Your belly is getting tight and heavy to prepare for labor. You're almost there so buckle up and get ready for the rest of the journey.

Why does your belly start feeling hard during pregnancy?

🤰Growing uterus

As you're stepping into the third trimester, your uterus pushes against your abdominal wall and makes your belly feel hard.🤰 Your growing uterus also crowds your internal organs such as lung and bladder. Stretch marks on your belly become more visible and itchy.🙁

🤰Gas and bloating

Gas and bloating can also contribute to belly hardness. You get gassy because hormone changes slow the rate of digestion, leaving the food longer in the intestine🍲 and giving time to bacteria to produce gas.🦨 

🤰Braxton Hicks contractions

If you feel sensations of stomach tightening, it could be Braxton Hicks contractions. They appear more frequently in the third trimester as they prepare your body for labor.😃 

🤰Preterm labor

Sharp pains on one or both sides of your belly might be caused by round ligament pain. However, if you feel excruciating pain accompanied with your belly feeling hard, this belly cramping can signal a more serious problem such as preterm labor.🙁  

When to call doctor

If your contractions are so painful that you can't endure it, you should consider calling your doctor.👩‍⚕️ Any signs like vaginal bleeding, less fetal movement, amniotic fluid leaking can be dangerous so you should call your doctor immediately.🏥