Hardening of the belly

Ladies,
I'm 21w5d pregnant today with identical boys. I've been noticing a lot of hardening of my belly the last few days, especially today and especially on the right side. Is this normal at this stage? Does this always mean BH? If so, isn't this early to have them?
Thanks for your insight.

 

I had them that early also. With ID boys you want to watch for a sudden increase in weight. Otherwise it is most likely BH. I had them throughout.

 

BH are supposed to be "painless" according to the book...if they start to feel uncomfortable/like menstrual cramps you should go to L&D right away in case it's PTL.

 

I would definitely call your Dr. They very well could be contractions, and if they are you want to get on something to help them stop. I hope it's nothing, but in my experience its always better to be safe rather than sorry.

 

I notice that my belly hardens in a certain area when they're crammed together or rolling into a different position. I remember feeling like my tummy was tightening and got hard with my first pregnancy with BH. This cramming to one side/rolling sensation is different and will usually go away if I jiggle them around or change positions. Could this be the case with you? It wouldn't hurt to check with your doctor though.

 

My BH are rarely "painless"--they sometimes catch my breath, start in the lower back or under the belly and creep around to an all over tightening, sometimes even making it difficult to carry on a pleasant conversation--but earlier in the pregnancies and sometimes now, it is "just" a tightness or hardening that is barely recognizable.....but until they are regularly happening [or the recommended more than 4 an hour], I don't worry.
DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS!!!! I've upped my intake of water and if i hadn't, I'm sure PTL would be a concern......
Now, I have other pains like one side REALLY hurting when trying to roll over in bed or after lying down that I'm not sure what that means.....but if youjust have the tightness, I would mention it to the dr., but not overly worry---it's just your body preparing itself....

 

I agree with the better safe than sorry mentality of pp. But I did want to add that I started feeling contractions around 21 weeks also, so it's not too weird.