What Causes My Belly To Feel Hard And Tight During The Third Trimester?

You’ve gone past food cravings and nausea during the first trimester, felt baby kicks and happily embraced your growing bump by the second phase, and now while counting the days to finally seeing your baby, you’re feeling that hard stomach for the third trimester of your pregnancy.

For most first-time moms, this odd feeling could be worrisome. But what could this stomach hardness mean? Is it magnified baby kicks? Could it be “contraction practice?” Is this a sign you’re going into labor? Is it time to call your doctor?

Hard stomach during the pregnancy’s third trimester is called Braxton Hicks, or contraction-like sensation on your belly at irregular intervals, as your stomach muscles flex in preparation for childbirth. Based on studies of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), women have likened the hard stomach feeling to “mild menstrual cramps or a tightening in a specific area of the abdomen that comes and goes.” If accompanied by no other symptoms, it is usually not a cause for concern. 

NCBI noted that Braxton Hicks or “false labor pains” usually begin around the 6th week of pregnancy but not felt until the second or third trimester. The hard stomach sensation is most evident toward the end of the third trimester of pregnancy but does not cause the dilatation of the cervix, NCBI added. 

What causes Braxton Hicks or “hard stomach”? 

A woman’s stomach may feel hard during the third trimester of pregnancy due to various reasons. NCBI noted that while the exact cause remains unknown, most incidents are linked to the following:

• When a woman is very active

• Bladder is full

• After a sexual activity

• Dehydration

Stress may also be a contributing factor to the hard stomach feeling during the third trimester of pregnancy. The body rejects stress to protect the fetus, hence an “increased blood flow to the placenta to provide fetal oxygenation.”

Hard stomach feeling in comparison to labor

According to UK-based maternity website Tommys.org, a hard stomach during the third trimester of pregnancy is usually uncomfortable but not as painful as actual labor contractions. It also doesn’t have a pattern and doesn’t intensify. 

“It is not unusual, especially in a first pregnancy, for a woman to think she is in labor only to be told it is Braxton Hicks contractions and not true labor,” NCBI however acknowledged.

But what should mothers-to-be look out for? The hard stomach feeling, unlike actual labor, is unpredictable and can be felt for less than 30 seconds or up to 2 minutes. Labor contractions meanwhile last for over a minute and have 5-minute or consistent intervals.

It is also important to consider where the usually tolerable pain (unlike labor) is felt. The hard feeling in the stomach during the third trimester of the pregnancy may be Braxton Hicks if it is “in the front of the abdomen or one specific area.” It could however be labor if the pain begins at the middle of the back and stretches out around the abdomen, NCBI noted. Labor pains grow in intensity and are unbearable for most women as it progresses. 

Position is also important; if the hard feeling in the stomach eases by a change in position, it is not labor. But if you can’t sleep through it and the pain intensifies, it could be labor. 

Is there a cure for the hard stomach feeling? 

There remains no cure but looking at triggers may help address the hardening of the stomach during the third trimester. NCBI recommends changing position or revisiting the activity level, like taking a rest for those who are active and going for a walk for those who have been sitting for a long time. Relaxation strategies like a warm bath, listening to music, or a short nap may also help ease the hard stomach sensation during the third trimester of pregnancy. 

The momma-to-be must also ensure she is properly hydrated to help lessen Braxton Hicks. Health providers often recommend more water intake and less of caffeinated and sugary drinks. Citing health experts, NCBI suggests at least 10 glasses of water per day to ensure hydration to meet the needs of the body. Water helps “support fetal circulation, amniotic fluid, and a higher blood volume.”

Other symptoms to consider

If the hard stomach feeling continues, and at increased interval and intensity, along with these symptoms, one must immediately consult her OB-Gyne. 

• Vaginal bleeding

• Fluid leak from vagina

• Strong contractions every 5-minutes for an hour

• Contractions that the woman is unable to "walk through"

• Changes in fetal movement, or if there are less than ten movements every 2 hours.

Other pains in the stomach that may need medical attention

If you are still unsure which causes the hard stomach feeling during the third trimester of pregnancy, and the pain is intense, it could be any other serious condition that warrants urgent medical care such as: (Source: NCBI)

• “Placental abruption. A key symptom of placental abruption is intense and constant pain that causes the uterus to become hard for an extended period without relief.
• Urinary tract infection symptoms include pain and discomfort in the lower abdomen as well as burning with urination.
• Preeclampsia is a condition of pregnancy occurring after 20-weeks gestation and characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine. Upper abdominal pain, usually under the ribs on the right side, can be present in preeclampsia.”