Baby bump going from soft to very hard!

[Rubyshoos]

Hello everybody,
I'm nearly 27 weeks pregnant and up until now my bump has been very soft - almost not like there is a baby in there at all, more like I've just developed a beer belly! Anyway, suddenly over the last week or so, every so often it goes absolutely rock hard, almost as if a shell has covered over the baby and it feels very strange. It can happen at any moment, on the tube, brushing my teeth or sitting at my desk at work. I wondered if any of you wise ones could let me know if it's normal?

thanks!

I remember this happening to me when I was pregnant, so don't worry at all. I asked my midwife at the time and she said it was completely normal.

Feels really strange though, doesn't it?

Braxton Hicks. I wondered what it was too, then it happened when I was in with the midwife and she told me what it was.

yes all normal. One of my workmate was so surprised about my bump was rock hard i was about 8-9m pg, as she thought i have a soft bump.

It's totally strange - normally when the baby is kicking it feels great, but I have to say when it goes all 'hard' I really don't like it and DH thinks even more that I'm definately going to give birth to an alien!

I'm 35 weeks and my bump feels firm all the time now, not just when I get BHs. Feels more like I've got a bag of cement in my tummy than a baby. DP won't touch it as it freaks him out

I am a first timer but I am experiencing this big time at 38 weeks, my LO is breech so I can really feel the head.
I am sure the baby feels harder in the bump now as he/ she is closer to the skin surface now it's bigger whereas before he/s she would have been too little to knock the skin as much.
Trust me I have thought that there was an alien in my belly on numerous occassions- you could be having BH too, your tummy goes hard and then disappears.

it is braxton hicks contractions....every uterus does this, but not everyone notices and they can be more or less painful then the next person's.

I didn't notice it at all with DS (5), but with DD (15 wks) I went to hospital at 32 weeks cos I thought I was in labour they were so bad.