Causes of Hard Stomach during Pregnancy
The period of pregnancy, especially in the case of first time mother, results in lots of mental and physical changes and she has to undergo much mental and physical stress. As the skin of the stomach stretches it becomes hard resulting in pain and inconvenience to the mother. So hardness of the stomach during advanced stage of pregnancy is quite a normal phenomenon. The extent of hardness differs from one woman to another, and also if it is the first delivery or subsequent. Generally the hardness is maximum in the third trimester when the child in almost fully developed and is getting ready for delivery.
The uterus is located inside the abdomen. After fertilization the egg travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus and here it sticks on the wall and starts to grow. The development of the foetus is slow but regular. As the foetus, which in the initial stage is of the size of a grain of rice, starts to develop and various organs take shape, the size starts to increase. For its growth it creates the space for itself inside the stomach, displacing various organs and pressing the stomach which starts to move out to make space for the growing child. By the time the pregnancy enters the second trimester or around the 21st week of pregnancy, the baby has acquired its shape and almost all organs have developed. It is located between belly button and pelvic bone. Due to the limitation of the skin of the stomach to expand beyond a particular limit, it becomes hard.
The hardness is more in case of the women who are thin as compared to those who are fatty. Thin women start to face this discomfort much earlier as compared to the fat women. Since this hardness or change is associated with pain, the woman has no option to bear it as generally no medication is provided to the woman to reduce pain as it could have an adverse effect on the child. This is the stage at which the stretch marks develop due to excessive stretching of skin. Application of some moisturizers or oil can provide relief from stretch marks and may help reduce tension on the skin of the stomach.
Some other causes of hard stomach
In addition to the growth of the child, there could be some more reasons for hard stomach. Constipation is the most common reason. Generally due to constipation gas is formed in the intestines and this adds to the discomfort. Consumption of inappropriate food and soda drinks can also be a cause of tightness of stomach. To reduce discomfort and pain it is necessary that the woman should stick to a healthy diet plan. The food should be rich in fiber and easy to digest so that the chances of constipation are reduced. As far as possible soda drinks and junk food should be avoided. Clear intestines provide mental relief and feeling good to the woman.
It is necessary for a woman who becomes pregnant that she keeps in mind and is ready to accept the fact that during the nine months of pregnancy she will have to face a number of conditions which will be associated with pain and discomfort and all these will disappear after the child birth. Hard stomach is one of them.