Coronation Street's Lucy Fallon, 27, issues plea for help with painful pregnancy struggle

express.co.uk:

Corrie actress has been suffering badly with "practice contractions" and even issued a plea to her fans for help on her Instagram Stories.Lucy asked her 535k followers: "Why are my Braxton-Hicks painful?

Do any of you know? Am I just pathetic?"Instead of sharing a snap of herself, she uploaded an image of her dog to go alongside her query.Braxton-Hicks are normal during pregnancy and, according to the NHS, are the contractions that may be felt throughout pregnancy, particularly near the end.

They are caused by the tightening of the muscles in the uterus.While they are completely normal, if a pattern occurs more regularly, it could be a sign labour has started.Her pregnancy was first announced in September last year, as she looks forward to starting a family with her beau Ryan.At the end of December, Lucy - who played the role of Bethany Platt on Corrie - revealed she was "just five weeks away" from her due date.She shared 3D images of the baby and jokingly wrote "same", alongside an image where her child appeared to be yawning.She also held a "wild" baby shower to celebrate earlier in the month in Liverpool.

Guests at the bash partied well into the night as they were treated to a bottomless Prosecco cart and a live DJ set.And at Christmas, Lucy took to social media to post personal pics of her festivities.She uploaded a carousel of photos from the festive period where she wore an array of outfits including pyjamas and formal wear, as she showed off her blossoming baby bump ahead of an exciting 2023 for her and Ryan.And she opened up on how the day didn't exactly go to plan, writing: "It may have ended in a sickness bug, but it’s been a Holly jolly one with our family nonetheless.