"People eat when they are lonely, make love when they are angry, speak from the podium when they are sexually anxious. This perversion of the connection between sensation and behavior is evidence of alienation from oneself." I. Polster.
People often confuse sensations with feelings and feelings with emotions. Ask your friends: " What is the correct way to say: am I feeling hungry or am I feeling hungry? Is resentment a feeling or an emotion? And what about joy?"By asking these seemingly simple questions, you will receive varied and conflicting answers.
Unfortunately, in the psychological literature, these concepts are often confused. To my great surprise, after reading dozens of books by classics and contemporaries, hundreds of magazine articles, I never came across an integral system that clearly differentiates feelings, sensations and emotions and gives answers to their semantic differences! It would seem that there is nothing wrong with that, and you should not cling to words. It seems that there is no urgent need to draw clear and rigid boundaries between the meanings of related words. But this is only at first glance. A clear understanding of the meaning of these words and their differences is relevant for working with the sensory sphere of a person in all types of psychotherapy and is extremely important in areas such as gestalt, psychosynthesis and body-oriented psychology.
The differentiation of these concepts and the ability to differentiate them allows you to determine the place of violation in the relationship of a person with himself and the world and purposefully work with this.
Sensations are the process of obtaining information about the properties of objects, phenomena and about the internal states of the body. Information comes to us through sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, vestibular apparatus and kinesthetics (sensory information from muscles, tendons and ligaments). You can compare the sensations with the instrument panel and sensors in the cockpit, which show flight parameters: altitude, speed, air temperature, fuel level, wind direction and strength, fuselage tilt, distance to other objects, and much more. When I have a sore throat, I feel hot, sick, and heavy in my head, and these signs tell me that I am getting sick. If a person is deprived of sensations, then he will not be able to navigate in what is happening and will not be able to do anything purposefully.
The senses have a completely different function. If we compared sensations with the instrument panel showing flight parameters, then feelings can be compared with the pilot's personal assessment of these readings. I remember well that the illness on the eve of meeting my girlfriend caused me completely different feelings than the same illness on the eve of the physics test. Feelings are a process of personal assessment of the situation, which performs both signaling and organizational and guiding functions. They talk about a person's attitude to what is happening, show him whether it is good or bad. Thus, feelings play a double role: they are a system of signals of well-being or unhappiness, on the one hand, and a regulator of our desires and aspirations, on the other. And speaking in the language of Gestalt, then feeling is a holistic signal about the relationship between a person's needs and the environment. Feelings can carry a huge energy potential, but even so, you should not confuse them with emotions. Emotions are the external expression of our feelings, presenting them to the world around us. This is a non-verbal language of communication that appeared among our distant ancestors many hundreds of thousands of years ago. He helped to understand each other and interact successfully even before the emergence of articulate speech and verbal communication. Even higher animals are able to discern our emotional messages by tone of voice and facial expression.
Thus, despite the fact that feelings carry an emotional color and energy, they turn into emotions only when a person begins to present them to the world and people. As Lowen wrote: "To avoid confusion between these concepts, it should be noted that the word emotion implies activity (motion - movement and the preposition e-outward, outward)"... (A. Lowen. Psychology of the body) If, due to the strength of the experience or the inability to notice his feelings, a person immediately jumps into the field of emotions, unable to realize his feelings, then they say: "No feelings - only emotions"!
In summary, we can say that:
- sensations are information;
- feelings - how I feel about it (my assessment);
- emotions - how I react to it, and what I express by this (my reactions and messages to the world).
By looking at these concepts in terms of their function, it is easy to see their place on the contact cycle curve. It is difficult to overestimate their informational, evaluative and contacting role in the process of satisfying a need. I remember how many years ago, at one of the psychological trainings, I was struck by the question leading to one of the members of the group, whose name was Nastya: " Who are you crying to and what do you want from it? ". And her surprised answer:" Nobody and nothing, I just cry and that's it, I do so often". Later we managed to understand her feelings, and the address of her emotions, and what need she is trying to resolve with this. I was amazed that emotions are not an uncontrollable element, but our choice of action and resolution of the need, that emotions have an addressee and a specific goal Whether the crying person realizes this is another question.
