Numb belly?

[TeniBear]

Heyoh girls

For the last few weeks - but especially just this last one - the outside of my belly's been numb. It's hard to describe accurately (I've tried to explain to DH but I think just confused the poor man ) but it's like there's an extra layer on my skin. Like I'm wearing bathers or something. I can pinch and pull at the skin and I'll only just be able to feel it, even if I'm really digging my nails in (I accidently drew blood the other day, i didn't realise how hard I ws pinching!).

The feeling (or lack thereof) spreads from about 5cm above and below my belly button, and almost all the way to my waist side to side. If Smudge is kicking, I can feel that from the inside, so it seems that it's just the outer layers of my skin/fat/whatever...

Is that normal? Is it something I should be worried about?

ETA: Just googled it, which I should've done to begin with, and apparently it's fairly common - I can't find a reason for it though, so if someone could tell me, that'd be nice

[Alan]

Yes it is normal and quite common. It is caused by the stretching of your skin as your belly grows

[Lolli]

Yeah, I'm guessing it's got something to do with the nerves in the skin stretching out, so you just can't feel touch on the skin's surface, iykwim? And the skin being stretched like that, you wouldn't have a lot of blood circulating on the skin's surface either. It is a weird feeling but isn't it?

[Meercat]

I have this as well - especially around an appendix scar (That is so stretched I am waiting for the baby to just squirm out of it!) .... such a weird sensation eh?

[MummaSue]

I also have this. Around my belly button there is a 5cm x 5cm area of skin that had no feeling at all.
I guess it's just the skin stretching over the nerve endings - and the nerve endings don't stretch so we can't feel them in some areas.

It's weird though, because I get an itchy belly in that area but when I scratch it, it does nothing...... soooooo frustrating!!!!!! I sometimes ask bubby to give me a scratch from the inside..... doesn't work though

S X

[Alan]

A generous amount of moisturizer may help with the itching