Early pregnancy bloating and normal bloating feel exactly the same. Your pregnancy bloating may feel slightly more uncomfortable due to the additional symptoms and increased amounts of gas which can worsen gas pains.
Bloating is a common early pregnancy sign . In some cases, bloating can occur even before the first missed period. During early pregnancy, the hormone progesterone increases to prepare the uterus. Progesterone also slows digestion, which can trap the gas in the intestines that may cause abdominal bloating.
What Is Early Pregnancy Bloating Like? Bloating during pregnancy can be highly uncomfortable. According to many pregnant women, bloating during pregnancy can feel like a balloon that is ready to burst. Your belly might feel hard, tense, and tighter than usual when you press it.
Sometimes, you might think you're already showing early on in the first trimester, but it's more than likely just pregnancy bloating, a swelling that can make your pants fit tighter. Bloating is one of the early signs of pregnancy, along with gas and constipation.
Your growing uterus is pulling and straining the muscles that support it. You may feel sharp pains or just a mild pulling sensation. It often occurs when you cough, sneeze, stand up, sit down, roll over, or during sex.
Depending on your stage of pregnancy, your body type, and even the time of day, sometimes your belly will feel soft and other times it will feel tight and hard. The reality is, there's no normal to compare yourself with. Pregnant bellies come in all shapes, sizes, and firmness.
Week 1 pregnant belly
There won't really be a baby bump during the first week of your pregnancy, or really, for the next few weeks. Since you'll be menstruating during this week, it is possible that hormonal changes might make you feel a bit bloated due to fluid retention.
Bloating may be one of your most frequent and least charming early pregnancy symptoms, first showing up around week 11 and likely lasting throughout your pregnancy up until delivery day.
Bloating often develops in the first trimester , and it may get worse during the third trimester — beginning in week 29 — as the fetus takes up more space and presses on surrounding organs. Also, women who have IBS prior to pregnancy may find that their symptoms become worse or more frequent during pregnancy.
At two weeks pregnant, your belly won't show any signs of a bump yet, although you may feel a little more gassy or bloated than usual.
“At 12 weeks, your growing uterus can no longer hide inside your pelvis behind your pubic bone,” says Sherry Ross, an OB/GYN at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. “Instead, it starts to protrude into your abdomen.” For some women, that shift translates to a starter baby bump.
The Bottom Line. Typically, most mild to moderate hits to your pregnant belly won't endanger your baby as the uterus provides a well-protected space to grow. However, harder hits can cause serious harm.
A hard spot on your abdomen during the early part of the second trimester is likely to be your fundus, which is the top of your uterus. The uterus is a muscular organ, shaped like an upside-down pear, and the fundus is the curved upper part that's furthest away from your cervix.
Stomach pains or cramps are common in pregnancy and are usually nothing to worry about. Mild stomach pain in early pregnancy (during the first 12 weeks) is usually caused by your womb expanding, the ligaments stretching as your bump grows, hormones constipation or trapped wind.
Early signs and symptoms include implantation bleeding or cramps, which can occur 5–6 days after the sperm fertilizes the egg. Other early symptoms include breast tenderness and mood changes.
2 weeks pregnant belly
Inside your belly, your uterine lining is thickening up to make sure it's ready for a fertilized egg. If you do conceive by the end of week 2, your body will start making some changes - like slowing down your digestion - that could cause some abdominal bloating.
Following the 12-week mark, the uterus expands to accommodate the growing baby, making the belly feel harder instead of soft [1]. On the other hand, a fat belly is softer and you'll also tend to see fat layers on the stomach rather than a protruding belly with a smooth dome as you would with a pregnant belly [1].