginal bleeding in pregnancy 6.
- None of these studies mention any changes in the size of the belly button during pregnancy.
Related Physical Changes
- During pregnancy, the body undergoes various physical changes, including stretching of the skin and expansion of the uterus 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- However, these changes are not specifically related to the size of the belly button.
- It is possible that the appearance of the belly button may change due to the stretching of the skin, but this is not a direct result of the pregnancy itself.