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Changes to Expect During Pregnancy
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 Pregnancy
Fetal movement
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One of the most thrilling changes will occur about halfway through your pregnancy when you will probably feel a faint, gentle fluttering in your abdomen, referred to as a, “quickening.” This feeling may not return for several days, but gradually it will get stronger and stronger. In fact, towards the end of your pregnancy, you will be able at times to stand in front of a mirror and watch your fetus’ limbs poking at the walls of your abdomen.
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Clinicians are aware that even embryos move, although women cannot feel them because their uteri are so well insulated. Eight weeks after conception, the embryo grows into a fetus. You can usually feel the fetus move by the 16th-20th week. By the end of the fifth month fetal movements become distinct and strong. What is the fetus doing? It is probably stretching or turning its arms and legs. Or it may be moving its head from side to side. Sometimes you may feel a frequent rhythmic pattern of movement occurring every few seconds. These movements are probably the fetus hiccupping. The hiccups may even continue after the baby is born. Feeling a fetus move for the first time is always a dramatic moment for a mother regardless of how many children she has had. It is especially surprising that the fetus can move around as much as it does in such a confined space. Remember, however, movement is not continuously felt, sometimes the fetus is asleep.
If you have not felt the fetus moving at all by twenty-two weeks, let your healthcare professional know. She may want to do an ultrasound. Sometimes the placenta is positioned on the front wall of the uterus and acts as a cushion, delaying the time when movement is first felt. If you have been feeling movement and notice the number of fetal movements has been reduced or you do not feel any movement for several hours, lie down on your left side and drink something sweet such as juice or soda. If you do not feel at least ten movements in the next two hours call your clinician. She may want to do a stress test to measure the fetal heart rate.
Contractions
Irregular contractions which can occur any time after the first trimester are called Braxton Hicks contractions after the doctor who first describes them. For some women, these contractions are like menstrual cramps, especially near the end of pregnancy. Because these contractions usually occur toward the end of pregnancy, they are sometimes the cause of what is called “false labor.” “False Labor” is caused by irregular contractions that occur without the dilation of the cervix. Mild menstrual-like cramps during the first mid-trimester are quite common.
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