Hard bellies

The uterus is actually a large muscle. A hard belly is an irregular contraction of the muscle of your uterus. This can be an unpleasant feeling, but this can do no harm. It feels like there is a hard ball in your abdomen. It can also feel like a contracting, shrinking sensation. It is unpleasant, but it should not be particularly painful. In addition, it should not be accompanied by blood loss and/or fluid loss. Hard bellies can occur from the 24th week of pregnancy onwards.

POSSIBLE CAUSES

  • Rapid growth: At certain times of the pregnancy your uterus can grow rapidly. The uterine muscle is suddenly stretched and reacts by contracting. You'll often see this around your 20th week, when you start to get a real pregnant belly, and at the end of the pregnancy, when your baby is suddenly growing rapidly.
  • Baby's movements: With vigorous kicking and movement, the baby may stimulate the uterine muscle, causing it to contract.
  • Mom's movements: Women often experience more hard bellies during movement. Quickly walking, bending over, standing up, lifting, etc., causes the uterus to contract somewhat.
  • Cystitis: You usually don't experience pain when you urinate, but you do experience a nagging pain in your lower abdomen. Your inflamed bladder can irritate the muscle of your uterus, causing it to contract. Do you have a lot of hard bellies? Take a urine sample to your doctor to rule out a bladder infection.
  • Pressure: You can also experience hard bellies when you are under physical or psychological pressure. It is often a signal from your body that you should slow down.
  • Sex: Sometimes you may experience hard contractions after intercourse or an orgasm, especially if your pregnancy is more advanced. This can be very unpleasant, but it is not harmful.

TIPS

Try to build more rest into your daily rhythm. Do this for example by lying down quietly, taking a warm shower or bath, or holding a nice warm hot water bottle against your belly. Warmth and rest will help relax the uterine muscle.

As long as the hard belly or preliminary contractions feel annoying rather than painful, there is nothing wrong and you are advised to take it easy. When in doubt, call the midwife on duty at the Birth Centre.