Why is my stomach hard when I am nine months pregnant?

Pregnancy is when family members need the most attention, especially the pregnant woman herself, who is very clear about the condition of her body. At this time, pregnant women really need to take good care of themselves, because pregnancy is a special period. Both pregnant women and fetuses need to be taken care of at this time, but some situations may still occur. So, why is my belly so hard at nine months of pregnancy?

This is an irregular contraction of the uterus in late pregnancy, characterized by weak contraction force, short and irregular duration, the intensity of the contraction does not gradually increase, there is no vaginal bleeding or discharge, and sometimes the uterine contraction can stop completely after rest. This irregular uterine contraction is not labor, so it is called "false labor". There is no need to go to the hospital immediately to wait for delivery. When regular uterine contractions occur, they occur every 10 to 15 minutes, and each contraction lasts for dozens of seconds. Even after bed rest, the contractions do not disappear, and the intervals between them gradually shorten. The duration gradually increases and the intensity of contraction continues to increase. This is the beginning of labor and you should go to the hospital immediately to wait for delivery.

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 uterine 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.

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.

Pregnant women are very worried about any slight problem during pregnancy, because what they are most worried about at this time is the comfort of their baby. Now, for the content above, you can take a good look at what is going on when your stomach becomes hard during the ninth month of pregnancy. If you encounter this situation, you can solve it in time to avoid any problems.