Quickening

Categories: Obstetrics or Midwifery

This is caused by the movement of the child (foetus) in the
womb. The impact of the enlarging womb, through the child (foetal)

movements, against the abdominal wall about the sixteenth week of

pregnancy gives rise to this sensation called quickening. Some women claim

to have experienced this sensation at a much earlier date, and by some it

is not felt at all. Gas in the bowels and contraction of the muscles of

the abdomen may give a chance for mistakes. In the later months of

pregnancy, the movements sometimes become so violent as to produce

perceptible movements of the womb and the abdominal muscles, and sometimes

they are the cause of the pain.