Let us consider the sequence of the emergence and manifestation of the affective wave "sensation - feeling - emotion" on the example of the cycle of satisfaction of the needs of B. Reznik and T. Barley:
I. Stage of undifferentiation.
II. The stage of the formation of the figure.
III. The stage of focusing the figure.
IV. Field scanning stage.
V. Stage of resolution of the need.
Vi. Assimilation stage.
Vii. Stage of undifferentiation ".
The emergence of sensations, the increase in their intensity and the formation of a vague figure of need correspond to the level of sensations. Focusing the figure, identifying sensations and evaluating them gives rise to feelings, accompanied by scanning the field for satisfaction of the need - the level of feelings. The choice of the mode of action and the resolution of the need corresponds to the level of emotions. Then comes the second, control wave - the level of pleasant sensations - the stage of resolution. Withdrawal and assimilation - the level of feelings (satisfaction) and final emotions. Further - a temporary lull when the field is not differentiated. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
Often, the violation of the cycle of satisfaction occurs due to a distortion of the perception of sensations, incorrect identification of feelings and the unconscious presentation of their emotional reactions. The situation is complicated by the speech patterns of the language, both Russian and the languages of the Romance group. Perhaps things are different in the East, but I cannot say with certainty. We say sensory organs instead of sensory organs; we say - "he expresses his emotions" - instead of saying: "he expresses his feelings", and about a person with poor emotional expression, we say that "he has few feelings." It turns out that we initially do not understand the role of sensations, we put feelings in their place, and we put emotions in place of feelings.
I want to repeat Polster's well-known saying: "L They eat when they are lonely, make love when they are angry, speak from the podium when they are sexually preoccupied. This perversion of the connection between sensation and behavior is evidence of alienation from oneself. "... (I. Polster, M. Polster. Integrative gestalt therapy)
If distortions at the level of sensations lead to such consequences, what happens when distortions also occur at the level of feelings and emotions? Feelings of hunger and loneliness, feelings of sex drive and emotions of anger. Having learned to distinguish between these concepts, the client will no longer confuse anxiety and hunger, fatigue and depression, attraction and love, confidence and aggression. The list goes on and on, and you yourself can remember some of the most striking examples from your practice.
To solve these and similar issues, it seems to me, you need to have:
- The skill of differentiating sensations, feelings and emotions based on their criteria.
- Sensations convey information about the situation inside and outside.
- Feelings are internal assessments, reactions and experiences.
- Emotions are the presentation of reactions and assessments to the world.
- The skill of noticing is being aware of the moments of transition of sensations into feelings, and feelings into emotions, and vice versa.
Here are some interesting exercises to help you gain practical awareness and differentiation skills.
- "List".
Make a list of feelings, emotions, and sensations as large as possible. You don't have to strive to do it in one go. It is best to do this exercise for several days - until you have an impressive list of 50-100 or even more items.
- "Sorting".
Break it down into two or three columns. I am deliberately not saying that there should be two or three. It depends on whether feelings and emotions will be included by you in one list, when one word, depending on the context, can have different meanings, or there are strictly deterministic words. For example, where would you take resentment? Panic? What about satisfaction?
- "Fitting".
Try every word on the list - feeling, feeling, or expressing it. Note what was easier for you and what was harder. Are there any names on the list that you did not manage to present and survive at all? During the day, it is useful to stop for a minute or two and "catch by the tail" of the experienced emotion, feeling or sensation, having realized and identified the "caught animal". Determine the strength and clarity of what you are experiencing, on a 10-point, 100% or any other scale convenient for you.
- "Pendulum of feelings".
