Is it better for a pregnant woman to have a hard or soft belly?

The changes in a woman's abdomen will be obvious after she becomes pregnant. It will start to get bigger around four months, and will get even bigger after eight or nine months. However, some pregnant women find that their stomachs are a little hard, while others feel a little soft. So is it better for a pregnant woman’s belly to be hard or soft? This issue actually needs to be viewed from many aspects. Everyone's situation is different. Being too hard or too soft is not normal. It is best to listen to the doctor's advice.

The reason why pregnant women in the late stage feel their stomachs hard from time to time is often due to frequent and irregular uterine contractions: also known as false labor. Starting from the 28th week of pregnancy, false labor will often occur in the abdomen. If the pregnant woman stands or sits in the same posture for a long time, she will feel her abdomen hardening from time to time. These are false labors.

Its characteristics are that the time of occurrence is irregular and the degree varies from time to time. Before delivery, the lower part of the uterus is stimulated by the traction caused by the descending fetal head. False labor will become more and more frequent. Uterine contraction is the contraction force of the uterus, which refers to the contraction of the smooth muscle of the uterine body. It is paroxysmal, with contractions and pauses alternating repeatedly, and is not controlled by the will of the mother. It plays a vital role in childbirth. Only through effective uterine contractions can the fetus continue to descend along the birth canal to complete delivery.

A hard belly in a pregnant woman is usually caused by uterine contractions. In the middle and late stages of pregnancy, the pregnant woman's uterus grows larger as the fetus grows and becomes more and more sensitive. When stimulated, it is easy to cause uterine contractions. These contractions are generally irregular, painless, short-lived, and cause diffuse abdominal hardening. They are false contractions and will not cause real delivery.

In the late pregnancy before delivery, the lower part of the uterus of the pregnant woman will be stimulated by the traction caused by the descending fetal head, and false labor contractions will become more and more frequent. As long as there is no abdominal pain, there is no need to worry.

About two weeks before or after the due date, the pregnant woman's stomach becomes hard and is accompanied by symptoms such as abdominal pain, which are true uterine contractions. If the contractions last longer than one minute, are spaced less than five minutes apart, and last longer than one hour, you should go to the hospital immediately. In particular, if there are signs of labor such as water breaking or spotting, you should seek medical attention immediately to avoid infection.