You expect your belly to get bigger during pregnancy. What nobody tells you is how it will feel as it expands, and how that feeling can change over time.
Depending on your stage of pregnancy, your body type, and even the time of day, sometimes your belly will feel soft and other times it will feel tight and hard.
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The reality is, there's no normal to compare yourself with. Pregnant bellies come in all shapes, sizes, and firmness. Some women look more pregnant or show sooner; other women have a smaller bump or never have an obvious, basketball-shaped pregnancy belly. How your belly looks and feels can vary based on factors like your hormones, pre-pregnancy weight, height, body shape, muscle tone, and whether this is your first baby.
If your pregnant belly feels tight and heavy, it's probably completely normal and nothing to worry about. Late in pregnancy, you may also feel sensations of stomach tightening during Braxton Hicks contractions, when your body is practicing for labor. These are normal, as are brief sensations of pressure or cramps. But it's never a bad idea to check with your doctor or midwife if your belly doesn't feel like you think it should.
How does a pregnant belly feel in early pregnancy?
For most of your first trimester, you may not feel much, if any, difference in your belly. It will probably be soft and look a little bigger – similar to when you get bloated during your period or after you've eaten a large meal.
Your baby is still tiny – at the end of the first trimester, they weigh just half an ounce and measure around 2 inches long.
Your uterus is still nestled in your pelvis, well protected by those strong bones. In early pregnancy, a bigger belly or feeling of tightness is probably due to digestive changes. As your uterus takes up more room in your pelvis, it's pushing your intestines upward. In addition, hormonal changes are slowing your digestion, leading to increased gas and constipation.
You'll start to feel and look more pregnant as the weeks go on. By the end of this trimester or early in the second trimester, you may start to show.
When does your belly start feeling hard during pregnancy?
This varies, but it's usually during your second or third trimester. As your uterus grows, it eventually pushes against your abdominal wall, making your abdomen feel firm. The muscles and ligaments around your uterus stretch, too, which can cause mild cramping.
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When you're about 20 weeks pregnant, your uterus is at your belly button. (Your ob-gyn or midwife will measure the growth of your uterus and evaluate your baby and body at each prenatal visit.)
Some women never get that hard, defined pregnancy belly, and that's okay. Just like our bodies are different before pregnancy, they're different during pregnancy, too! Tall women have more vertical space for their growing uterus, so often will show later. Full-figured or plus-size pregnant women have more padding, and the distinct outline of their bump is blurred.
Belly hardness can also be caused by gas, a common pregnancy side effect. You get gassy because of hormone changes that slow the rate at which food passes through your digestive tract. Because of this slower pace, your food spends more time in your intestines, giving the bacteria that live there more time to produce gas.
Pregnancy exercise can help move the gas through, as can safe over-the-counter medications. Eating fiber-rich foods that are broken down can be helpful, too: Try applesauce instead of apples and cooked spinach instead of a raw salad. Carbonated beverages make some women feel particularly bad, since they add gas to their gas.
My pregnant belly feels tight and heavy – what gives?
Stomach tightness during pregnancy is normal, especially toward the end of pregnancy. By the late third trimester, your belly can feel as tight and heavy as a watermelon.
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As your belly expands, your skin will start to feel stretched and you may see new stretch marks on your belly (as well as other places, like your breasts and behind). Your skin may itch from rapid growth and stretching, and a good moisturizer or stretch mark cream may be a must-have.
The heaviness and tightening are likely just signs of your baby growing and your uterus taking up more space in your body. At the end of pregnancy, the measurement from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus is around 15 inches. As your uterus expands, it crowds your internal organs. Pressure on your diaphragm and lungs can make it harder to breathe. And the pressure of your uterus against your bladder can make for more frequent bathroom visits.
If you feel sensations of stomach tightening or hardness that come and go, it could be Braxton Hicks contractions. These practice contractions are very normal and prepare your body for labor. They can be hard to tell apart from real contractions.
Cramping or brief, sharp pains on one or both sides of your belly might also be round ligament pain. It happens when ligaments that attach your uterus to the walls of your pelvis stretch and pull as your baby grows.
Although Braxton Hicks contractions and round ligament pain aren't anything to worry about, belly cramping or pain can sometimes signal a problem, such as preterm labor, severe preeclampsia, or placental abruption.
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If you're more than 37 weeks pregnant, expect increasing tightness and discomfort as you approach your due date. But contact your provider if:
If you're less than 37 weeks pregnant, call your provider if you feel cramping or tightening and:
- You're also bleeding or spotting
- The tightening comes in regular intervals, with more than 4 to 6 contractions each hour for two hours
- You have vaginal discharge that's new or unusual for you, or you think your water may have broken
- The pain is severe, or continues even after you rest and drink water
- You feel less fetal movement