Listen to yourself and be aware of your actual feeling at the moment. Stay with it for a while, and then go into the realm of sensations associated with this feeling, noticing and realizing place, strength, clarity and other parameters. Return to the area of feelings and see what new shades have arisen in the feeling, or whether it has changed completely. And then, starting from this feeling, go into the realm of emotions, noticing how you express them in movements, gestures, facial expressions and intonation. After a while, return again to the realm of feelings and realize what you are feeling now, what has changed and what has appeared.
- "Trouble zone".
When a person is worried about a problem, a zone of anxiety arises around it from feelings, sensations and emotions. On the one hand, in this area all experiences are stronger and sharper, and on the other, they are less clear and stable. It resembles a room of crooked mirrors, in which a person is distorted so that he looks like a skinny giant, then a wide dwarf, then walking upside down, then stretching forward like chewing gum. Noticing every day - realizing the strength and certainty of feelings, sensations and emotions in this problem area, you will be able to track the positive dynamics of changes in both the zone itself and the problem that gives rise to it. Working with an area in which improvements are slower, it is worth spending more time and effort.
Summing up, I would like to note that understanding the role and place of these phenomena, as well as the ability to differentiate them, is an important condition for awareness - noticing true feelings, sensations and emotions that will help the client see and restore violations of contact with an actual need. They are the most reliable indicator of the energy processes going on in a person when the field "organism - external environment" is "disturbed". Processes from the moment of the appearance of the first vague sensations to the moment of satisfaction of the need and its dissolution in the surrounding background. I am confident that as long as a person exists, any violation in the "Self" system is necessarily accompanied by greater or lesser changes in the sensory sphere both through the "Id" function and through the "Personality" function. If you run away from recognition and awareness, expecting that everything will work out automatically, by itself, then this will lead to the loss of the "Ego" function as a mechanism for assessing the situation, choosing and making adaptive decisions.
As Perls wrote: “To strive for maximum automatic functioning and minimum awareness - awareness - means striving for death before it comes” (F. Perls, P. Goodman, R. Hefferlin. Workshop on gestalt therapy).
Sensation- This is the simplest mental process, consisting in the reflection of individual properties of objects and phenomena of the material world, as well as the internal states of the body under the direct influence of material stimuli on the corresponding receptors.
Reflection- a general property of matter, which consists in the ability of objects to reproduce, with varying degrees of adequacy, signs, structural characteristics and relationships of other objects.
Receptor- a specialized organic device located on the surface of the body or inside it and intended for the perception of stimuli of different nature: physical, chemical, mechanical, etc., and their transformation into nerve electrical impulses.
Sensation constitutes that initial area of the sphere of mental cognitive processes, which is located at the border that sharply separates mental and pre-mental phenomena. Mental cognitive processes- dynamically changing mental phenomena, in their totality, provide knowledge as a process and as a result.
The term "sensation" has traditionally been used by psychologists to denote an elementary perceptual image and the mechanism of its construction. In psychology, they speak of sensation when a person realizes that a signal has been received by his senses. Any change in the environment that is accessible to sight, hearing and other modalities is psychologically presented as a sensation. Sensation is the primary conscious representation of a formless and objectless fragment of reality of a certain modality: color, light, sound, indefinite touch. In the area of taste and smell, the difference between sensation and perception is much less, and sometimes virtually none. If we cannot define the product by taste (sugar, honey), then we are talking only about sensations. If smells are not identified with their objective sources, then they are presented only in the form of sensations. Pain signals are almost always presented as sensations, since only a person with a very rich imagination can "build" an image of pain.
The role of sensations in human life is extremely great, since they are the source of our knowledge about the world and about ourselves. We learn about the richness of the surrounding world, about sounds and colors, smells and temperatures, sizes and much more thanks to our senses. With the help of the senses, the human body in the form of sensations receives a variety of information about the state of the external and internal environment.
internal environment.
