I always thought the Braxton-Hicks contractions were the hands-down coolest part of being pregnant, especially as my uterus got bigger in the last trimester and the effect became more pronounced. It was just really…nifty…to feel it practicing, all by itself, for the Big Moment.
And you can utilize it, too, once you learn your breathing patterns. Practice them with it.
What you experienced in the OP, though, sounds more like “Baby Hiccups”, than B-H contractions. Baby moves around and does stuff a LOT, you just can’t really feel it while she’s the size of a grape. But once she gets to the 4 to 5 pound weight limit, then you can start to feel it when she hiccups, and also you can feel specific limbs poking you–“Oh, that was definitely a foot”, etc. Which is also very cool.
You can induce a B-H contraction, as mentioned, by having an orgasm. Your uterus will become hard as a rock for a few seconds afterwards. And, again, the bigger your uterus is, the more pronounced the effect.
Home stretch, babe. Nearly there.
This is actually the Good Part, ya know–the last trimester, when you can sit there in church and amuse yourself during the sermon by playing with your baby’s feet. Push on them, and she’ll push back. Loads of fun. Seriously.
And…tell Mr. Mouse that the birth process isn’t nearly as oogie as the birth videos make it seem. It’s so emotionally intense for the dads that, truly, he won’t even notice blood or snot or even a bit of poo (because sometimes the “pushing” part does that to ya, don’t worry about it, the nurses are used to it)–just the Mouseling, emerging at last. See, it’s because it’s the culmination of hours of labor–if he had just walked into it cold, say off the street, or just off work, and suddenly there was blood and snot and shit, that would be “yuck”. But it isn’t like that–he’s in there laboring with you, and by the time any potentially icky stuff appears, he’ll be so involved in the process that he won’t care.
And I speak from experience: the Better Half, going in, the first time, was very hesitant about the whole “blood snot shit” thing, but it turned out totally not to matter.
The pillows and blanket are because you need to practice how to make yourself relax, because there will come a time when a labor room nurse will order you crossly to “relax!”, and if you’ve practiced ahead of time, you’ll know how.