My Obgyn Says I Have Abdominal Hernia & Diastasis Recti? (photo)

I would agree with Dr. Saltz's comments.  See a board certified plastic surgeon before you do anything. A careful assessment must be done to determine what your problems are. 

If you are found to have a hernia, where abdominal contents are slipping in and out, then a general surgeon may need to be consulted to repair this for you.  A hernia has the potential to pose a life threatening emergency. Get the hernia repaired before any cosmetic surgery is done to your abdomen.

The diastasis between your rectus muscles on the other hand,  is a normal process from pregnancy.  The diastasis may allow your abdomen to bulge, but your abdominal contents are well contained, therefore, it is NOT a hernia.

If you plan on more children, I would recommend that you hold off on the rectus diastasis repair and have that dealt with later during your abdominoplasty by a board certified plastic surgeon.

Good luck.

You have lots of issue and questions so bear with me for a full answer here:

First lets differentiate a diastasis recti from a hernia.  Your rectus abdominus muscles are up and down muscles on either side of your belly button.  They are covered by a thin but strong layer of tissue called a fascia that comes together between the muscles.  During pregnancy this central fascia gets pulled wider creating a space between the muscles that your internal organs can push out against.  When you do a crunch it can really dome up between the muscles.  This is a diastasis.  Exercise does not correct it and it looks like what you have.  Now a hernia on the other hand means there must be a hole in that fascia and the internal contents of your abdomen (usually the fat around your organs called the omentum) is pushing out through it.  Most often you can push on it and the contents goes back into the abdominal cavity and you can feel the hole in the fascia especially when you are lying down.  Most often these are small and occur in the belly button or very near it or in the upper midline of the abdomen.

Without a physical exam it is hard to say whether you have a hernia or not, but I would not take the word of your OB/GYN or allow him to fix it.  I would see a board certified plastic surgeon if you have any thoughts about an abdominoplasty.  Most mothers get better results with full TT rather than minis, but a full exam is needed.  That would include a full repair of the diastasis and hernia if you truly have one.  I have had several patients have more children after a TT and one had twins!  Only a plastic surgeon is trained to evaluate and correct all the things you are concerned about.  Learn about all of your options, not just the one your OB might want to try his hand at.