The baby begins to move. Fetal movement during pregnancy: normal, at what stage, frequent, strong

First fetal movement during pregnancy; one of the most anticipated moments of a young mother. The blossoming of new life in the womb begins to be felt in the second trimester. It is very important to record the first intrauterine kick. He will tell the mother and gynecologist about the exact date of birth of the baby. If this is a girl’s first pregnancy, she should expect a baby 20 weeks after the first sensation of movement.

The fetus begins to move at 8-9 weeks. But these movements are not felt by the expectant mother in any way, due to the fact that the embryo is too small. Only an ultrasound will allow you to see how the unborn baby accidentally touches the walls of the uterus. Active fetal movement during pregnancy begins at 16-24 weeks.

Thinner mothers-to-be feel light tremors much earlier than heavier women. In addition, early movement for many is caused by a high sensitivity threshold. So don't worry if your little one is late. This means that he simply did not gain the required body weight. As the size increases, every movement of the baby is felt better.

How to recognize movement

There is no general description of fetal movements. Both doctors and mothers define these feelings differently. Some describe it poetically, comparing the movement to the flapping of a butterfly's wings. Some say that the sensation is similar to stroking or tickling from the inside. To others, the tremors resemble gurgling. It's different for every woman.

But it happens that this “gurgling” brings unbearable pain due to the strong activity of the fetus.

Why does the fetus move with more force in some women, and less in others? Many explain this by the fact that already during pregnancy the character of the unborn baby is formed. Mom feels the active toddler already at such early stages of his life. But for the most part, very active movement tells a woman about some kind of intrauterine problems, so it is very important for a pregnant woman to control these sensations.

Too sharp and prolonged jolts “say” that the baby doesn’t like something. If the child’s behavior does not change when changing position, and fetal movements bring pain for several hours, consult a doctor.

To calm the frisky behavior of the fetus, you need to change your position. With such lunges, the baby reacts to the mother’s uncomfortable position, especially in the lying position. For example, it is contraindicated for pregnant women to lie on their back at this stage! Once you turn over, the little one calms down.
If the movements are too rare and sluggish, it is recommended to eat something sweet. Carbohydrates will quickly reach the child through the bloodstream and recharge him with new strength.

Number of movements at different stages of pregnancy

From about 25 weeks, according to the norms, the fetus should move at least 10 times per hour. Your baby, just like you, takes some poses and changes positions. Hence the "gurgling" feeling. If you start to feel rhythmic kicking, don't worry, your baby is having hiccups. This process will not cause any harm to the child, you will soon get used to it. During this period, hiccups can recur several times a day.

Be sure to keep a pregnancy calendar.

In the future, you will be able to refer to it to understand why your child is moving. Write down every little thing from 21 weeks. Recognition of your voice, the voices of other family members, reaction to loud sounds, to a pleasant melody - your little one feels all these sounds together with you.
Sometimes movements may disappear altogether. This means that the fetus has fallen asleep. Such phenomena usually do not last more than three hours. It is also not uncommon for your unborn child to make himself known at night. The nascent life itself decides what time it should be awake and what time it should rest.

A baby can perform up to 500 different body movements per day. This is mainly observed from 28 to 32 weeks. You won't feel all the movements. Their perceptibility is influenced by many factors: the amount of amniotic fluid, the thickness of the abdominal wall, the position of the fetus and placenta, as well as the mobility of the child and the sensitivity of the pregnant woman herself.

From the 32nd week, activity begins to decrease, but from this moment on, its position in the uterus is already determined by the movement of the fetus.

It’s just that the baby’s size increases greatly at this time, and the uterus increases slightly. If the baby is in a breech position, you will feel the main shocks in the lower abdomen. If the tremors are above the navel, the presentation is cephalic.

At the end of the last trimester, fetal movements become rare, but do not disappear completely. If the mother does not feel any movement within 12 hours, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

Symptoms and methods for determining hypoxia in the fetus

Too much lethargy or wildness in the baby’s body movements in most cases indicates oxygen starvation. The causes of hypoxia are various: cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, fetal malformations and much more. To identify the disease, ultrasound or cardiotocography is performed.

The cardiotocography procedure is an examination of the heartbeat.

The device measures your baby’s heart rhythms for an hour. The norm is considered to be a varying rhythm from 120 to 160 beats per minute. With severe hypoxia, the mark drops to 90 beats. If this disease is detected at a period of more than 30 weeks, the woman undergoes a cesarean section.

To identify such violations on your own, a pregnant woman needs to use the “Count to 10” technique. From about 28 weeks, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., a woman should count her movements. The tenth in a row is recorded on a special card. If within 12 hours the number of tremors exceeds 15, or, conversely, the fetus is inactive, contact a specialist.

