The belly in pregnancy: what you need to know to spend 9 months in peace
The pregnant belly arouses pride and concern.
The baby bump is the evidence that a life has taken shape and for 9 months it will accompany the future mother in the fantastic path that is the expectation of a baby. Evolving, the woman will transform with him, not only physically, but also emotionally, for better respond to the needs of the future baby, which is why you may have mixed feelings.
Find out in the video how to pamper your baby in the tummy!
Motherhood starts from the belly
The abdomen begins to change and the mother no longer recognizes her body: the most typical sign of pregnancy is not just a physical evolution of the girl who is about to become a woman. In fact, from the first trimester the future mother connects with her puppy on a psychophysical level, so much so that the mother-son relationship starts from these first moments spent together.
Each experience is unique, even for the same woman, the sensations are never the same as one another. In 9 months you get used to living with a tenant who grows day by day and increasingly imposes his presence. It happens that the belly is a cause for concern, perhaps because of a lasting tension in the abdomen; it will be enough to remember that everything has to slow down, learning to become familiar with the new condition. After all, it is a ballet for two and the choreography must be respected.
See also
How much and how does the belly grow in 9 months
Before being born, the baby prepares for the world by forming himself in an increasingly complex way, safe inside his mother's womb. The belly of pregnant women is just a protective envelope that will allow the new life to take the right time to form in the most correct way. This is what you see on the outside, but what happens inside?
In essence, the belly is the representation of the growth of the uterus which, depending on the weeks of pregnancy and the trimester in which it is located, grows visibly or makes a small leap forward. The uterus evolves to give the baby space to develop concretely, to enlarge the placenta that nourishes it and to surround it with amniotic fluid.
The path is therefore not linear, usually gestation is alternated by phases in which the uterus grows slowly, to allow the whole body to adapt to the new situation (such as the muscles that must support a new and increasing weight) and days where you seem to have eaten one avocado too many!
Fortunately, the belly does not explode all at once and gives the mother time to understand her new reality.
The belly in the first trimester: still not very visible
For those who have long sought a sweet wait, the tummy is the most obvious sign that fertilization has been successful, but unfortunately it is not possible to notice a swelling so soon.
Especially if you have your first child, it is difficult to notice a typical pregnancy belly in the first 3 months, this is because the muscles and all internal organs have never experienced a similar change and tend to remain in the 'usual' place. The uterus has not yet expanded sufficiently and is abundantly under the pubic bone. Another argument instead for women who have already gone through a pregnancy; it is said that the tummy has a 'memory' and in fact it is not uncommon to hear testimonies from mothers who realize with their second children that the tummy peeps out even around the 8th week. For the others it will be necessary to wait until the end of the first trimester, around the 12th week of pregnancy.
To summarize: in primiparas the tummy is barely visible in the first 3 months of gestation and can be safely hidden under tank tops, T-shirts or sweaters, while for those expecting second children it may already be possible to see it from above the clothes.
However, it will be possible for everyone to feel a strange sensation of swelling in the lower abdomen and abdominal tension; it is the uterus that is coming out of the space of the bone basin and is about to emerge above the pubic bone.
The milestone of 3 months in pregnancy
It is certainly one of the most awaited stages by expectant mothers. By reaching the 12th week, the fetus enters a phase of stability that it had not reached before. The focus is on the health of the baby carried in the womb and the attention on the growth in volume of the belly is a bit lacking. Notoriously, reaching 3 months of gestation involves a lower probability of spontaneous abortion and genetic malformations that are highlighted with special tests in the first weeks of pregnancy, such as nuchal translucency and bitest.
Many women wait to reach this milestone before spreading the good news to family and friends. From this moment the tummy can be officially shown off, more or less accentuated according to the silhouette of each one.
The belly in the second quarter: golden line and high belly
Finally here is a belly visible to all! The woman's body is constantly changing and the internal changes are reflected on the outside: the baby grows and is healthy and the belly stretches further and further forward, abandoning the features of a simple swelling.
