What is the reason for a pregnant woman's belly to be hard?

For some unmarried people, there are many things that they are confused about when they are pregnant. Among them, the pregnant woman’s belly becomes hard during some periods of pregnancy. For those who are just pregnant, they may not understand it very well. So, let’s take a good look at what is going on when the pregnant woman’s belly becomes hard. In fact, expectant mothers don’t need to worry too much. I hope that after reading this article, it can relieve the mood of expectant mothers.

It could be a contraction.

Uterine contraction is an important feature of labor. In short, it is the regular contraction of the uterus. The contractions are irregular and weak at first, then gradually become regular, becoming increasingly stronger, lasting longer, and with shorter intervals, such as an interval of 2-3 minutes, lasting 50-60 seconds. The last few months of pregnancy are characterized by irregular contractions, especially in the last few weeks. After the fetal movement, just put your hands on your abdomen and you will feel your abdomen hardening from time to time. This type of contraction is irregular, non-cyclical, and painless.

Manifestation

In the weeks before delivery, the uterine muscles are more sensitive and irregular uterine contractions will occur, lasting for a short time, being weak, or limited to the lower part of the uterus. It stops after several hours and cannot cause the cervix to open, so it is not labor and is called false labor. The contractions of the uterus during labor are regular. Initially, the interval is about 10 minutes, and pregnant women feel abdominal pain, and then the duration of the pain gradually increases to 40 seconds to 60 seconds. The severity increases and the interval shortens to about 3 to 5 minutes. When the uterus contracts and abdominal pain occurs, the lower abdomen may feel hard.

Uterine atony

Uterine atony means that uterine contractions still maintain normal rhythm, symmetry and polarity, but the intensity of contractions is decreasing, resulting in longer intervals between contractions, shorter duration, weaker force of each contraction, slow expansion of the cervix, prolonged delivery time, threatening the fetus, and exhaustion of the mother. The cervix is ​​slow to open, causing delays in labor. After the fetal head enters the pelvis, the bladder is compressed between the fetal head and the pubic symphysis, resulting in difficulty urinating and urinary retention; affecting the detachment of the placenta from the uterine wall, causing postpartum hemorrhage; and increasing the chance of fetal intrauterine hypoxia and trauma.

False labor

False labor, also called prolonged labor, is an occasional uterine contraction. Its characteristics are that the time of occurrence is irregular and the degree varies from time to time. False labor begins around 6 weeks of pregnancy, but you won't feel it until the second half of pregnancy. A gynecologist at Peking Union Medical College Hospital said that frequently touching the belly in the late pregnancy can cause false labor and lead to premature birth.

The article introduces in detail why the belly becomes hard during pregnancy, so pregnant women don't have to worry when they encounter this situation. At the same time, pregnant women are reminded to go to the hospital for examination in time when similar situations occur. This can better ensure that no other problems will arise, which is the best.