Fetal movement during second pregnancy

The first baby begins to move at 20 weeks. But what if you're expecting your second or third baby? This period, according to women, begins a little earlier. It is difficult to say exactly when the first movement will occur. Each organism is individual. Some people gain weight very quickly, others slowly. The time limit for the start of movement is still 16-24 weeks. But when your baby expresses himself is up to him.

Obstetricians say that the mother feels the first movement during a second pregnancy 2-3 weeks earlier. But this only means that the pregnant woman’s senses are heightened, and past experience helps to more accurately determine the movement.

It happens that a nulliparous girl is misled by her own intestines. This is normal. In the first months of the birth of a new life, the entire body is rebuilt. 15-20 weeks is a time of rapid change in intestinal functionality, which is very easy to confuse with the baby’s activity. A woman who has given birth is able to distinguish peristalsis from the baby’s kicks.

Remember, your main task during any pregnancy is to maintain a good mood, enjoy every movement, monitor your health and monitor your diet.

Pregnancy is fleeting, and not many people have the opportunity to repeat such an experience. Arrange family evenings, the future child will be happy to listen to a fairy tale from dad or a lullaby from mom. Don't miss the most touching moments.

What could be more beautiful than the time when there is a baby in a woman’s womb? Recognizing the kicks of your unborn baby is an incomparable feeling. However, the movements of the baby can only be felt at a certain stage of its development. This article will tell you how to recognize fetal movement during pregnancy.

It is imperative to compare the motor activity of the embryo between different periods of waiting for the baby. It is also worth saying when it begins during the first pregnancy.

How important is it to feel fetal movements?

Surely every pregnant woman will remember for a long time the day when she felt the first tremors of the child. This period is also important for the doctor. All gynecologists monitoring the development of the fetus and the course of pregnancy ask their patients at what time the first tremors were recorded. This date is entered into a special card for the expectant mother. If a woman does not feel the first kicks for a long time, the doctor may prescribe an additional examination.

The absence of movements in the second half of pregnancy may indicate that something is going wrong. The child may have developmental delays. There are also cases when the reason for the lack of movement is a frozen pregnancy.

How to recognize fetal movement during pregnancy?

This is the question that expectant mothers most often ask their doctor. Doctors say that this phenomenon cannot be confused with anything. When a woman feels it during her second pregnancy (or first) depends on many factors.

Some representatives of the fair sex say that the baby’s first movements are very weak and are quite easy to miss. They are more like the movement of bubbles. When a woman talks about the appearance of strong tremors, this means that she missed the very first touches of the baby.

How to feel the first movements and understand what they are?

How to recognize fetal movement during pregnancy? If it seems to you that the baby has begun to move, but you are not sure, then you can do the following.

Drink a glass of warm milk or eat something sweet. The entry of glucose into the blood will provoke the baby’s activity. At this moment you need to lie on your back and place your palm on your lower abdomen. Do not press on the abdominal wall, otherwise you may simply scare away the baby. Relax and close your eyes. Try to listen to yourself and imagine how the baby moves inside you. Most likely, you will feel a slight floating of bubbles. This is precisely the first movement of the child.

How to recognize fetal movement during pregnancy? All babies in the mother's womb actively react to discomfort. Oxygen is supplied to the baby every second and if the expectant mother holds her breath for a while, she may well feel the baby’s expression of dissatisfaction in the form of a kick or push. Try this experiment. However, you should not delay the flow of oxygen into the body for more than 10 seconds.

When does fetal movement begin during the first pregnancy?

To begin with, it is worth saying that every woman’s body is individual. One expectant mother may feel the first light tremors at 14 weeks, while the second will encounter this phenomenon only after five months of the baby’s development. Also, each subsequent pregnancy is radically different from the previous one. If you felt your baby moving for the first time, for example, at 17 weeks, this does not mean at all that this time everything will be the same. The first movement of the fetus during the second pregnancy may be much earlier or later.

All medical literature provides information that the baby’s first movement begins at approximately two months of its development. Let us consider in detail when you can feel fetal movement during your first pregnancy.

Embryo age 8-10 weeks

At this time, the very first movements of the baby begin. However, the expectant mother cannot feel them yet, no matter how hard she tries. At this time, the reproductive organ is located deep in the pelvis. The fetus is securely covered not only by the walls of the uterus, but also by the bones of the woman.

How to recognize fetal movement during the first pregnancy at this stage? The only way to record the baby’s motor activity is ultrasound diagnostics. During the study, the doctor examines the uterine cavity using a special sensor and notes how the embryo moves its arms and legs.

Fetal age 12-14 weeks

At this stage, the expectant mother’s reproductive organ begins to leave the pelvic area. Some women note that they feel the first tremors right then. Theoretically, this is quite possible. Feeling the movements of the embryo at 12 weeks during the first pregnancy is only possible if the expectant mother is very thin and does not have elastic abs.