The senses receive, select, accumulate information and transmit it to the brain for processing. As a result, there is an adequate reflection of the surrounding world and the state of the organism itself. On this basis, nerve impulses are formed that go to the executive organs responsible for regulating body temperature, the work of the digestive organs, movement organs, endocrine glands, for adjusting the sense organs themselves, etc.
The sense organs are the only channels through which the external world "penetrates" into human consciousness. The senses give a person the opportunity to navigate the world around him. If a person lost all senses, he would not know what is happening around him, he would not be able to communicate with the people around him, get food, and avoid danger.
Sensation is the simplest mental display of the material world. This is the most primitive type of reflection because only certain elements of this world are reflected. Are we looking at the sun? What is it like? Yellow, bright, warm and painful when seen with the eyes.
Classification of sensations
But sensations are not only associated with the senses. The sight, hearing and others familiar to us are only exteroceptive sensations, but there are other types of sensations. But nevertheless, it is necessary to consider the senses. The sensations of color, shape, distance and everything related to the eyes are called visual... They are the main helpers when navigating in environment... More than 70% of reality is reflected through the eyes.
We also know about auditory sensations that we experience through our ears. This is the second most important type of sensation, since thanks to hearing we can understand what is happening in the world outside of our field of vision. For example, thanks to our hearing, we hear the approach of a car. That is, our ears in this case warn us about the danger.
There is kinesthetic sensations... Our skin makes it possible to test them. It can be sensations of shape, texture, temperature, pain. Thanks to them, we can grope for objects in a dark room and walk to the switch without catching on anything.
Our language gives us taste sensations... There are several types of tastes. It is noteworthy that there is no pungent taste. It's just that very often people call hot pepper hot. In addition to taste, we also have a scent. It is needed to stimulate appetite and interact with the world at a chemical level. Smell is also needed to detect tainted food or other life-threatening odors.
But besides these five, there are also sensations. This, for example, temperature sensations... Stop. Now you might be thinking, why did these temperature sensations turn out to be separate, if we talked about them when we touched on kinesthetic sensations? What about body temperature? We feel when it rises, it seems to us that we are breathing heat. This is what temperature sensations are.
Tactile can be associated with and pain... But not only our skin hurts, but any organ. We can give its exact localization, thanks to which we have the opportunity to go to the doctor and say that the heart, liver, stomach and so on are hurting.
In addition to these, there are also muscular-articular sensations which provide information about the position in which we are sitting, vestibular sensations that are needed for spatial analysis and vibrational sensations that we can often hear at rock concerts. These are intermediate sensations between tactile and sound.
Pregnancy for a woman is one of the natural conditions. And yet this greatly changes the body's perception of not only the surrounding world, but also itself. Sensations are especially important in the early stages of pregnancy. They are so diverse that it is worth knowing in advance what to expect for the future mom. After all, some of them will indicate that there are deviations from the norm and medical intervention is urgently required.
The desired appearance of the baby or not, the woman is extremely interested in when the symptoms of pregnancy appear. Its countdown begins from the first day of the previous menstruation.
Conception occurs in the middle of the cycle. But you shouldn't expect any sensations at this phase. Only particularly impressionable women talk about them, although they are associated with impatience rather than physiological changes.
The only thing that can be detected is an increase in vaginal discharge. Such a reaction of the body is associated with the fact that it more actively produces mucus for the subsequent formation of a protective plug.
After another 6-10 days, the ovum takes its place in the uterus. From this event, you can talk about when the symptoms of pregnancy begin, because some of them are already felt. For example, blood and mild abdominal pain may be mixed with mucus from the genital tract. These signs are usually frightening, as, according to the verbal description, they look threatening. But there is nothing to be afraid of if it does not last more than 2 days. The process of introducing an egg into the lining of the uterus occurs with vascular damage.
However, for the majority, this event has no visible manifestations. And for them, the question of how long it takes to get pregnancy symptoms is still relevant. From the moment of embryo implantation, we can say that conception has occurred. As the fetus develops, the hormonal background of the woman changes, which affects her well-being. Already on a two-week period, you can feel your new state.
