Tight Stomach

[Spiritedwolf]

Hi,

I'm 25 weeks. For the last week or so, I've been noticing that there has been a fairly sudden change in how easy difficult I find it to get up from the sofa, bed and I'm struggling to get things off the floor.

The main difference is that my stomach feels tight, and doing any of the above seems to make it feel strained and feel like my stomach muscles are going to burst. I was unfit before falling pregnant so don't have a lot of faith in their ability to be honest. Have also seen scary footage on embarassing bodies of women whose stomach muscles seperated in pregnancy but didn't heal back together afterwards needing to have surgery to correct it. Which doesn't help really. Though they were quite slim women, and I'm not, but don't know if that makes it worse.

So does this taught feeling in my belly suggest that that my stomach muscles are already under strain, and is there a way of supporting/strengthening this area without making it worse? I don't think any intensive exercises are going to be possible. Mum suggested I hold in my stomach and relax it as a gentle exercise so I've been doing this.

Or is it just that as bump is getting larger I have to find different ways of getting up that don't rely on being able to bend my midriff?

My bump has felt rather firm to the touch since it developed, to the extent that my sisters have noticed when they have touched it and commented on it. One of these sisters was pregnant last year, so I wondered whether it was unusually firm (though midwife hasn't mentioned it) or whether they are just surprised because my belly would normally be rather flabby and soft (though not in the habit of letting them feel it when not pregnant) - still have soft flabby bit underneath bump, that is fat/loose skin from my pre-pregnancy belly, as I was losing weight before I got pregnant.

Also aware that people talk of Braxton (sp?) Hicks sometimes as being hardening, but I don't feel this is particuarly intermittent?

I'm not concerned that this is anything wrong with baby who is moving fine and had a good heartbeat at 24 week checkup. I'm just uncertain of what my body is going to be like after he/she is born, and how mobile I'll be in later pregnancy if I'm already struggling to move now.

Anyone else got this, or know what its about?

Thanks xxx

I'm 23+3 and mine seems to be doing similar things -ie being really tight and uncomfortable, especially when I stand up or walk anywhere. It's not to bad when sitting down, but it's definitely tighter and feels like there's loads of pressure (which I know there probably is!).

I'm also having trouble picking stuff up and am starting to find it hard to get out of bed without kind of rolling to one side.

This is my first pg so I don't know what's normal and what isn't.

I hope someone with a bit more experience can offer some advice? :)

I felt exactly like this during my pregnancy, think its all normal! After the birth, I was told to try and lie on my tummy to encourage my stomach muscles back together, not sure if this is old wives tale or if it really made a difference but mine went back to normal fairly quickly despite having no muscles built up there at all!