When does your stomach start to get hard when you are pregnant

You expect your belly to get bigger during pregnancy.

Pregnant belly feels tight and heavy

What nobody tells you is how it will feel as it expands and how that feeling can change over time.

"Women start to experience a hardness of the abdomen at different stages of pregnancy," says Shannon Smith, M.D., an ob-gyn at Brigham Faulkner Ob/Gyn AssociatesOpens a new window and member of the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board.

"For some this is barely a blip on their radar, and for others, it can feel uncomfortable."

The reality is, there's no normal to compare yourself with.

Pregnant bellies come in all shapes, sizes, and firmness. Some women look more pregnant or show sooner; other women have a smaller bump or never have an obvious, basketball-shaped pregnancy belly.

How your belly looks and feels can vary based on factors like your hormones, pre-pregnancy weight, height, body shape, muscle tone, and whether this is your first baby.

Your belly may feel soft sometimes and tight and hard other times.

If your

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