First sensations during pregnancy
When pregnancy occurs, one of the first sensations appear:
- soreness, unusual tenderness of the breasts, nipples;
- increased volume of vaginal discharge;
- nausea;
- strong salivation;
- a change in the reaction to food - favorite dishes become tasteless or generally disgust, and some new ones, on the contrary, cause an increased appetite;
- heightened perception of aromas, even the usual cosmetics and perfumes smell unpleasant, there may be a rejection of the male smell;
- increased weakness and fatigue, drowsiness;
- abdominal discomfort - bloating, rumbling, soreness;
- the skin becomes hot to the touch, there are chills and hot flashes;
- frequent mood changes.
Normally, not all of these manifestations may be present or other symptoms are added to them. The beginning of pregnancy is different for every woman.
Feelings during pregnancy
The psychological state and feelings during pregnancy are associated with changes in hormonal levels. Usually women note:
- irritability;
- tearfulness;
- transitions from laughter to depressed mood;
- anxiety;
- suspiciousness.
Depressive reactions are often manifested. In some women, on the contrary, the onset of pregnancy coincides with feelings of a surge of strength and an improvement in their condition.
Is it okay if I don't feel like I'm pregnant early on?
Normally, a woman at an early stage may not feel that she is pregnant. This is typical for healthy and young expectant mothers. For most, the very first sensations are very atypical, therefore, it is possible to learn about conception only after a delay and a test.
Worse, if previously there were all the signs of toxicosis (malaise, nausea), swelling and pain in the mammary glands, and then they disappeared, but spotting appeared. These are signs that the pregnancy has stopped developing. An urgent need to visit a gynecologist.
Feelings in the uterus during early pregnancy
The initial sensations in the uterus during early pregnancy (introduction and strengthening of the ovum) can be:
- feeling of heaviness;
- it seems that the uterus hurts (the woman usually begins to feel it, which was not previously the case);
- with a sharp movement, a turn, there is a sharp soreness in the groin, lower back or along the inner thighs;
- there is a feeling of fullness in the abdomen, bloating.
In the early stages of pregnancy, not all women notice sensations in the uterus, but as it develops, they become much more.
Such manifestations are associated with the onset of growth of the uterus and a change in the load on its ligaments. Often, previous inflammatory diseases of the abdominal cavity are the cause of pain. After them, adhesions form and during the development of pregnancy, their stretching can be sensitive.
Can lower back hurt after conception?
The lower back after conception can hurt in those women who experience similar sensations before the onset of menstruation. Severe pain in the lumbar region, fatigue with prolonged standing, sitting or walking are typical for late periods. In the second, and especially the third trimester, the weight of the uterus with the fetus puts a lot of stress on this part of the spine.
What a belly in the early stages
Often, outwardly, the belly does not change in the early stages. Less commonly, there is an increase in local temperature (hot stomach), tension, soreness. It hardens a little in the lower part during palpation, as the tone of the muscle fibers increases. Due to hormonal changes, digestion is rebuilt, so bloating, a feeling that the stomach is twisting, is possible.
Fetus at the end of the 4th (a), 6th (b) and 9th (c) months of pregnancy Appearance
In the first 2 months, external signs of pregnancy are not noticeable. The abdomen is soft, normal in shape and size, there is no soreness when pressed. Closer to 11-12 weeks, you can feel the upper border of the uterus. It thickens and begins to be felt by a woman.
Why a hot stomach
A hot stomach can be a reaction to an increase in blood progesterone levels. Normally, the skin temperature rises during pregnancy, this is not a sign of pathology. In some women, it is mainly felt in the abdomen, but most note that the whole body has become hot.
Tense belly
The tension of the anterior abdominal wall in the lower abdomen is characteristic of the early period. This muscle tone protects the developing fetus in the uterus. In addition, against the background of hormonal changes, there is bloating and distention in the intestines. The reason for going to the doctor appears if the tension is combined with:
- cramping pain
- an increase in temperature
- bouts of nausea and vomiting,
- the release of blood.
