Xiaoli is six months pregnant, and she can already feel the baby \”dancing\” in her belly. Sometimes the baby kicks very hard, and Xiaoli will have slight abdominal distension, but it will pass in a few seconds. During the prenatal check-up, the doctor told her that this was because the uterus was more sensitive to stimulation, and the baby\’s strong fetal movement caused short-term contractions. As long as you pay attention to rest, it will generally not have any impact. So when the baby in her belly kicked Xiaoli until her stomach hurt, what Xiaoli felt was happiness. One weekend, Xiaoli went to the supermarket with her teacher for a day. After returning home, the baby in my belly seemed very active. Xiaoli was a little tired and felt pain in her lower abdomen, which came every ten minutes or every few seconds. She thought she would be fine if she took a rest as usual. But a few hours later, the pain in my lower abdomen not only did not subside, but became more and more severe and unbearable. The abdominal pain gradually became once every three to four minutes and lasted for more than half a minute, and blood flowed from the vagina. Now Xiaoli and the teacher panicked and rushed to the hospital by car. After the examination, the doctor said it was too late, the cervix had been opened, and miscarriage was inevitable. Xiao Li and his wife were heartbroken: Didn\’t the doctor say that the abdominal pain was caused by fetal movement and that it would be fine if they took a rest? Why did it turn into a miscarriage this time?
While feeling sorry for Xiaoli, young expectant mothers also need to be vigilant: What kind of abdominal pain is normal during pregnancy, and what kind of abdominal pain indicates an ominous sign?
Normal abdominal pain is mild and short-lived
During pregnancy, some abdominal pain is a normal physiological phenomenon. Most of these abdominal pains are occasional, mild, and short-lived. There are mainly the following situations:
Fetal movement: Fetal movement reflects the activity of the fetus in the womb and is also one of the indicators of fetal growth. Normal, active fetal movement is a sign of good fetal development. Fetal movement usually begins at 45 months of pregnancy, that is, 1620 weeks. At first, fetal movements were not obvious. Occasionally, there is gas under the belly button moving back and forth in the intestines, like stomach pain or bubbling. As the pregnancy progresses, the fetal movements become more and more active, and mothers can clearly feel it. When the fetus moves violently, it will stimulate uterine contraction and even cause the mother to feel slight abdominal pain, but it will disappear soon.
Painless Uterine Contractions: From 12 to 14 weeks, the uterus will have irregular, painless contractions that can be felt during abdominal examination. Sometimes pregnant women will also feel that their lower abdomen is hard, slightly swollen, and sinking, which lasts only a few seconds or ten seconds and then disappears, usually several times a day. This is a normal phenomenon during pregnancy and does not require special treatment.
False labor: Many pregnant women often have false labor of varying lengths before giving birth. Its characteristics are: abdominal pain is often limited to the lower abdomen, the intensity is generally not strong, the duration is short and not constant, and the intermittent time is long and irregular. It ranges from dozens of minutes to more than ten minutes. It is usually noticeable at night, sometimes affecting the mother\’s sleep, and gradually weakens after dawn. We call it false labor, which often heralds the coming of real labor.
Childbirth: After 37 weeks of pregnancy, regular and gradual deliveryIncreasing uterine contractions usually indicate labor. This kind of abdominal pain usually occurs once every 5-6 minutes and lasts for more than 30 seconds. Pregnant women have obvious paroxysmal lower abdominal pain, backache, a small amount of vaginal bleeding, and some leucorrhea, indicating that the water has broken. Expectant mothers do not need to panic at this time, because this marks the birth of a new life, and expectant mothers can prepare to give birth in the hospital. If your water breaks, do not walk or ride in a car. You should be taken to the hospital lying down in a car to prevent a large amount of amniotic fluid from being lost while standing upright. The umbilical cord will prolapse along with the amniotic fluid, causing fetal hypoxia and even stillbirth in severe cases.
The above abdominal pain is within the normal range. Pregnant women, don\’t be nervous. However, if the abdominal pain is obviously more severe than usual, or has a tendency to become more and more intensive, you should also seek medical treatment in time to help identify whether it is normal and provide appropriate treatment if necessary.
Abnormal abdominal pain red flags
If abdominal pain is obvious during pregnancy, especially if it is accompanied by other symptoms, such as fever, vaginal bleeding, nausea, vomiting, etc., it often indicates abnormalities or even danger signs for mother and child, so you need to stay vigilant.
Miscarriage: Paroxysmal uterine contraction-like lower abdominal pain in the early and middle stages of pregnancy may be a sign of miscarriage. If it occurs before 12 weeks, it is called an early miscarriage, and if it occurs between 12 and 27 weeks, it is called a late miscarriage. Early miscarriage often begins with vaginal bleeding, which is small at first but may gradually increase, followed by abdominal pain. Late miscarriage, because the placenta has already formed, the miscarriage process is similar to premature birth, with abdominal pain first, and then vaginal bleeding, which is generally not much. Some miscarriages can be avoided if bed rest, sexual abstinence, and appropriate treatment are given during the threatened miscarriage stage.
Ectopic pregnancy: Also known as ectopic pregnancy, fallopian tube pregnancy is the most common. Patients may have a history of amenorrhea, vaginal bleeding, and lower abdominal pain. Abdominal distension and pain may occur before fallopian tube rupture. Internal bleeding may occur during fallopian tube rupture or miscarriage, irritating the peritoneum and causing severe cramping or tearing pain.
Placental abruption: The placenta separates from the uterine wall in its normal position before the fetus is delivered. This is called placental abruption. It usually occurs after 28 weeks of pregnancy and is often a complication of severe pregnancy-induced hypertension and trauma. Bleeding accumulates between the placenta and the uterine wall. between the uterine walls, stimulating uterine contractions, causing paroxysmal abdominal pain, often accompanied by serious complications such as shock, coagulation disorders, and acute renal failure. In placental abruption, because the fetus is not delivered, the uterus is unable to contract effectively and close open sinusoids. Both mother and fetus are losing blood. In severe cases, the maternal mortality rate is 0.5% to 5%, and the infant mortality rate can be as high as 50% to 80%.