quickening

CIDE DICTIONARY

quickening, n. 

•  The act or process of making or of becoming quick.  [1913 Webster]
•  The first motion of the fetus in the womb felt by the mother, occurring usually about the middle of the term of pregnancy. It has been popularly supposed to be due to the fetus becoming possessed of independent life.  [1913 Webster]

THESAURUS

quickening

acceleration, activating, animating, animation, animative, bracing, clarification, double time, double-quick, double-quick time, drive, easing, energizing, enlivening, enlivenment, exhilarating, exhilaration, exhilarative, expediting, expedition, facilitation, festination, forced march, forwarding, getaway, hastening, hurrying, impetus, invigorating, invigoration, invigorative, life-giving, pickup, revitalization, revival, rousing, simplification, simplifying, smoothing, speeding, speedup, step-up, stimulating, stimulation, stimulative, streamlining, thrust, tonic, viable, vitalization, vitalizing, vivification, vivifying