How is the uterus and fetus normal, showing that the fetus is developing healthy?

What is the uterus and fetus? Some women who are pregnant for the first time must still be confused with these 2 concepts and sometimes easily confused with each other. However, women need to differentiate these two states to accurately monitor the condition of the fetus in the abdomen.

What is the uterus and fetus?

Usually physiological uterine contractions begin around the 4th month of pregnancy onwards. The physiological uterus (also known as the Braxton-Hicks contraction ) is the spasmodic action of the uterine muscles, which is painless but makes women feel tense in the lower abdomen. When pregnant mother feels suddenly a little tense in the lower abdomen, lasting about 30 seconds to no more than 2 minutes and does not become a fit, the feeling disappears when resting, it is when the pregnant mother is having uterine contractions physical.

A fetus is the movement of the fetus in the womb. Pregnant mothers will feel the baby's movements clearly when the baby is 16-22 weeks pregnant and almost every day, the mother can feel it, especially the fetus is clearer until the time of birth. This is one of the signs of evaluating the health of the fetus, so mothers need to follow up and go for a checkup if they do not see the fetus since 24 weeks.

Confusion between uterine mound and machine pregnancy?

Around the 4th or 5th month of pregnancy, mothers may confuse physiological uterine contractions with a machine, especially for those who are pregnant for the first time. Some mothers who see a rhythmic fetus think that their uterus is contracting and that I'm going to go into labor, worried about preterm birth; some other mothers, when seeing a moment of lower abdominal tension (uterus contraction), think that the baby is "thrashing" in the abdomen. This mistake is easy to understand because the fetal movement at this time is still quite gentle, pregnant mother do not worry too much!

The frequency of uterine contractions and fetal movements until 36 weeks of pregnancy will have a significant inverse. At this time, the size of the baby in the womb is quite large, so the uterus does not have as much space for the baby to "swing around" as before, so the mother will see less mechanical pregnancy than before. However, during waking up, the fetus will move at least 3-4 times / hour. While the number of mechanical pregnancies decreases, the number of physiological uterine contractions increases and the mother will feel more abdominal pressure than before.

Classification of the types of uterine mounds

The uterus has spasmodic activity from the 4th month of pregnancy onwards and until the time of birth, spasmodic activity has significant changes. There are types of uterine mounds you need to distinguish as follows:

1. Physiological uterine bowel (Braxton-Hicks contractions)

This is the most common pregnancy contraction during pregnancy, since the 4th month of pregnancy. Braxton-Hicks mounds appear suddenly, causing the pregnant mother to feel tight in her lower abdomen. The uterine contractions usually appear in the right abdomen, then spread to the lower abdomen, appearing in about 30 seconds to no more than 2 minutes. Dehydration or loss of strength can cause this mum to experience even more. I usually feel them at night, especially after a tiring day. However, physiological uterine contractions are really essential during pregnancy, as it is the first step for the uterus to exercise its stamina for the woman's birth date.

Physiological contractions do not increase over time, do not make a woman more painful and do not change the cervix. The contractions of such nature usually appear when pregnant women are tired, dehydrated or too many walking and will disappear when resting or relaxing. To reduce mounds, mothers should drink plenty of water, take time to rest and should lie on their left side.

2. The mound of preterm labor

If pregnant women are pregnant before 37 weeks, if you have the following signs of uterine contraction, it is easy to give birth prematurely:

Pain in the lower abdomen and flare (every 10 minutes) for more than 1 hour

Increasing intensity of pain and frequency of thickening, feeling a tougher abdomen

There may be vaginal bleeding, diarrhea, or vaginal discharge (rupture of membranes)

The following cases of pregnant mothers often give birth prematurely :

Have a history of preterm birth

Multiple pregnancy (twins, triplets)

Have an abnormality in the uterus, cervix or placenta

Infected

Being underweight or obese before pregnancy

Smoking cigarettes or some drugs, stimulants

Unhealthy living habits: Poor sleep, a lot of stress ...

Do not take routine pregnancy check-ups and take care of the fetus in the wrong way

3. Uterine contractions during full-term labor

Mothers will have labor contractions at full term if they are pregnant from 37 weeks onwards. Labor contraction is divided into 2 phases: the early stage of labor and the real stage of labor.

The early stage before labor

Pregnant mothers will have a feeling of tightness in the uterus or lower abdomen, lasting from 30 to 90 seconds, but the level of contractions in this stage is still gentle. These mounds will appear as a wave every 10 minutes and gradually increase in distance and intensity. The more time it comes to labor, the thicker the mound appears, it can appear every 5 minutes.

During this stage, women should look for signs of real labor, such as seeing pink mucus from the cervix as the cervix gradually enlarges, even ruptures of the membranes.

The real stage of labor

In the real stage of labor, the cervix expands from 7 - 10cm, uterine contractions will take place continuously and the nature of pain increases, lasting from 60 to 90 seconds. The contraction may spread from the back to the front of the abdomen causing leg cramps and pain. The mound can even be continuous, overlapping to push the baby out. During labor, contractions can cause headaches, nausea, hot flashes, or chills, or a flare-up, ... Pregnant women need to be hospitalized for a safe birth, minimizing complications for both mother and baby.

4. Postpartum uterine contractions

The  contractions after birth  are needed to push the placenta out. The uterus will also continue to shrink in size before pregnancy. Breastfeeding also triggers uterine contractions after birth. If the mother is in pain for two to three days after birth, that is completely normal.

How is the pregnancy normal?

The phenomenon of mechanical pregnancy will be clearly felt by mothers when the fetus is 16-22 weeks old onwards. Depending on the stage of development, the baby can "tumble" and stretch legs / arms, punch, kick, kick ... against the womb wall. The normal pregnancy rate is about 10-30 times within 12 hours and the mother feels the pregnancy is strongest during the 30-36 week gestation period. By 36 weeks onwards, due to the large size of the fetus and close to the day of labor, the number of pregnancies will decrease but still move at least 3-4 times / hour when the baby is awake.

No pregnancy after 24 weeks

After 24 weeks, if you do not feel the baby's movement every day, you need to immediately see a doctor for a checkup, because the pregnancy is one of the signs of your baby's health and survival. in the womb. In particular, if the mother has additional symptoms such as vomiting, no chest tightness or vaginal bleeding and accompanying uterine spasm, the fetus is most likely in a dangerous condition. The baby may have lack of amniotic fluid / oxygen or have a placenta problem so it won't move as usual.

Mothers who smoke during pregnancy increase the risk of stopping providing nutrients to the baby across the placenta. In addition, pregnant women with a history of drinking alcohol, preeclampsia, a history of stillbirth in the previous pregnancy, overdue pregnancy, twins with amniotic fluid, hypertension in pregnancy, umbilical cord prolapse ... are all at risk. muscles weaken the health of the fetus and put the baby in danger.

Thai machine too much?

If in an hour, the fetus is more than 20 times, it can be called too much mechanical gestation. The reason may be that the baby is under stress or the mother is having many stressful problems. Pregnant mothers should rest and keep track of the baby's movements. If you still see rapid and rapid increase in the pregnancy, pregnant mothers should go to the hospital to check to avoid unnecessary complications for their children.

Uterine contractions and pregnancy during pregnancy bring a valuable psychological and physiological experience to pregnant women. These phenomena contribute to a mental bond between mother and baby, and help mothers monitor their own reproductive health. Always keep your mood happy, peaceful and calm until the day you see you, moms!

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