Pigmentation.—­Pigmentation or darkening of the middle line of the abdomen begins by the eighth or twelfth week, and a dark band about 1/8 of an inch wide extends from the pubis (bone) to and around the navel or even higher.  This shows plainer in brunettes, where it is quite conspicuous.  Discolorations also appear on other parts of the body, especially on the face, “moth patches.”

Quickening.—­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.

The Blood.—­The blood is increased in quantity and slightly altered in its composition.  The water, fibrin and white corpuscles are increased; the red cells are at first relatively diminished, but later return to normal.

Nervous System.—­The nervous system is over sensitive and the disposition of the woman may undergo a radical change, mental exaltation and depression are often exhibited.

Constipation is the Rule.—­Neuralgias in different parts of the body, especially in the face and teeth, are common.  Palpitation of the heart and difficulty in breathing may be experienced.  A discharge from the vagina is almost always present, due to the increased circulation in the cervix and vagina.

The Foetal Heart-beat.—­This is the one positive sign of pregnancy and it may be heard as early as the sixteenth to the twentieth week.  It has been compared to the ticking of a watch under a pillow.  It ranges in frequency from one hundred and ten to one hundred and fifty to a minute.

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Pelvic Signs.—­As early as the first month of pregnancy a faint violet color of the anterior wall of the vagina just below the opening of the urethra may be distinguished.  In the third month this color has become purplish and pronounced.  This sign is present in eighty per cent of cases.  There is also a more or less marked lividity of the vaginal portion of the cervix from the first month of pregnancy.  Also there is softening of the cervix as early as the sixth week, and as pregnancy advances the whole of the cervix is softened.

Duration of Pregnancy.—­This is for all practical purposes two hundred and eighty days.

How to Determine Date of Confinement.—­The best rule is to count backward three months from the first day of the last menstrual period and add seven days to it.  To be more accurate, in April and September only six days should be added; in December and January, five days; and in February, four days.