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.
The answer is almost always no. Some abdominal contact is inevitable and typically harmless during pregnancy, from doing daily tasks at work to managing rambunctious toddlers and pets. The rare exceptions usually involve abdominal trauma, such as getting in a car accident.
Gently touch and rub your belly, or massage it. Respond to your baby's kicks. In the last trimester, you can gently push against the baby or rub your belly where the kick occurred and see if there is a response.
Signs you may be exercising too hard while pregnant
If your heart is pounding and you can't carry on a conversation because you're out of breath, you're probably working out too hard. The goal is to work within your ability level and exercise moderately – not too easy; not too hard – for about 30 minutes.
Pressing on your stomach is a way to find out if the size of your internal organs is normal, to check if anything hurts, and to feel if anything unusual is going on. Looking, listening, and feeling are all part of a physical exam.
Habitually contracting your upper abdominal muscles can exert excess force on the pelvic floor muscles, leaving them strained and overworked. That, in turn, can lead to bladder and/or bowel leaks (incontinence) or cause unsupported pelvic organs to drop lower in the pelvis (prolapse).
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.
Whatever activity doing and whatever stage of your pregnancy you are at, stop straight away and see your doctor or midwife if: you are having trouble catching your breath. you feel dizzy. you have chest pain.
The baby is protected in your uterus, by the cervix, so there is no way to cause any harm to the baby from penetrative sex. It's important to keep in mind, and maybe to remind a weary partner, that there is no way anything penetrative can go further than the vagina.
Failure to see a broader perspective, both in terms of how you see your value as a person as well as how you see the importance of work relative to the rest of your life, can be a sign that you are pushing yourself too hard.
Gently poke or jiggle your baby bump.
And plenty of moms have felt their babies move in utero with just a (very) gentle poke to the stomach or light jiggle of their bump. Just remember not to prod too vigorously: You've got precious cargo in there!
Background. Many physicians advise pregnant women to sleep on their left side. Previous studies have linked back and right-side sleeping with a higher risk of stillbirth, reduced fetal growth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia, a life-threatening high blood pressure disorder that affects the mother.
Certain uterine conditions or weak cervical tissues (incompetent cervix) might increase the risk of miscarriage. Smoking, alcohol and illicit drugs. Women who smoke during pregnancy have a greater risk of miscarriage than do nonsmokers. Heavy alcohol use and illicit drug use also increase the risk of miscarriage.
High physical demands, like those listed above, may increase risks for adverse birth outcomes. Prolonged standing or heavy lifting can cause an increased chance of miscarriage or preterm delivery (premature birth).
Causes of traumatic injuries in pregnancy are similar to those in the general population; blunt injury trauma is the most common cause. Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) account for 49% of injuries. Falls account for 25% of injuries (may be related to physiologic changes that result in loss of balance).
Risk factors for a high-risk pregnancy can include: Existing health conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or being HIV-positive. Overweight and obesity. Obesity increases the risk for high blood pressure, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, stillbirth, neural tube defects, and cesarean delivery.
Weight gain in pregnancy varies greatly. Most pregnant women gain between 10kg and 12.5kg (22lb to 28lb), putting on most of the weight after week 20. Much of the extra weight is due to your baby growing, but your body will also be storing fat, ready to make breast milk after your baby is born.
The third trimester is the final stage of pregnancy and can be considered to be the most painful. During this stage, your baby is getting bigger, which puts more stress on your body that causes aches and discomfort.
A hard stomach can happen for various reasons, including constipation, gastric cancer, and some chronic digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
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.
Strong abdominal muscles mean a growing uterus is going to stay closer to the core of the body, Kirkham explained, making a bump appear smaller. On the other hand, if core muscles have been stretched out from a previous pregnancy, a second or third pregnancy baby bump may look larger.
When you put pressure on the lower abdomen, you're pushing on the bladder, which, in turn, pushes on the G-spot just below it. "There's a fair amount of skin and muscle in the way, but stimulation is definitely possible," says sex therapist Vanessa Marin.
What causes stomach or abdominal tightness? Common causes include gas, overeating, indigestion, IBS, and pregnancy. Fluid retention can lead to bloating in people with PMS or ascites, which occurs with liver disease and other chronic health issues.