Why does it hurt
The stomach hurts during early pregnancy due to such changes:
- increased production of hormones and restructuring of bowel function;
- stretching of the uterine ligaments;
- growth of the uterus;
- attachment of the ovum (sometimes accompanied by blood smear).
Normally, the pain is moderate or mild, lasts no more than a few minutes, there is no bloody discharge. With the appearance of blood from the vagina and pain syndrome, it is important to consult a gynecologist, undergo an ultrasound scan.
The belly is on fire
A burning sensation (the stomach is on fire) is due to physiological changes (normal), it is caused by changes associated with the attachment of the ovum, stretching of the uterine cavity and its ligaments. In this case, there is usually only a slight tingling sensation, slight discomfort. These symptoms occur intermittently and go away without additional treatment.
If the stomach burns for a long time, there is pain, the temperature is increased to more than 37.3 degrees, then this is a likely sign:
- ovarian diseases,
- herpes infection,
- the threat of breakdown.
In order to make a correct diagnosis, an examination by a gynecologist is necessary.
Is it hardening
The abdomen can harden during pregnancy in the first months due to reflex (protective tension) of the abdominal wall. These changes are not always clearly noticeable, therefore, both soft and hard belly do not confirm or exclude fertilization.
Twists during pregnancy
The patient describes unpleasant sensations in the intestinal area: twists, whines, squeezes the stomach. They are associated with the effect of progesterone on the intestinal wall. It relaxes like the rest of the muscle fibers. Hormonal changes also lead to flatulence, constipation, or unstable stools. Usually, this discomfort diminishes or disappears completely from the second month of pregnancy.
Cramping pain during early pregnancy
In the early stages of pregnancy, cramping pains are dangerous, they can mean a threatening or incipient miscarriage. This complication is characterized by:
- soreness above the pubis and in the lower back;
- discharge of blood from the vagina;
- severe weakness.
An increase in nausea, an increase in temperature is also possible. With a threatened abortion, there are chances of maintaining the pregnancy. To do this, you need to call an ambulance for hospitalization in the gynecological department. Self-medication is not recommended.
Watch this video on what to do if your stomach hurts during pregnancy and when to see a doctor:
Can shivers in early pregnancy
In the early stages of pregnancy, it shivers due to the fact that this is how the body reacts to a half-alien fetus for it. In addition to this, against the background of hormonal changes, the body temperature rises, and this can also be accompanied by chills.
This reaction is quite natural and gradually disappears. Prolonged tremors in the body, fever with headache and nausea are signs of an infection in the body. Therefore, in all doubtful cases, it is better to consult a gynecologist.
Can high blood pressure be a sign of pregnancy?
In most women, hormonal changes during pregnancy cause 
decrease in pressure, therefore, its increase does not apply to specific signs of conception.
Any changes in blood circulation, unusual sensations cannot be unambiguously attributed only to the beginning of fetal development.
For a correct diagnosis, it is necessary to visit a gynecologist (if there is a delay in menstruation), a cardiologist or a therapist.
On what day after conception begins to vomit
Typical times for the onset of nausea after conception are the first days of the second month of pregnancy - 5-6 weeks. Nausea appears in the morning or gets worse throughout the day. Possible connection with food or occurrence and outside of its intake. In some women, the urge to vomit and change in taste, increased salivation disappear after 2-3 weeks, but they often bother almost the entire pregnancy.
Pregnancy manifestations after conception
The surest symptom for many is the absence of menstruation in due time. But this will come to light later. Some women even before menstruation feel the manifestations of the changes that have occurred in the body.
Feelings in the early stages of pregnancy, before delay, are weak, they can be easily confused with signs of a cold or overwork. A woman can experience:
- runny nose, sore throat;
- drowsiness, fatigue;
- increased excitability.
