Cramping during pregnancy is among the top concerns for a pregnant woman. Especially if you are a first time mom, all the sensations are new. Sometimes cramping can merit medical attention. Sometimes other concerns pop up. Let me help to ease your mind and to know when to seek medical advice.

First - this information is just that - information. If you feel you have a legitimate issue, you should seek medical help immediately. Always defer to your healthcare provider over anything you read on the internet.

When you feel cramps, it can be scary. You need to determine if it’s cramps coming from growth pains such as you may get from very early pregnancy signs, or if it's cramps coming from an issue that needs medical attention. Pregnancy brings on many changes and among these are an ever-expanding uterus and muscles. As the baby grows, the muscles in the area must expand to accommodate the growth, this is cramping from pregnancy progression. This can bring on cramps. If the cramps causes you a lot of pain or if it's accompanied by fluid leaking from the vagina or bleeding, please seek medical care immediately. Later on cramping can mean the first signs of labor too.

Dehydration is another pregnancy concern. Dehydration can cause cramping during pregnancy. It's very important that you drink plenty of water every day. Your body is constantly making amniotic fluid and this requires more fluid intake. Signs of dehydration are dry mouth, dizziness, pale appearance and preterm labor. Sometimes if you become severely dehydrated you may need IV fluids to help your body stop the preterm labor. The best combat for this is to always drink enough water each day to stay hydrated. You need at least 8 eight ounce glasses of water per day.

Leaking fluids from the vagina is a cause for concern. If you have fluids leaking you might be in preterm labor. It's always safest to go either to your doctor or to Labor and Delivery at the hospital and find out for sure. They can run a test to know if it’s amniotic fluid or just urine.

If you experience spotting or vaginal bleeding you really do need to see your doctor. Some spotting is harmless such as spotting during early pregnancy, but bleeding can also mean there is something wrong. Note the color of the blood - is it spotting that is just pink or brown? Or bright red? Or full of clots? Are you in any pain? Regardless if you see blood it's very important that you seek medical attention immediately to properly diagnose and treat the issue.

Painful urination possibly means you have a urinary tract infection. If you have a UTI you will need to be treated with antibiotics and will need to drink plenty of fluids to cure it. A UTI untreated could bring on premature labor. Pregnant women tend to be more susceptible to UTI's.

Feeling cramping during pregnancy or any of the above you need to seek the advice of your healthcare provider. It may not be anything wrong, but it's always best to rule things out. If you do have a problem, it's good to catch it early to deal with it better.