What causes a hard stomach in the morning during pregnancy?

Many pregnant women experience hard stomachs in the morning after they become pregnant. A hard stomach in the morning makes many pregnant women particularly worried. They worry about the health of their babies and their own health. Therefore, they want to fully understand the causes of hard stomachs in the morning. The following provides answers for many pregnant women, so you can further understand it.

A hard stomach in the morning during pregnancy is an occasional uterine contraction. In fact, it starts around 6 weeks of pregnancy, but you can't feel it at that time. If you can feel it, it will be after the second trimester of pregnancy. Moreover, some pregnant women don’t even feel the preparation before pregnancy. British doctor John Braxton Hicks first described this phenomenon in 1872, so this type of uterine contraction was named Braxton Hicks contraction.

False labor contractions generally become more frequent as your pregnancy progresses, but until the last few weeks of your pregnancy, they should be infrequent, irregular, and mostly painless. But sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between false labor and early signs of preterm labor.

To be cautious, don't try to diagnose yourself. If you are less than 37 weeks pregnant and have 4 or more contractions within 1 hour, or other signs of premature birth, you should go to the hospital for examination immediately.

By the time you're just a few weeks away from your due date, these contractions may become stronger, more frequent, and cause some discomfort. Those painless and occasional false contractions in the early stages of pregnancy will not cause obvious changes in the cervix. The contractions at this time may help your cervix become "mature": the cervix gradually becomes softer and thinner. It may even cause your cervix to start opening slightly. Sometimes this period is called the prelabor period.

After the second trimester, when pregnant women move around a lot, lack of rest and sleep, or work too hard, the uterus often becomes hard. The frequency of this phenomenon increases towards the end of pregnancy, but it is mostly irregular and will improve if they just lie down and rest.

This article introduces in detail the causes of hard stomachs in the morning for many pregnant women. After fully understanding the causes, many pregnant women who have severe symptoms must pay attention to it. It is best to go to the hospital for a comprehensive examination. After the examination, use the correct treatment method to ensure that you no longer have a hard stomach in the morning as soon as possible.