Sometimes all of the above is the body's response to a change in the balance of hormones. But it is worth taking into account that immunity is not active at this time. All forces are subordinated to the needs of the reproductive system, that is, the development of pregnancy. Therefore, it is easy indeed to catch a cold and overwork.
Increased symptoms
After implantation, the cells of the embryo begin active division. The task of the body is to provide safe conditions and comfort for the existence of the ovum. At this time, the volume increases.
The embryo also adds new to the composition of the mother's hormones. It is hCG that helps the gynecologist diagnose. Under no other circumstances can this hormone appear in the female body. How pregnancy begins depends on progesterone and hCG, the symptoms of which become more pronounced every day.
Pregnancy symptoms |
Manifestation of symptoms in a pregnant woman |
Nausea |
Usually, nausea follows in the morning, but it can appear 2-3 times a day. It can be associated with both food intake and without it. |
Changes in the temperature inside the vagina (basal temperature) |
If a woman has controlled her before, then she will notice that BT is at a value slightly above 37 degrees. This is how the body creates conditions for the development of the embryo. |
Cessation of menstruation |
The presence of the embryo makes it impossible and unnecessary to replace the upper layer of the uterine lining with a new one. |
Appearance changes |
At the first stage, the belly does not grow yet, but the skin may become covered with age spots, acne, and the hair may become oily or dry and weak. |
Aversion to odors |
It's not only about the smell of food, but also about any other. Previously favored or neutral scents cause nausea or, at best, irritation. |
Changing tastes in food |
A woman is more often drawn to salty or a rejection of meat appears. There may be a need to eat an unsuitable substance. |
And yet, when discussing what sensations during early pregnancy, they mean mainly what happened in the woman's reproductive system. The main ones focus on her belly.
The beginning of pregnancy and the uterus
The main organ that performs work during pregnancy is the uterus. It is a shelter for the embryo for a long time. The body most clearly demonstrates all the changes that have been made.
Feelings in the uterus in early pregnancy are noticeable from the beginning. It has already been said about what a woman can feel when an embryo is fixed in her, but this is far from all. The organ receives an increased blood supply at an early stage. This makes him especially susceptible.
If, in a normal state, not every woman will indicate where the uterus is located, during pregnancy she will easily do this. The tissues of the mucous organ swell, which can lead to a slight heaviness in the abdomen, tingling.
Normal sensations in the early stages of pregnancy do not cause unbearable discomfort, although with its development they will intensify. For the reasons that caused them, these manifestations can be divided into groups.
Hypertonicity
The feeling of tension in the abdomen is familiar to many in this condition. His fault is a spasm of the muscles of the uterus, called. When feeling the abdomen after 2 months from the beginning of pregnancy, it is easy to find the upper pole of the organ. Such feelings of uterine stone in early pregnancy are due to progesterone deficiency.
If it is large, the child will have to be saved with the help of the efforts of doctors and bed rest. But this also happens with a normal pregnancy due to motor load, shaking in transport. If the muscle spasm quickly passes, is not complemented by severe pain and discharge with blood, there is no danger.
Changes associated with the growth of the uterus
Short-term pain in the abdomen in early pregnancy, which appears during increased motor activity, is localized in the groin area. They can often be felt by women with a sharp change in body position, even coughing and sneezing.
In the described cases, this is a common occurrence caused by an increase in the load on the ligaments of the uterus. The organ grows, and although it is not so obvious in the early stages, the pressure on its parts increases. Normally, sensations should go away soon after onset.
Influence of the uterus on adjacent organs
The first sensations in early pregnancy can be associated, oddly enough, with the bladder and intestines. The swollen uterus and enlargement will certainly affect the adjacent organs.
From here. The uterus is not yet large, but it irritates the walls of the bladder. If a woman tries to reduce visits to the toilet and endure, the urge increases, and hypertonicity may be added to it.
