A few questions... (re: hard belly, kick counts, belly buttons, and stretch marks - oh my!)

Okay I have a few questions so I'll just put them all in one post!

1 - Sometimes during the middle of the night... I"ll put my hand on my belly and it will be ROCK hard! Is that normal??

2 - My doctor asked that starting at 28 weeks, every night 1 hour after I eat I lay down on my left side and time how long it takes for me to feel 10 kicks. If I don't feel 10 within an hour.. I'm supposed to do the same for another hour. If I STILL don't feel 10, I'm supposed to go right to my hospital. Is anyone else's doctor asking them to do this?

3 - If your belly button "popped" - when did that happen?

4 - If you got stretch marks, when did they appear?

TIA!

Re: A few questions... (re: hard belly, kick counts, belly buttons, and stretch marks - oh my!)

1. yes. mine does that all the time. it could be BH

2. NO and THANK GOD my dr is SO not into kick counts. He says baby have sleep and awake times and kick counts only make mothers crazy. He says make sure i feel the baby throughout the day- no matter of the pattern. I see this in baby books and its like- how can EVERY baby be judged on 10 kicks??

3. my belly botton didnt pop

4. no stretch marks

Message edited 9/18/2009 10:55:59 AM.

Re: A few questions... (re: hard belly, kick counts, belly buttons, and stretch marks - oh my!)

The rock hard belly is probably braxton hicks- totally normal.

I didn't have to do kick counts unless I didn't feel the baby move alot in one day or when I usually felt her.

My belly button got flat but never popped out.

I got stretch marks on my lower belly in my 36th week!

Re: A few questions... (re: hard belly, kick counts, belly buttons, and stretch marks - oh my!)

1- I get the hardending in the middle of the night once in a while.

2- My dr. never told me to do kick counts. I was only told if I didn't feel anything for a while to drink cold water with ice and I should feel 2-3 movements within 20min.

3- My belly button flattened out around 20wks, sometimes it looks popped sometimes it looks flat.

4-I just started the beginning of stretch marks at 37 wks right above my belly button! I thought I was going to make it without them.

Re: A few questions... (re: hard belly, kick counts, belly buttons, and stretch marks - oh my!)

1. I get the hardening too.. probably BH.

2. One Dr. told me to do them but I will NEVER do them. Especailly at 28 weeks. ..they move so sporadically that it will drive you crazy!!!

3. at 31 weeks. belly button still flat.. no pop yet

4. SM started early for me probably around 4 months or so..lower belly.. HORRIBLE!!

Re: A few questions... (re: hard belly, kick counts, belly buttons, and stretch marks - oh my!)

1. Normal. Could be gas or BH.(or even a full bladder in the morning...sometimes that happens to me)
2. My doctor does not make me count kicks, he's kind of anti-kick counting!
3. Mine did not pop and I'm currently almost 33 weeks
4. Again, almost 33 weeks and they have not appeared.

Re: A few questions... (re: hard belly, kick counts, belly buttons, and stretch marks - oh my!)

1 - yup, those are BH contractions. after 30 weeks i got them ALL the time.

2 - i never, ever did kick counts. my OB never told me to. if i was worried i would lay down or even sit quietly for a bit and i always felt him move. keep in mind that they sleep a lot during the day! i would never worry if i didn't feel him for an hour or even two - but i would pay attention during the whole day.

3 - i really thought mine would but it's so deep that it never did - it just got VERY shallow! i was able to keep my belly ring in till the very end

4 - around 36 weeks, i think - i got a few on my hips. they are still there now, although much lighter. they don't bother me as much as i thought they would because it's not like i am prancing around in a bikini

Re: A few questions... (re: hard belly, kick counts, belly buttons, and stretch marks - oh my!)

The rock hard feeling is totally normal.

I never ever counted kicks. Don't drive yourself crazy. If you feel the baby throughout the day you are fine.

My belly button didn't necessarily pop as much as flatten out.

Never got stretch marks with either one.

Re: A few questions... (re: hard belly, kick counts, belly buttons, and stretch marks - oh my!)

My belly button hasn't popped yet at 34 weeks but it did flatten out and I got stretch marks around 28 weeks......on my "love handles" and one on the right side of my bellybutton (that's the baby's favorite spot always there)

Re: A few questions... (re: hard belly, kick counts, belly buttons, and stretch marks - oh my!)

1. yes..i feel this. when baby is moving into some spot and close to the surface..i see my belly get all weird shaped and very hard in some spots. so its probably your baby just moving around.

2. i got a kick count chart at my first visit. i never looked at it again. i dont keep track of counts, nor have they asked me for the chart or do what they're asking you to do.

3.mine popped months ago..i dont remember but it was earlier than i thought it would.

4. im 35 weeks and knock wood, i dont have any yet.

Re: A few questions... (re: hard belly, kick counts, belly buttons, and stretch marks - oh my!)

My belly also gets really hard sometimes too and I think it's completely normal. A lot of times it feels like the baby crammed into a little nook and cranny

My doctor has not asked me to count kicks. He does ask about the baby's movement at every appt though.

My belly button has popped, which I never thought would happen (I thought I had a pretty deep one ). I'm 28 weeks and it popped within the last few weeks.

I do not have any stretch marks to date - and hoping it stays that way.

Re: A few questions... (re: hard belly, kick counts, belly buttons, and stretch marks - oh my!)

1 - Sometimes during the middle of the night... I"ll put my hand on my belly and it will be ROCK hard! Is that normal??

sounds like braxton hicks...your body is practicing what contractions should feel like :)

2 - My doctor asked that starting at 28 weeks, every night 1 hour after I eat I lay down on my left side and time how long it takes for me to feel 10 kicks. If I don't feel 10 within an hour.. I'm supposed to do the same for another hour. If I STILL don't feel 10, I'm supposed to go right to my hospital. Is anyone else's doctor asking them to do this?

i had my dr's tell me to do this but i opted not to...i couldn't feel her kicks until verrrrry late (27 weeks) and i knew if i were to start keeping track of how many times i felt her in a given hour i'd go nutso...i just made a mental note when i felt her, when i didn't and if i didn't i made sure to eat something or pay closer attention.

3 - If your belly button "popped" - when did that happen?

didn't happen

4 - If you got stretch marks, when did they appear?

lol...they appeared..or rather, i NOTICED after was born...lol. not pretty!