Patient's question:
My wife is currently 28 weeks pregnant. Recently, she felt hard around her navel and thought it was the baby there. She pressed it with her hand, trying to do some fetal massage, but the next day, her navel started to hurt. She is worried about inflammation and applied some erythromycin ointment. She doesn't know if it will affect the baby. How can she solve the navel pain? Is it caused by pregnancy?Doctor's answer:
In the early stages of pregnancy, there may be intermittent lower abdominal cramping. Sometimes it's only on one side, and other times it affects the entire lower abdomen, but the pain is not severe—it's just a mild cramping sensation. This is mainly due to the ligaments supporting the uterus being stretched upward as the uterus expands during pregnancy. No special treatment is needed; rest is sufficient. If the pain is intense and unbearable, or if it persists rather than occurring intermittently, it's necessary to visit an obstetrics and gynecology clinic.