Pregnancy is full of a wide range a peculiar symptoms. There are all the familiar ones, like fatigue, nausea... and then there are the symptoms that leave you thinking, 'OK, is that weird or normal?' Things likeclumsiness and pregnancy brain are super strange, but expected. Other super strange symptoms come as a total surprise, however. Like, can you feel a pulse in your belly when you're pregnant? If you know what I'm talking about, you know it feels kind of crazy. But also, kind of awesome. I mean, if you can feel baby hiccups in there, why wouldn't you be able to feel a pulse too?
Feeling your heartbeat in the stomach can be a sign of anxiety, as anxiety causes autonomic arousal, which can manifest in cardiovascular symptoms. Apart from feeling like one has a heartbeat in the stomach, anxiety can also cause palpitations, rapid. In some cases, patients notice an abnormal pulse in their abdomen. As the aneurysm stretches it can also cause pain in your back or abdomen. Men are invited for screening during the year they turn 65. Men over 65 who have not previously been screened can contact. Some heart rhythm disorders can cause a fluttering in the chest, shortness of breath, chest pain or dizziness. Peptic ulcers, sores in the lining of the stomach or upper intestine, cause abdominal pain, gas, and more. Gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach lining, causes stomach upset, irritation, and pain. Irregular heartbeat and Upset stomach WebMD Symptom Checker helps you find the most common medical conditions indicated by the symptoms irregular.
To find out more, I checked in with Ashlyn Biedebach, nurse, doula and pregnancy expert of By The Brook Birth Doula. Is feeling your baby's pulse in your belly possible? And if it is possible, is it normal?
Turns out it might not be what you think after all. Biedebach tells Romper in an email that 'it isn't usual to feel a pulse in your belly coming from the baby. Usually just movement is felt. If a pulse is felt in the belly during pregnancy it is probably from the baby laying on the aorta of the mom, which is in the upper part of the abdomen.'
That doesn't sound great. The aorta is the main artery in the body, according to WebMD, so cutting off circulation to this blood vessel can't be a good idea. But why does this happen and what can you do about it? As an article on Healthline explained, some women may feel a pulsing in their belly during pregnancy and think it's the baby's heartbeat. The reason this happens is that 'when you’re pregnant, the amount of blood circulating around your body dramatically increases. This means there’s more blood being pumped with each heartbeat, which can make the pulse in your abdominal aorta more noticeable.'
“It’s either the pulse from the uterine arteries or aorta that expand with the increased blood volume,” OB/GYN Dr. Kim Langdon, M.D., tells Romper in an email. Why does this happen? Well, it all comes down to your blood, and how much (or little) you have flowing in your veins. “Blood volume increases by 50% during pregnancy,” she says. “If it’s one side, it’s probably due to the uterine arteries, and if its midline, then it’s probably the aorta.”
While this sounds reasonable and harmless enough, Biedebach says, 'it is recommended to not sleep or lay on your back as your baby grows, as the extra weight can compress this vessel.'
If the fact that you can feel your aorta pumping blood freaks you out, you’re not alone. The aorta is the largest artery in the body, the Cleveland Clinic reported. And do you really want to feel it pulsating, particularly during pregnancy? Not necessarily. To make medical matters more complicated, Ashlyn Biedebach, RN, BSN, a nurse and doula, explains to Romper that it can be compounded by pressure from the positioning of your own body. Says Biedebach: “If a pulse is felt in the belly during pregnancy, it is probably from the baby laying on the aorta of the mom, which is in the upper part of the abdomen.'
Although feeling a pulse coming from your belly during pregnancy isn’t necessarily dangerous, it’s something that you want to avoid if possible. One way to put a pause on the pulsing is by ensuring that you’re well-hydrated, advises Dr. Langdon. “Keep drinking fluids to lessen the pulse,” she says. “Pulses tend to feel stronger when the intra-vessel volume is decreased when it is pumped harder by the heart.” So if you think you’re feeling a pulse in your belly, it might be a signal that your body needs more H2O. Drink some water and reassess how you’re feeling overall. If you’re feeling lightheaded, you should sit down and see if it passes. If not, definitely call your OB/GYN to report your symptoms.
And when night time comes, be sure to sleep on your side (and not on your back) to avoid putting extra pressure on your aorta. “It’s recommended to not sleep or lay on your back as your baby grows, as the extra weight can compress this vessel,' advises Biedebach. “Reposition to one side to sleep, and putting a pillow behind your back can help if your body is used to sleeping that way.' If you can’t stay on your side, propping some pillows between your legs (or even behind your back) can help you stay in place.
It can be hard finding a comfortable position to sleep in during the later stages of pregnancy. But remember, back sleeping is not recommended when your baby grows big enough to cause you discomfort. Especially if you feeling a pulsing in your belly. Of course, if you have any questions, check with your doctor just to be sure.
Experts:
Ashlyn Biedebach, RN, BSN, a nurse and doula
Dr. Kim Langdon, M.D., OB/GYN
Pulse in stomach, have you ever experienced this feeling? We all have pulse checked near wrist regularly. But, having Pulse in stomach can be a scary symptom because it is not a very common symptom that people experience. Do you think it is dangerous? Let us get an answer to this question in this article.
