During pregnancy your body undergoes numerous changes to accommodate the developing baby inside your uterus. These changes are both internal and external. One of the most common reasons that your belly button hurts when pregnant is the internal change that occurs in your body. You may experience pain and soreness in and around your navel. The naval region may also develop swelling. Several other reasons could also cause your belly button to hurt. Read on to learn from experiences of other people so that you know how to deal with this condition.

Why Does Belly Button Hurt When Pregnant?

Pain in the belly button is a common complaint experienced by many pregnant females. In majority of the females this pain is mild; however, in some females, there may be some issue that needs medical intervention. The most common causes of belly button pain are described below:

1. Stretching of the Abdominal Skin and Muscles

The muscles and the skin around the belly button stretch, leading to discomfort in that area. This is especially true is the belly button protrudes inward but due to the skin expansion and stretch, it begins to protrude outward. For many females, pain and soreness due to stretching of skin and abdominal muscles last for only the first half of pregnancy.

2. Uterine Pressure

Pain may also be experienced in cases where the expanding uterus (as the baby grows) presses the belly button. This is more common in the later weeks of pregnancy.

3. Belly Button Protrudes Outwards

In some females the naval may push outward instead of inward by the stretching of their bellies and gets irritated from contact with clothes leading to pain in the belly button. If your belly is hurting due to this reason, then putting a bandage on your navel or wearing soft clothes may help lessen the irritation.

4. Umbilical Hernia

Belly button pain may also be caused due to umbilical hernia. Umbilical hernia occurs when the intestines protrude from a small hole in the abdominal wall near the belly button. Umbilical hernia often gets resolved by itself after delivery, but in some cases, it may require surgery.

5. Intestinal Infection

Apart from the usual mild pain in the belly button due to the causes mentioned above, severe cramping pain in the abdominal area near the navel, associated with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and increased temperature may occur due to infection of the intestines and requires emergency medical intervention.

Vomiting and diarrhea may cause contractions of the bowel and uterus. Moreover, toxins produced from the pathogenic organisms that have caused the infection may have adverse effects on the developing fetus, thereby, increasing the chances of termination of pregnancy before term.

After the infection has been eliminated and symptoms have subsided, the state of the developing fetus should be assessed with the help of necessary diagnostic tools.

6. Piercing of the Belly Button

Females who get their belly button pierced during pregnancy have a greater risk of developing sharp pain and soreness in the belly button area. Piercing of belly button also increases the risk of acquiring infection in that area leading to pus formation, pain and swelling. If these symptoms occur, then you should immediately get your belly button ring removed under the supervision of an expert and visit your physician to get treatment of the condition.

If belly button piercing was done before your getting pregnant, then the pain and soreness may not necessarily be caused due to this reason. However, belly button piercing should be avoided during pregnancy as the sensitivity of the belly button area increases during pregnancy. If you have a piercing before pregnancy and your ring is causing you discomfort, then you should get it removed by an expert and in its place wear a maternity ring that is manufactured using medical grade plastic and it adjusts perfectly with your expanding belly.

Belly Button Hurts When Pregnant--Experiences of Other People

If you experience sore belly button during your pregnancy, then you are not alone. Below are the examples of two moms:

“I am 38 weeks pregnant with my second baby. I had developed some amount of soreness in my belly button during my first child too, but it was nothing in comparison to the soreness that I have developed now. The skin around my belly button from approximately 2 inches above and around 2 inches below is quite sensitive and sore to touch and very painful. The pain is increased by rubbing of the clothes I wear. Moreover, the pain is too much aggravated and become unbearable when I cough, sneeze or bend over. My baby this time is lying straight outwards in the front, therefore, I think, the skin around the navel is quite stretched and causing pain. Stretch marks have also appeared around by navel this time in the last 2 weeks. I have never had the stretch marks until this time.”

posted 05/11/2009 by stbm0726

“I am 27 weeks pregnant and I am having pain around the navel region on and off. I consulted my physician and he assured me that it is perfectly normal to have some pain. He explained that the pain may be occurring due to two reasons and both are benign and should not be a concern. One of the causes is stretching of the abdominal skin, which is happening quite a lot these days. Another reason for this pain is a naval hernia/umbilical hernia, which is going to cause pain and there is nothing that he can do to treat it right now. It won’t do any harm to the baby. I hope this information is useful for you.”

posted 04/30/2008 by rickettsn