The belly of the expectant mother changes not only in appearance. From the 20th week of pregnancy, the mother begins to feel the baby's movements. At first they look like light flutters, but over time the movements become more intense, because towards the end of pregnancy the weight and size of the child increases, and now he is not as spacious in the uterus as before. The number of movements gradually decreases, but their strength increases.
The movements of the baby, especially intense ones, can cause unpleasant sensations in a woman, especially in the right or left hypochondrium.
This is explained by the fact that with a cephalic presentation (the baby is positioned head down in the uterus), the impacts of the baby’s legs are projected into the area of the mother’s internal organs: the liver, stomach, intestines and spleen. Such sensations and even pain are natural and do not require treatment.
And sometimes painful sensations appear in the lateral parts of the abdomen.
They arise due to the fact that during pregnancy the ligaments that support the uterus and ovaries are stretched.
In addition, changes occur in the fallopian tubes (they thicken, blood circulation in them increases), in the ovaries (they increase somewhat in size, cyclic processes stop in them, and the position of the ovaries changes due to an increase in the size of the uterus). Mild painful sensations in the lower abdomen may occur several times during the day, but, as a rule, they quickly disappear if the woman takes a position that is comfortable for her. Sometimes periodic discomfort in the lower lateral parts of the abdomen appears due to constipation, which is also common in pregnant women: during pregnancy, hormones are produced that relax the uterus, and they have a similar effect on the intestines: its peristalsis is disrupted, resulting in constipation.