How Pregnancy Affects Your Balance From the First Trimester On

Feeling a little off-kilter and worried about falling while pregnant? Learn how pregnancy affects your balance and find out how to stay steady throughout each trimester.

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Priscilla Gragg

Many people are surprised to learn that falling while pregnant is a very common pregnancy symptom. It happened four months into Jolynn Baca Jaekel's pregnancy. A slight stumble on an uneven sidewalk, and bam: She went down. "Out of panic, I twisted to avoid falling forward and hurting the baby and landed on my back," says Jaekel of Arlington, Virginia. "I was so shaken up; I started to cry."

Thankfully, Jaekel's story has a happy ending—she only suffered a sprained ankle and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby. Still, it's a scary-sounding scenario that happens to more pregnant people than you might think. In fact, according to one study of nearly 4,000 pregnant people, 27% reported falling at least once during their pregnancy.

"Most of my patients have experienced some sort of a misstep," says Sheryl Ross, MD, FACOG, an OB-GYN in Santa Monica, California. "Fortunately, falls that could send you to the emergency room are not common. Even if you land on your abdomen, there's probably not enough force to hurt the baby." (Phew!)

Learn more about why you are more prone to falling while pregnant, steps you can take to prevent falls, and when to call the doctor or midwife.

What Causes Unsteady Balance During Pregnancy?

So why are you suddenly wobbling? Even before your body starts visibly transforming during pregnancy, your ovaries release relaxin, a pregnancy hormone that softens the ligaments and other connective tissue in your pelvis to create space for the growing fetus. These changes also occur in the other joints of the body. So, all of your joints become more flexible—and less steady. This is why falling while pregnant is a common concern.

The trouble is, relaxin circulates through your entire body, not just the pelvis—so ligaments in your hips, knees, and ankles can get a little loosey-goosey, too, says Jean L. McCrory, PhD, an assistant professor of exercise physiology at West Virginia University, who researches pregnancy and balance. Additionally, your growing belly makes you very front-heavy, altering your center of gravity.

But all this isn't a green light to spend your pregnancy parked on a La-Z-Boy. In fact, sitting all day might actually increase your likelihood of falling. According to a study Dr. McCrory published in the Journal of Biomechanics, all of the sedentary participants fell at some point during their nine months, while less than half of those who remained active—say, by taking a walk three times a week or doing prenatal yoga once a week—fell.

"During exercise, you may be more aware of your changing body and size," Dr. McCrory says. "So when faced with balance issues, an active pregnant woman might be more equipped mentally and physically to control her body than one who doesn't work out." Plus, regular moderate exercise during pregnancy increases the likelihood of healthy outcomes for you and your growing baby.

Additionally, Dr. McCrory's research has shown that pregnant people who use a narrower gait (the pattern of how you move your legs as you walk) fall more often than those who use a wider gait. Essentially, using a wider gait means holding your legs farther apart with each step. Adjusting to a wider gait as your belly increases in size provides more stability, which enhances balance.

Avoiding Falls During Pregnancy

You might think that balance issues only come up at the end of pregnancy. However, you don't have to have a balloon of a belly to feel unstable thanks to your looser joints and ligaments and the added weight of your belly shifting your center of gravity.

"My balance started to go by 15 weeks," says Melissa Shevchenko of Jacksonville, Florida, mom to two girls. "I never had a full-on fall, but I tripped all the time."

Steadiness varies from person to person, so actions like getting in and out of the bathtub might feel like a Cirque du Soleil routine for you while a further-along pregnant friend is balancing on one foot in yoga.

To prevent falls, wear comfortable, supportive footwear, avoid slippery or uneven surfaces, and use railings when possible. Generally, be intentional about your movements and keep in mind that your balance may be unsteady.

Here's how things tend to get wonky and what you should do at each phase if—worst-case scenario—you happen to land on the floor.

Weeks 1-11

Limb-loosening relaxin is always in your body, but it rises during ovulation. It drops down until the next cycle if you don't conceive. If you do, the hormone starts circulating through your body in earnest.

So, it's possible that you may fall in early pregnancy due to this boost in relaxin. Luckily, there's little to nothing to worry about if you fall before 12 weeks since the uterus (and the growing baby) is well protected behind the pelvic bone.

Weeks 12-16

Estimates vary, but it is generally accepted that relaxin peaks here at the beginning of your second trimester. So, you may notice your balance feeling particularly off.

Call your doctor as a precaution if you experience a fall during this period. While miscarriage is rare at this stage—less than 3% of miscarriages occur in the second trimester—a severe fall such as wiping out on a steep stairway with your belly taking the brunt of impact could be cause for concern.

Weeks 17-28

Are you feeling particularly wobbly during your second trimester? That might be because your center of gravity is shifting forward, but your brain is still running on pre-bump muscle memory. In other words, as your center of gravity changes, you become more likely to become unbalanced. Also, since your body's shape keeps changing in real-time, you may not get a chance to master moving it before it's morphed again!

However you land after a fall during weeks 17 to 28, call your doctor and ask if you should have an ultrasound to check for (highly unlikely) damage to the placenta—you'll rest easier knowing for sure.

Weeks 29+

You're getting bigger and feeling less mobile and more cautious. This means you're less likely to tumble right now. (Surprise!)

However, if you do fall, your doctor may ask you to stay at the hospital for 24 hours to make sure you don't go into early labor. But by the end of your third trimester, your uterus contains 1 to 2 liters of liquid cushioning in the form of amniotic fluid. So, you're more likely to sprain a limb of your own than to harm your little one.

Avoiding Falls After Childbirth

During the postpartum period, relaxin is still dropping to pre-pregnancy levels, so your joints may still feel loose for a few months. Plus, your body is rapidly changing in shape and size and you're often carrying a baby, making your balance and gait even more off-kilter.

While mild to moderate exercise like walking and swimming is encouraged, take it slow and don't go overboard all at once. Stop exercising right away if you feel dizzy. And avoid jumping or jarring moves for the first four months, recommends trainer Lisa Druxman.

If you fall, do a basic injury check: Are you bleeding? Did you hit your head? Turn your ankle? You know what to do.

When To Call a Doctor

No matter your trimester, a hard fall is enough to rattle anyone. While falls during some points of pregnancy are less risky than others, any fall after the second half of the second trimester or in the third trimester should be evaluated by a health care provider.

Seek medical help for any injuries, but for general concerns about falling while pregnant, here are signs that you should seek immediate medical attention:

  • Any signs of amniotic fluid leaking
  • Any vaginal bleeding
  • If you notice that your baby isn't moving as much
  • You experience pain, including cramping or contractions
  • You fall directly on your belly
  • Your abdomen sustains a cut or puncture

Key Takeaways

Falling while pregnant is common due to the hormone relaxin and that growing bump upsetting your natural balance. Getting regular exercise, being mindful of your gait, and taking extra precautions, particularly when moving quickly, can help to reduce your chance of falling. If you do wipe out, thankfully, the uterus typically does a great job of protecting your baby, so fetal injuries are rare. Contact your doctor if you have any concerns.

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Sources
Parents uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. A major public health issue: the high incidence of falls during pregnancy. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 2010.

  2. The effect of relaxin on the musculoskeletal system. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2014.

  3.  Dynamic postural stability during advancing pregnancyJournal of Biomechanics. 2010.

  4. Physical activity and pregnancy outcomes: an expert review. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM. 2023.

  5. Torso kinematics during gait and trunk anthropometry in pregnant fallers and non-fallers. Gait Posture. 2020.

  6. Strong Association Between Placental Pathology and Second-trimester Miscarriage. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2021.

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