A slightly dark line may already appear vertically on the abdomen, from the pubis to the navel, although this sign does not appear for all. It is the famous golden line, a stroke of color slightly darker than a woman's complexion, exclusive to expectant mothers. It should not cause any concern because it is a physiological event due to hormones that will accompany mothers during gestation and which has no correlation with the health of the baby and the expectant woman. It could simply appear now or in the eighth month, or even not appear at all, but once given birth it disappears in a short time.
From the 4th month of pregnancy and until the end of the 6th month, the volume of the belly is not determined by the physical size of the baby, as around the 15th week it is little bigger than a plum! All the volume of the abdomen visible to the naked eye is still due to the upward movement of the uterus and other organs that make room for it, as well as the presence of amniotic fluid.
It will be precisely the quantity of this liquid (each woman has a specific volume) combined with the physical conformation of the mother, to determine the shape of the belly and its dimensions for the whole course of 9 months. The belly of a pregnant mother is high and not tending to low. Only pregnant women have this type of sign, but unfortunately this could also mean gastrointestinal upset, back pain or pubic pain. All very common symptoms that appear in the second trimester of pregnancy with the manifestation of the belly.
Harsh Belly in Pregnancy: Should You Worry?
Usually no. Having a tense abdomen during gestation is a very common symptom. Especially in the last six months, from the second to the third trimester of pregnancy.
Why does the belly get stiff? The answers can be multiple and change according to the gestational moment in which the woman is.
In the beginning, tension in the abdomen and cramps can be a sign that the embryo is implanting correctly, while when you are about to give birth they could mean that the baby is in an 'uncomfortable' position for the mother or that the contractions they came to visit you.
Obviously, if the belly is extremely tense and the pain does not go away even after some time, it is good to contact your trusted gynecologist.
The belly in the third trimester: the baby bump
With the arrival of the 7th month of pregnancy, the abdomen is decidedly extended and the skin is tightened like never before. From this moment on, you can really say that you have the typical baby bump of a pregnant mother: the belly touches its maximum this quarter.
Why this sudden growth? Unlike the first months of pregnancy where the uterus was the protagonist, now it is the fetus that increases so much in size. To give an idea of the size, know that the uterus measures about 32 cm at the end of the 7th month.
At this point, many women may feel that they no longer have space in the abdomen, but the real growth of the baby has just begun and will stop only when it is ready to come into the world. At the 7th month the amniotic fluid is abundant and in the following weeks it will be reabsorbed by the body, while the baby continues its development.
In the last 3 months, the mother will assume the typical position with the back arched to better support this increasingly important weight. The woman's body is subjected to further stress and it is easy to feel a little breathless and achy. Hold on, the finish line is upon us!
With the arrival of month number 8, the baby bump goes through a period of adjustment where it does not grow that much. This is because the baby has reached its size and consequently does not need any more space to grow. Finally, at the dawn of the 36th week of pregnancy, the belly has reached its maximum expansion and the baby begins to do the technical tests to be born.
In this phase, the contractions can occur with a certain frequency, so much so that the belly could become very tense and adapt to the outside to the movements of the baby. It often happens to glimpse the shape of a foot under the skin or a fist!
If the pregnancy proceeds without particular problems, around the 37th-38th week, the belly, for the first time since it was revealed, goes from being high to low. When the belly is said to have fallen, it is because the baby is moving downwards, bringing the head towards the pelvis. Time to meet mom and dad.
Sweet expectation and belly shape: will it be male or female?
Who has never tried to guess the sex of the unborn child?
According to popular traditions, the shape of the belly can be a premonitory of the baby's sex, here's how.
Pointy or low belly: those with a more triangular-looking belly, according to popular belief, would expect a boy.
Round Belly or Very Tall: Women with a very round abdomen might expect a sissy.
What kind of belly are you?