Contents
- 0.1 Pulse in stomach or Heartbeat in stomach Causes:
Pulse in stomach or Heartbeat in stomach Causes:
What you feel as the pulse on your wrist is the pulsating or beating of the radial artery. Similarly, the Pulse in stomach is the pulsating or pulsations of the Abdominal Aorta. The oxygenated blood or pure blood is carried from the heart to the body parts through the Aorta, which is the most prominent artery in our body.
In many instances, it is entirely normal to feel a pulsating sensation in the aorta, leading to Pulse in stomach. But, in some cases, it can be severe and abnormal too. We need to be aware of when Pulse in stomach is normal and when it is not. For that, we need to understand all the causes of Pulse in stomach. Let us do that.
Heartbeat In Stomach After Eating
After Food consumption:
You can experience Pulse in stomach after you have your meal or eat your food. Do you know why this happens? This is because, after eating food, blood flows through your abdominal aorta to absorb the nutrients from the digestive tract and also to facilitate digestion.
Your gut needs the blood supply to digest and assimilates nutrients from food. So, having Pulse in stomach after eating food is normal and nothing to worry at all.
Pregnancy:
During Pregnancy there are many changes in the body of the pregnant woman. One such change is the increased blood flow through the body of the Pregnant woman. This happens to supply blood for the baby and also due to the increased requirements of the body.
As the blood flow increases through the abdominal aorta during pregnancy, you can notice Pulse in stomach during this time. But, some women think that this pulse is of Baby’s heart, which is not true.
Being lean:
When you lie down on a bed or a flat surface and place your hand over your abdomen, you can notice Pulse in stomach. This is due to the blood which flows through the abdominal aorta.
If you are a very thin or lean person, you can see Pulse in stomach in the abdominal aorta. But, if you are very obese or overweight, you can’t notice Pulse in stomach due to the fat which is covering the abdominal aorta.
Pulse in stomach-Can it be an Abdominal Aortic aneurysm?
Pulse in stomach can also be caused by some dangerous or life-threatening causes like abdominal aortic aneurysm at times. So, you need to be completely aware of this condition.
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is the dilation or enlargement of the abdominal aorta. There are many risk factors for the development of this problem which we will be discussing further. But, abdominal aortic aneurysm by itself is not harmful, and the patient doesn’t notice any symptoms apart from Pulse in stomach.
But, if the abdominal aortic aneurysm gets ruptured or burst due to any cause, there will be heavy bleeding from this artery as it is a large artery. Such massive bleeding can be life-threatening if not detected and corrected on time.
But, thankfully this is not very common amongst the people. But, you still need to be cautious and consult a doctor if you notice any symptoms of abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture Symptoms:
There are some symptoms which you need to know to suspect abdominal aortic aneurysm. They are:
- Sudden and severe pain in the abdominal area
- Sudden pain in the back
- Pain which is radiating from the abdomen to the legs, pelvic region, etc
- Feeling dizzy or Giddy all of a sudden
- Losing consciousness and collapsing
- Having severe sweating
- Feeling very cold
- Palpitations or increased heart rate or Tachycardia
Abdominal aortic aneurysm Diagnosis:
Heartbeat In Stomach Aortic Aneurysm
If you suspect that you have an abdominal aortic aneurysm, you should consult your physician immediately. At first, they will stabilise your vitals by infusing IV fluids or blood based on requirement and will take a history of your symptoms.
Your physician will also examine your abdomen, and he might feel it to be hard and can notice Pulse in stomach or abdominal aorta pulsating. He will order certain scans like USG abdomen or CT abdomen or MRI abdomen to identify the ruptured aorta.
Why do you Develop Abdominal aortic aneurysm?
Now, you have understood that Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm is a life-threatening condition. You also need to be aware of the factors which put you at risk of developing an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
So of them are avoidable, and some are not, like being a male. So, try to avoid the risk factors which are preventable. Let us have a look at the risk factors of abdominal aortic aneurysm below:
- Having excess weight or being obese
- Being of the male gender
- Elderly people above the age of 60
- Smoking continuously for years
- Having a family history of heart ailments
- Having high blood pressure
- Having excess cholesterol in the blood
- Not being active physically
- Having history of injury to the abdomen.
Most of the risk factors for an abdominal aortic aneurysm are similar to the risk factors for Heart diseases. So, try to avoid these risk factors to be healthy and to prevent developing these problems.
How is abdominal aortic aneurysm treated:
If the abdominal aortic aneurysm did not rupture and it is less than 5.5 cm in size, then your doctor will keep monitoring it regularly to see if there is any problem with it.
But, if there is rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm, then your doctor will perform surgery to repair it no matter how small or significant it is. The surgery can be an open surgery or endovascular surgery based on the surgeon’s decision.
Bottomline:
Sensing or feeling Pulse in stomach is very common amongst the people after eating food, lying down and during pregnancy. If you experience Pulse in stomach during any such thing, you need not worry at all.
But, if you experience Pulse in stomach all of a sudden and that too accompanied by any abnormal symptoms like abdominal pain, back pain, dizziness, etc., you should immediately go to the emergency department and get evaluated by a physician.
Heartbeat In Stomach
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