Abdominal "popping" sounds

Pregnancy comes with many different symptoms. Many of them will already be familiar to you, because everyone talks about them. You probably went into your pregnancy expecting morning sickness, back pain, or high blood pressure. And you also knew you would be experiencing amazing things like feeling your baby move, or your belly button suddenly protruding outwards. But it is entirely unlikely that you thought you would hear weird abdominal "popping" sounds with your every move. So, what is that all about?

Not every woman gets popping sounds when she is expecting a baby, let us be clear about that. The ones that do might get them around their hips, back, or most commonly somewhere in the abdomen. Some pregnant ladies report hearing these clicking noises, or even feeling a slight pop, when they walk around. Others get them in the night time. And there are also pregnant mothers who get the clicking noises when it is their baby who is active. If you are one of them, should you be worried? Clicking sounds can be caused by many different things.

During pregnancy your joints will loosen up due to hormonal changes (see hip pain and aching joints). These looser joints can certainly be responsible for clicking sounds or sensations. But they can also be caused by certain movements your baby makes, or by a somewhat confused digestive system. If these feelings are accompanied by pain, it is time to ask your doctor about them. Otherwise, they are just a pregnancy curiosity. Did you know that these abdominal "popping" sounds are rarely addressed by books about pregnancy, and that even doctors or midwives may have no idea what is behind them? As long as clicks and pops do not make you feel uncomfortable, you can just put them on your list of gestational weirdities, and forget about them after you give birth!