I am feeling a bit worried about how clumsy I am at the moment. It makes me worried that I will fall and injure the baby inside me.

As your pregnancy progresses and your weight increases, your centre of gravity is constantly shifting. Because it is constantly changing, you are off balance much of the time. In addition your body is producing hormones to loosen your joints. This is a great benefit during the labour process, enabling your pelvis to open more easily to allow the baby to pass through. However, it can be a positive nuisance for daily living as you are just generally less stable. In addition many women feel a bit dreamy and disconnected, are more tried than usual, and have difficulty seeing the ground over the bump. It really is not surprising that falls and scrapes are extremely common among pregnant women.

The reassuring thing is that your baby is extremely well protected. Starting with the strong and powerful pelvic bones, adding the pliable and strong uterus within the abdominal cavity, as well as the amniotic fluid within its membranes, your baby has many layers of protection. So even a fall that can leave you dazed, bruised and embarrassed, will most probably not affect the baby adversely. However, a check up after such a fall is a good idea to put your mind at ease by ruling out the very small chance of harm to the baby.

What you do have to watch out for is any damage to the uterus. There are a couple of signs that may indicate that all is not well. Look out for the following signs: tender or bruised abdomen, bleeding, leaking of clear fluid which may be amniotic fluid, contractions, or increased activity of baby. If you have any of these signs, or feel at all uneasy you should contact your doctor, or pay a visit to the local emergency room to be checked out. Rather be reassured than have regrets later.

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