Why is the belly hard when pregnant at 38 weeks?

Pregnant women will experience a hard stomach during the 38th week of pregnancy. Some women who have had children know what is going on. However, some women who have never been pregnant don’t quite understand what is going on and will worry whether there is a problem. So, why does a pregnant woman’s belly feel hard at 38 weeks? The editor will explain it to expectant mothers below, hoping to alleviate their anxious emotions.

These are uterine contractions, and it's normal to have occasional contractions during pregnancy, and they're especially noticeable at night.

By the due date, only painful uterine contractions are the precursor to labor. Some women feel the pain of the beginning of uterine contractions in the abdomen, while others feel it in the waist. Don't be nervous and be scared by the contractions. In fact, if the contractions are not strong, you may not feel them or they may be the same as the lower abdominal pain during menstruation. The intensity of pain also varies from person to person. When uterine contractions cause you slight pain, after a while it passes, the pain gradually becomes stronger, the intervals between them shorten, and the pain duration prolongs. The contractions come like waves, with waves of pain spreading to the lower abdomen, or there may be lower back pain and a feeling of defecation. This type of contraction is in preparation for the birth of the baby. So this little pain is nothing. As long as you cooperate with the doctor and use the breathing exercises you have practiced to coordinate the contractions, you can successfully go through the delivery.

Please remember Dr. Reed's words: "When the mother is tense, the cervix contracts; when the mother is relaxed, the cervix relaxes." I hope it will help you complete your task smoothly.

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.

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.

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.

hint:

If the mother's uterine contractions are weak due to tension and fear of childbirth, the expectant father and family members should patiently guide her to relax and eventually have a normal delivery.

Through the above content, everyone knows why the pregnant woman’s belly is hard at 38 weeks. It may be due to uterine contractions. However, the fetus has basically completed its development at 38 weeks of pregnancy, and it is very necessary to go to the hospital for examination. Therefore, you can read the above content carefully, which is very helpful.