My stomach is so big and hard, what's going on?

Expectant mothers need to pay special attention to their physical condition during pregnancy, as this is related to the development of the baby in the belly. If you find that your belly is big and hard in the late stages of pregnancy, you should be alert to any abnormalities. Pregnant women need to pay attention to rest and must not stimulate the uterus. You may want to try fetal heart monitoring to observe whether there are irregular uterine contractions. Generally speaking, most expectant mothers will feel a tightness in their stomachs in the late stages of pregnancy, which is normal. At this time, the uterus is contracting and causing tension, and each time is relatively short. Why does my stomach feel hard during late pregnancy?

1. Folk saying: A hard belly in late pregnancy means it's a girl

In the late pregnancy, as the uterus continues to grow and the fetus grows, the baby's space for movement is reduced, so when the baby wants to move a lot, it will hit the belly, especially for baby girls. Many folk legends have mentioned that baby girls are held face to face with their mothers, so their buttocks are facing the mother's belly. In this way, when the mother-to-be moves, a big bulge will form on her belly, and it will be very hard. Although this has not been truly scientifically certified, many expectant mothers of baby girls will experience this phenomenon.

2. Scientific explanation: A hard belly in late pregnancy is a false labor

The scientific explanation for a hard belly in the late pregnancy is false labor and painless labor. This is because the uterus becomes more and more sensitive in the late pregnancy, and some stimulation will cause labor. This type of labor is different from the labor before labor, and will not cause premature delivery of the fetus. However, expectant mothers should also pay attention to these false labors. When the belly becomes hard, you should immediately stop the work at hand and take a break. If a false labor occurs on the road, stop and continue after it eases.

3 symptoms to identify false labor

What causes a hard belly during late pregnancy?

What causes a hard stomach in late pregnancy? In the later stages of pregnancy, some pregnant women experience tightness and hardness in the lower abdomen, and sometimes some pain. This is mostly caused by premature birth, false labor in late pregnancy, or infection. Therefore, a hard belly in the late pregnancy may be caused by these reasons.

1. Infection and others

The causes of premature birth are often infections, including genital tract infections and amnionitis. However, urinary tract infection and intestinal infection can also induce the above symptoms. In addition, some pregnant women may experience tightness, hardness, and pain in the lower abdomen when the fetus moves frequently in the abdomen. The way to prevent this symptom is to rest in the left side lying position, which can increase the blood flow to the uterus and placenta, prevent or reduce spontaneous uterine contractions, refrain from sexual intercourse in the late pregnancy, prevent urinary tract infection, and smokers need to quit smoking.

2. Premature birth

This refers to birth before the full 37th week of pregnancy. Pregnant women generally experience uterine contractions, which manifest as tightness, hardness, and abdominal pain in the lower abdomen. If there are 2 to 3 uterine contractions every 10 minutes, lasting more than 30 seconds, or accompanied by bloody vaginal discharge, it is a threat of premature labor and you need to go to the hospital for examination and observation. If the cervix dilates progressively during the observation process and the cervix is ​​dilated to more than 2 cm, premature birth will be inevitable.

3. False labor in late pregnancy

These are irregular, weak, painless uterine contractions that occur during pregnancy. Its characteristic is that it often appears frequently at night and disappears the next morning. This is different from the labor pains in late pregnancy, which are characterized by short, regular, and gradual abdominal pain. Most pregnant women may not feel any discomfort, but some pregnant women who are sensitive to pain may mistake normal uterine contractions for labor contractions. It is estimated that about 1/3 of the so-called threatened premature labor cases are not real labor, but false labor.

4. It may also be that labor pains are coming

If you feel regular hardening of your abdomen near delivery (within 3 weeks before the due date, i.e. entering full-term pregnancy), and this happens repeatedly, it probably means that real labor (delivery) is approaching.

The easiest way to distinguish this kind of abdominal tightening and labor pain is to use the "151 rule", which is: if the uterine contractions last at least 1 minute each, with an interval of 5 minutes or less, and this situation lasts for at least 1 hour, then this is the labor pain before delivery, and you should go to the hospital immediately.

For pregnant women who frequently experience the above symptoms and cannot diagnose the cause themselves, or if they often have a hard abdomen in the late pregnancy, fetal heart monitoring can be done to observe whether there are irregular uterine contractions. If there are irregular uterine contractions, appropriate treatment should be given.

The above is an introduction to why your stomach becomes hard in the late pregnancy. You can judge the possible reasons for your stomach becoming hard in the late pregnancy on your own, and don’t be blindly nervous.

Is it normal to have a hard belly in late pregnancy?

The reason why pregnant women in the late stage feel their stomachs hard from time to time is often due to frequent and irregular uterine contractions: also known as false labor. Starting from the 28th week of pregnancy, false labor will often occur in the abdomen. If the pregnant woman stands or sits in the same posture for a long time, she will feel her abdomen hardening from time to time. This is false labor and is a normal phenomenon.

The characteristics of false labor are that the time of occurrence is irregular and the intensity varies from time to time. Before delivery, that is, in the late pregnancy, false labor contractions will become more and more frequent due to the traction stimulation of the lower uterine segment caused by the descending fetal head. As long as there is no pain, pregnant women do not need to worry.

What to do if your belly becomes hard during late pregnancy

How should expectant mothers deal with the hardening of the abdomen caused by false labor in the late pregnancy?

1. Pay attention to rest, because the enlarged belly in the late pregnancy is already a burden for expectant mothers. If you are overworked, it may cause premature birth.

2. Never stimulate the uterus. Be careful when walking and don't let people or objects hit your stomach.

3. If you often have a hard abdomen in the late pregnancy, you can do fetal heart monitoring to observe whether there are irregular uterine contractions. If there are irregular uterine contractions, appropriate treatment should be given.

4. If your abdomen is hard and accompanied by abdominal pain and back pain in the late pregnancy, you should go to the hospital for examination immediately.

5. A hard belly in the late pregnancy is a situation that most pregnant women will encounter. Expectant mothers do not need to worry too much. They should pay attention to rest. If uterine contractions are accompanied by abdominal pain or back pain, they should go to the hospital for treatment.