Your Body How Pregnancy Changes Your Belly Button By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH twitter linkedin Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH is a professor, author, childbirth and postpartum educator, certified doula, and lactation counselor. Learn about our editorial process Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Alyssa Dweck, MD on March 24, 2020 linkedin Alyssa Dweck, MD, MS, is a board-certified gynecologist and an assistant clinical professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Learn about our Review Board Alyssa Dweck, MD Updated on September 17, 2020 Print It may sound silly to wonder about the pregnant belly button, but there are a lot of questions on this topic! During pregnancy, the belly button can undergo a lot of changes. It helps to know what to expect, what's normal and not, and how to care for your navel while you're pregnant. Illustration by Emily Roberts, Verywell Belly Button Pops Out Sometimes during pregnancy, your pregnant belly button will stick out. Even if you've been an "innie" all of your life, during pregnancy the expansion of your abdomen can cause you to be an "outie." There isn't much you can do about this usually temporary condition, except to cover it with clothing or let it all just hang out. Some women tape something over their navel, like a bandage, to create a more flat appearance under their clothing. If your belly button has popped out, have your practitioner check it out to ensure you don't have a hernia. This sometimes happens during pregnancy or postpartum. Be sure to have any unusual bulges examined, especially if they are painful or nonreducible (they don't flatten out when you press on them). Belly Button Goes Flat Another variation of belly button changes is that your belly button can go 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. This is not a cause for concern. Stay Calm Mom: Episode 3 Watch all episodes of our Stay Calm Mom video series and follow along as our host Tiffany Small talks to a diverse group of women and top doctors to get real answers to the biggest pregnancy questions. 5:58 How Will Pregnancy Change My Body? Belly Button Itches Itchy skin, particularly around the belly button, is fairly common during pregnancy. As the skin stretches, it can become irritated and itchy. This is usually temporary and normal. Keep your skin clean with soap and water and well hydrated with your favorite lotion for some relief. An over-the-counter hydrocortisone or antihistamine cream can help temporarily, if your healthcare provider recommends it. If you don't find relief in these over-the-counter products, talk to your provider. An isolated itchy navel should not be confused with pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP). This is a diffuse and severely itchy rash that occurs all over the torso, rather than just on the belly button. Your doctor or midwife can give you more information if this is suspected. PUPPP Itchy Pregnancy Rash Belly Button Hurts Sometimes pregnant people will have a painful sensation inside their belly button. This can be caused by the stretching of the skin on your abdomen or it can a muscular issue. Always report pain to your doctor or midwife. They may have some suggestions for how to help alleviate the pain, but for most women, it is temporary as the belly stretches. Sharp pain that feels stabbing and does not go away after a minute should be followed up with a phone call to your doctor or midwife for advice. Belly Button Piercings and Pregnancy If you have your navel or belly button pierced, you may wonder if you need to remove the belly button ring in pregnancy. If you do need to remove it, when should you do so? Or are there specific rings that work better than others in pregnancy? Many women have their navels pierced prior to becoming pregnant. They each make different decisions regarding the belly button ring during pregnancy. Some people choose to remove it at their practitioner's request, especially as the pregnancy progresses. Theoretically, as the pregnant abdomen stretches, the ring could tear through the umbilical skin. Many women choose to use a silicone or plastic ring to keep the piercing open, and replace the original ring after delivery. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. Skin conditions during pregnancy. Updated October 2018.