A woman who is 30 weeks pregnant has just finished her morning walk. Suddenly, she feels her stomach tighten. A few hours later, it happens again. No pain — just a rock hard belly. Should she grab her ...

Pregnancy is a journey filled with new sensations, emotions, and sometimes anxiety, especially for first-time parents. One of the most common reasons expectant mothers rush to the hospital is the ...

Pregnancy opens a whole new slew of questions about what's "normal." For many moms, one common query is, what do Braxton-Hicks feel like? Also known as practice contractions, it's easy to confuse ...

A gush of water, being doubled over in pain, the head of your baby crowning. These are things many women picture when they think of labor. However, for most laboring women, these things take time and ...

As the gestation period nears completion, the uterus grows to a length of 12 inches (from 3 inches) and the weight increases to 1,100 g (from 30–40 g). The uterus has 5 liters of fluid, and together ...

Real contractions follow a consistent pattern, while Braxton-Hicks contractions vary in duration and frequency. Braxton-Hicks contractions also tend to be less painful and usually only cause ...