Are you a pregnant woman and often feel your stomach tightening? When you experience stomach tightening during pregnancy, you might panic. Instead of panicking and worrying too much, it is better for you to pay attention to the explanation about stomach tightening below to find out what kind of stomach tightening that you do not have to worry about and the one to watch for.
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Pregnancy is a dream for most women. As a woman, it is normal when you feel excited, especially if it is your first pregnancy. One of the things that you might do as a sign of your excitement is stroke your tummy. It is normal for pregnant women like you to strike it daily because you feel happy and cannot wait to meet your baby.
When you are stroking the stomach, you might feel it is very tight and wonder what is happening. So, what is currently happening? Is the stomach tightening a red flag or is it fine to feel something like this? Stay calm and throw the worry away.
Apparently, it is a common thing for women to experience stomach tightening during pregnancy. It seems like it is safe to say that almost all pregnant women have experienced it. During pregnancy, the body goes through a lot of changes, both physically and psychologically. Basically, everything changes.
There are a few possible causes of stomach tightening that are known among pregnant women, as follows:
1. The baby gains weight
As the womb ages, the weight of the baby will also increase. The added weight of the unborn baby can put pressure on the stomach muscles, which in turn can possibly make you feel uncomfortable and cause stomach tightening during pregnancy.
2. The stomach is full of gas
Lots of gas in your stomach can also cause your stomach to feel tight. Do you remember what you ate today? Did you eat a lot of gas-containing foods such as cabbage, sweet potatoes, or soda? If the answer to the question is yes, then do not be surprised if you get stomach tightening because these foods and drinks contain enough gas that can make your stomach tight.
3. Fetal movement
The movement of the baby in the womb can also be the cause of stomach tightening. Usually, the baby has a schedule for when they actively kick, when they rest, and so on and it can be different in each pregnancy. If you often feel your stomach tightening, try to pay attention to the active schedule of the baby. If your stomach hurts a bit after the baby makes the movement or changes their position, there is a high chance that stomach tightening in this case is normal. Basically, it is normal for your growing belly to feel tight when the baby enjoys themselves in the stomach.
4. Contractions
In addition to these three, stomach tightening can also be a sign that you need medical help. If you feel this kind of thing in the last trimester and before the due date, you have to be more alert because there is a chance of you having a contraction. Talking about contractions, there are two kinds of them during pregnancy: real contractions and false contractions. Real contractions are usually easier to feel. Some characteristics of real contractions include the pain in the back and lower abdomen, the pressure on the pelvis, the pain that is like menstruation but stronger and occurs in patterns. These contractions occur in pattemeaning you feel contraction every few minutes. Unfortunately, you will still feel these kinds of contractions even though you have changed positions, such as from sitting to standing or lying down or vice versa. If you feel a real contraction, it means you are about to give birth and the time for you to meet your baby is near. Then, what about false contractions? As for false contractions, they are different compared to real contractions. They are hard to predict properly, have no pattern, and sometimes they feel strong and sometimes don’t. Fortunately, everything will disappear after you change the position. Even though these kinds of contractions do not cause extreme pain like real contractions, they will usually disappear on their own. Usually, they appear when entering the final trimester as a form of body preparation for delivery later. However, if they appear continuously and you feel they are disturbing, you are advised to see a doctor because it is feared that these are signs of contractions that can lead to premature birth.
It will be really easy to tell whether the stomach tightening during pregnancy is a sign of danger or not if you know the causes of it. Hopefully, you will be more careful and sensitive to the complaints that you feel after reading the information above. If you do not feel better or if the stomach tightening is accompanied by other symptoms, such as blood or discharge coming out of the vagina, the pain is stronger, or you feel the movement of the baby is reduced or weakened, do not wait and go to an obstetrician immediately.
