Why is my stomach soft during pregnancy? Are you rather concerned about this issue, especially when it comes to first-time moms-to-be?
In fact, many expectant ladies are wondering about the query too. The belly being squishy or firm can somewhat tell you about your and your unborn baby’s health status.
In order to get the facts about soft belly during pregnancy, we are going to walk through five key concerns in this post.
Let’s get started now!
Why Is My Stomach Soft During Pregnancy?
Why is my belly soft during pregnancy? This is chiefly because the pregnant woman’s abdominal muscles start to lose during pregnancy.
In addition, the unborn infant’s position and some factors like contractions and gas might trigger the mom’s belly to soften or harden and change its feel, shape, and size.
Comparing your belly to other moms-to-be might make you worried about your baby bump. It is key to bear in mind that all women have different habitus.
For example, ladies with lower fat content might keep a lower stomach soft during pregnancy for shorter periods because their uterus has more space to grow.
Furthermore, first-time moms might not show changes in their pregnant bellies noticeably until entering their second trimesters.
Below are several other elements that might impact a person’s uterus:
- Infant’s position
- Amount of fluid
- Mom’s body type
- Bump shape
- Number of unborn babies
- Previous pregnancies
How Does A Pregnant Belly Feel In Early Pregnancy?
For most early pregnancies (around the first trimester), you might not feel the changes much, if any, just a bit of a difference in your stomach.
It would probably look a bit bigger and be soft – resembling when you are troubled with breath after you have enjoyed a big meal or during your monthly period.
Your unborn infant is so tiny. They just measure two inches long and weigh half an ounce in the late first trimester. Still, your womb is neatly fit and protected well in your pelvis with its strong bones.
During the first weeks of pregnancy, a feeling of stretchy tenderness or a bigger belly may stem from digestive changes.
Once your womb occupies much more space in your pelvis, your intestines will be pushed upward.
Additionally, hormonal changes are slowing down the process of digestion, resulting in increased constipation and gas.
After weeks pass on, you will begin to feel as well as look more like an actual pregnant woman.
What Causes A Hard Belly During Pregnancy?
With the extension of the womb and the growth of the infant, the abdomen might begin to feel harder, even during the initial pregnancy.
Firming is mainly due to extravagant extending of abdominal muscles.
Also, owing to some issues like weight gain, bloating, gas, and Braxton Hicks, expectant women can feel firm in their stomach during their pregnancy.
Expanding Uterus
Not only will your hips widen during pregnancy, but your womb will also expand from an orange’s size to a watermelon’s size to house your little angel.
As the womb stretches, your stomach will turn bigger, making your skin tight and your abdominal muscles expand.
The bigger your womb expands, the harder and tighter your belly will feel. This is also when stretch marks appear to upset mommies.
Your uterus not only stretches outwards, forming your bump, but also stretches inwards, placing pressure on your (other) organs.
This might trigger something unpleasant, especially when turning into the third trimester.
Gas
Many pregnant women are given a rough ride with GI issues (gas, constipation, bloating) during pregnancy.
Actually, this stems from pregnancy hormones progesterone, which is vital for keeping a healthy uterus for your developing unborn infant.
These progesterone hormones ease muscles in the intestines, slowing your digestion down. The gas might cause your stomach to become more uncomfortable during pregnancy.
Attempt the below tips to help lessen GI issues during this sensitive period:
- Stay active (for example, taking part in the 21-day fix pregnancy)
- Avoid constipation or gas-inducing foods (cruciferous vegetables, soda, dairy, etc.)
- Drink a lot of water
- Intake much more fiber
Braxton-Hicks contractions
When it comes to Braxton-hick contractions, they commonly appear in the third trimester (some can get these in the second one). They are characterized by uterine or abdominal tightening spasms.
These spasms are occasionally confused with early labor, yet they indeed signal that the body is getting ready for labor.
Not the same as true labor pain, Braxton-Hicks are infrequent and might last around two minutes.
These contractions might make you feel like period cramps yet come in short bursts. If you find your stomach becoming harder, then softening down, you might encounter Braxton-Hicks spasms.
Below are some tricks to handle painful or uncomfortable Braxton-Hicks:
- Hydrate
- Change activity or position
- Take a bath in warm water.
Baby Positioning
When your unborn infant grows up day by day, you will find them discovering various positions in your uterus.
This discovery would become more and more obvious as it became larger and larger because you would feel every twist and kick.
Subject to how your unborn kid is settled, your stomach might feel soft in certain zones and hard in others.
By sensing the hard areas, you can coax your little one to switch to the right position using belly mapping if he is in the wrong place.
This method is normally carried out in late pregnancy to identify if your unborn infant is at the correct position before delivery or not.
Is A Pregnant Belly Hard Or Soft?
The hardness of your bump would change during the whole pregnancy, and it might be hard or soft at various times. And there are some key reasons to explain this fact.
You might suppose your baby bump ought to stay hard all over your pregnancy, yet this isn’t always the case.
Weight gain, Braxton hicks, bloating, and gas might all affect the toughness of your belly during the period.
The bump might change during the daytime, and also, your unborn kid’s motion would play a role in whether your stomach is hard or soft through the third (and even second) trimester.
There’s nothing to worry about when your abdomen has become soft at any time during any period of your whole pregnancy.
In sum, depending on your body shape, body type, different moments of a day, and different stages of the pregnancy, occasionally, your stomach will feel hard and tight, and other times, it will feel soft.
The fact is, there is no reason to compare your belly with anyone else. Pregnant stomachs come in all firmness, size, and shapes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is My Stomach Soft At The Top And Hard At The Bottom Pregnancy?
In the latter stages of pregnancy, your unborn infant would slip down into your pelvis when he is ready for birth.
This step is considered as releasing the pressure on the mother’s organs and relieving some room at the top of your belly.
Once the baby reaches here, the top of the abdomen might feel soft, and you will find it easy to breathe. (although back and pelvic pain might increase).
Of course, you will feel heavy and tight at the bottom where your little monster sits.
Why Is My Pregnant Belly Not Round?
Instead of your growing womb pushing your organs upwards and backwards behind it, your intestines are moved out to your uterus’s both sides and over the top of it, making your abdomen look rounder and bigger.
But that is not always the case. Some women’s growing womb expands the abdominal muscles which will be laxer and not round during pregnancy.
There are some key variants regarding the pregnant-belly type: B and D types.
A B abdomen during pregnancy will look like it has a waistband or crease in the middle of your belly.
So the stomach seemed to split into a bottom and top half, similar to a capital letter B. Some consider the B stomach to be a double abdomen pregnancy.
The other (D type) will not have a dividing line, meaning that it will come out as a cute round baby bump.
Does Your Stomach Get Really Hard Before Labor?
Yes, it does. Throughout the latter half of the pregnancy, you might have found your belly getting firm, then soft again. Also, this might give you some feeling similar to your baby “balling up”.
These unusual spasms might increase in intensity and frequency as your child’s due date comes. They could become uncomfortable and painful too much.
In A Nutshell
Why is my stomach soft during pregnancy? From now on, it is not a tricky curiosity to you anymore. Also, you have more useful information to take better care of yourself in your pregnancy.
Are pregnant bellies firm? In sum, there is nothing to be worried about whether a pregnant belly squishy or firm.
We hope, until these final lines, you have already got a thoughtful preparation for any changes during pregnancy. It’s best to share this insightful information with others with the same interest as you.
Finally, thank you and see you soon in our coming content