Unpleasant sensations during early pregnancy are presented by the intestines. They are caused by the relaxation of his muscles, like many other abdominal organs. On the one hand, this is nature's concern for the preservation of pregnancy. On the other hand, it can cause flatulence. The vasodilatation in the pelvic region, which is inevitable during pregnancy, often provokes the appearance of hemorrhoids.
Beginning of pregnancy and ovaries
The ovaries during pregnancy, as the tissues of the uterus grow, are pulled up to the upper part of the abdominal cavity. At first, this is still not as noticeable as with its development. Actually, at the moment, these organs have done their job, that is, they have produced a healthy reproductive cell and their functioning is minimal. Displacement of internal organs during pregnancy
If, this means that inflammation has begun in them, which pregnancy is not able to prevent. It must be stopped, otherwise a threat is created for the fetus.
Vagina during pregnancy
The vagina is the path along which the newborn has to make the first movement. This is part of the reproductive system, so the changes will affect him too.
Sensations in the vagina in early pregnancy are determined by an increase in the number and diameter of vessels in the small pelvis. The embryo requires oxygen and nutrition, which reach its cells through the bloodstream. Therefore, the woman will feel a bursting in the crotch area. It is caused by stretching of the capillary and venous walls, blood pressure on them. The sensations in the lower abdomen in early pregnancy will be similar.
The vagina and before it produces mucus, which provides the normal microflora of the organ. During pregnancy, its secretory capabilities increase. A woman notes in herself a colorless, odorless discharge. The worst they can bring is a little discomfort. But in general, this is a common occurrence.
Breasts early in pregnancy
The breast is a very sensitive part of the female reproductive system. Hormones have a strong effect on it. That is why the mammary glands are the first to respond to the appearance of an embryo in the body.
Nature prepares them for the production of milk for the unborn baby, carrying out this with the help of the hormone prolactin. The glands grow in volume, so even for the first weeks, a woman should stock up on underwear one or two sizes larger than her usual size.
As a result, they also become different. She becomes more sensitive to touch, sometimes to the point of soreness. The feeling of fullness is added due to the expansion of the ducts through which milk will flow to the nipples.
The skin of the breast acquires, as it were, transparency, because the vessels are clearly visible on it. The nipples and areoles, on the other hand, become brighter in color, also becoming a little painful.
The border of the manifestations of pregnancy and the danger for her
All processes at the initial stage of pregnancy may not coincide in detail in different women. Moreover, the carrying of the first and second child by the same mother is not the same. It is not always possible to discern where the ordinary manifestations of the condition are, and in which cases there is a danger to the fetus. AND still, there are criteria by which one can suspect something was wrong: Stages of miscarriage in early pregnancy
Look at the video about early pregnancy and typical manifestations:
And if there are two of them?
Some women, even in anticipation of a baby, feel great: they are almost not sick, the discomfort, which cannot be done without, is minimal. But this situation practically does not happen if twins are expected (sensations in the early stages of pregnancy can make it feel before ultrasound).
The load that the female body carries in this case increases. What is immediately evident from the study on hCG, it will be twice as much. And the volume of progesterone, which ensures gestation, which is also the cause of not the most pleasant manifestations, is higher. So:
- can be very pronounced;
- soreness of the mammary glands is more noticeable;
- weakness is more pronounced due to the double need for iron;
- the stomach becomes larger by the 11th week due to the rapidly growing uterus, respectively, all the associated inconveniences in the form of hourly trips to the toilet, constipation are more acute;
- abdominal pain can also be more noticeable due to the increased load on the ligaments, the risk of uterine hypertonicity and miscarriage increases.
Feelings in the early stages of a trouble-free pregnancy can be different. Sometimes they are very difficult to bear, but many women have gone through this, which means that everyone can. It is important not to confuse norm and pathology, and this can be avoided if you regularly visit a doctor, listen to your body and trust both of them.
Useful video
Watch this video about the sensations during pregnancy: