pain near belly button right side pregnancy?

What Causes Right Side Pain During Pregnancy?

Common causes
More serious causes
Treatments
When to get help
Takeaway

Pregnancy brings about some major changes to your life and to your body. While most of it is twinged with hopeful excitement, it can feel overwhelming to be going through so many things at once.

And the experience of carrying a baby often means that each unexpected pain or new symptom brings with it questions and concerns, many focused on “is this normal?”

The added pounds, digestive hiccups (that | s putting it mildly), and other physical changes that come along with growing a new life can cause pain in your side.

Right side pain during pregnancy is usually nothing to worry about. This pain can happen for a number of common reasons that are usually easily managed and temporary.

However, sometimes side pain in pregnancy can be a sign of something more serious. You might need medical help. Here | s what to look for if you have right side pain during pregnancy.
Common causes for right side pain during pregnancy
Muscle strain

As your body adapts to accommodate your growing bundle of joy (and growing breasts and growing feet and growing everything), you | ll put on weight. An average gain of 25 to 35 poundsTrusted Source is normal during pregnancy for most women.

You need that pregnancy weight to grow and feed a healthy baby. But, the added weight can make it easier to accidentally pull a muscle. This is most common in your second and third trimester.

The added weight, plus too much slouching while trying for a comfortable position for your new shape, or lifting a toddler or something else heavy can cause pain in your right side.

You might feel pain from a muscle sprain or strain in your side. A backache can also sometimes spread and cause pain in your mid to lower right side.
Round ligament pain

During pregnancy, your womb (uterus) expands like a balloon as your baby grows. The round ligaments are like ropes that help to hold your womb in place. They get softer and stretch as your uterus gets bigger.

Sometimes the round ligaments get irritated or too tight. This can often cause pain on your lower right side. You might feel sharp pain or a dull ache. This usually happens in your second trimester as the weight of the baby and amniotic fluids increase.

You might have round ligament pain when you get out of bed in the morning or when you move too quickly. Even a hard cough or sneeze can cause ligament pain.

You can usually relieve this right side pain by getting into a more comfortable position. Gentle stretches, moving slowly and flexing your hips also help.
Digestive causes

Gas, constipation, and bloating are common in pregnancy. What luck! As you have probably experienced, they can also cause right side pain.

Uncomfortable digestive issues are impacted by up-and-down hormone levels during pregnancy. Hormonal changes are especially common in your first and second trimester.

Later in pregnancy, the levels of the hormones may not have such an effect. However, in your third trimester weight gain can put pressure on your digestive tract (stomach and intestines). Along with heartburn, this can also cause gassiness and sharp, stabbing pain in the stomach or side.

Relieve the bloat — and pain — by drinking plenty of water and adding more fiber to your diet. Fiber-rich foods include:

fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables
whole-grain bread and pasta
lentils
brown rice
barley

Also avoid foods that cause gassiness, like:

milk and other dairy foods
fried foods
artificial sweeteners
beans
cauliflower
broccoli

Braxton-Hicks contractions

Braxton-Hicks are “false” contractions — kind of like a practice run for when the real thing happens. They usually happen in your third trimester, but can also happen earlier in your pregnancy.

Braxton-Hicks feel like a tightening or cramps in your lower stomach area. They might feel a bit like period cramps. These contractions are normally not painful, but the cramping may cause right side pain.

Unlike real contractions in labor, Braxton Hicks:

might stop if you change position or move around
don | t get closer together
don | t get stronger over time

Cramping

It doesn | t seem fair to get cramps when you | re obviously not having periods. (Shouldn | t we get the full benefits of period-free life for these months?) However, discomfort from cramping can be a normal part of pregnancy. Cramps can sometimes cause right side pain in your lower to mid stomach.

In the first and second trimester, you might sometimes get cramps as your womb stretches. In your third trimester cramps might be caused by muscle and ligament strain around your stomach and groin area.

Sexual intercourse in your second and third trimester can also trigger cramping pain. Any kind of cramping can cause aches or stabbing pain. Cramps usually go away by themselves.