Most often, at this stage, women do not yet feel the baby’s movements, but his growth becomes larger and his bones become stronger. At this time, the baby can no longer only swing his arms and legs, but also clench his fists and even rub his face.

16-18 weeks

Most expectant mothers of a fragile constitution can feel the movement of the fetus during this period. Doctors consider this period to be the so-called start. If you tell your doctor that you felt the tremors earlier, they most likely simply won’t believe you.

At 18 weeks, the baby can already suck his thumb and hide his face. During an ultrasound examination, he may turn away from the sensors, which emit a signal inaudible to the human ear.

Fetal age 20-24 weeks

This period is also a deadline. It is until this moment that doctors choose a wait-and-see approach. If there is no fetal movement during pregnancy at 20 weeks, then additional diagnostics are most often prescribed. The expectant mother is examined using ultrasound equipment and the condition of the unborn baby is noted.

If you felt the first tremors at an earlier stage, then during this period the baby has become stronger and reminds itself more often and more strongly.

Pregnancy period 25-32 weeks

This period marks the peak of motor activity of the embryo. If for some reason you did not feel the baby until 20-13 weeks, then now it is clearly reminding you of itself with strong tremors.

At this stage, the baby still has quite a bit of room in the uterus. He spins and jerks his arms and legs. You may feel that the child is knocking on the bladder, propping up the stomach or putting pressure on the kidneys.

The age of the unborn child is 35-38 weeks

During this period, new fetal movements begin. The child pacifies his activity. Instead of obvious and strong shocks, you may feel stroking and bulging of some parts of the body. Some mothers say that the baby puts out his arms and legs too actively, as if he is stretching. These changes occur due to the child's strong growth.

A few weeks before giving birth

Before the baby is born, many women note that fetal movements have begun to change. The baby spends more time in peace. The baby can no longer actively roll over and kick. All this is the absolute norm and does not require any correction.

What determines the first movement of a child?

The earliest movements during the first or second pregnancy directly depend on the woman’s body and the position of the baby.

Thus, movement is felt earlier if the fairer sex also has weight. In the case when a woman is in good physical shape, the baby’s movements may be felt later due to elastic muscles. Also, plump ladies note the child’s late reminder of their existence.

If the placenta is located behind, then nothing prevents the embryo from pushing the abdominal wall. When the child's seat is in front, the baby rests against it, and a pillow effect is created. In this case, the placenta softens the blows.

The length of a woman’s pregnancy also plays a big role. The second, third and fourth time, the uterus is already more elastic and remembers everything that happens to it. The organ stretches better and extends beyond the pelvis earlier. In this regard, women feel the baby’s movements for the second time at a shorter period.

Conclusion

Now you know how to recognize the first and earliest movements of the unborn baby in the womb. Of course, every woman wants to feel such processes in her body as soon as possible. However, the absence of sensations of baby movement until 25 weeks is the absolute norm. There is no need to panic or sound the alarm. Be patient.

Have a good pregnancy and an easy delivery on time!

The fifth month of your happy pregnancy has arrived. Day after day, week after week, your baby is growing and you notice it. And very soon you will feel it move for the first time!

Here's to your happy pregnancy. Day after day, week after week, your baby is growing and you notice it. And very soon you will feel it move for the first time!

As a rule, it is in the fifth month of pregnancy that expectant mothers feel the first movements of the baby.

Women who are about to become mothers for the first time may have already felt subtle tremors late last month. For the rest, this pleasant moment will come literally any day now, be prepared for it.

Baby in the fifth month of pregnancy

At the beginning of pregnancy, your unborn baby still has very thin, almost transparent skin. In the next 4 weeks, he will have to actively accumulate subcutaneous fat - the main source of heat.

And even though the baby doesn’t see anything yet (the eyes are still tightly closed with eyelids), he begins to react to light. If you direct a bright ray of light towards the mother’s belly, the fetus will certainly turn towards it.

Now is the time to start talking to your child. The auditory ossicles, thanks to which sound penetrates into the middle ear, are already formed. The part of the brain responsible for receiving sound signals is fully functioning.

The child is in a very “noisy” environment around the clock. He constantly hears the sounds of intestinal peristalsis, heartbeat or the “rumbling” of his mother’s stomach. And this doesn’t scare him at all.

The baby recognizes the voices of its parents and reacts to loud and unexpected sounds. Talk to your child, tell him about what is happening around him, listen to music. It will be useful for him. In the middle of the fifth month, molars begin to form under the rudiments of milk teeth.

The child's internal organs continue to develop. By the end of the month, the baby's height from the tailbone to the crown will be 20-25 cm, weight - about 250 grams.

What happens to the expectant mother’s body?

Now your heart has begun to work several times more actively. This puts a strong strain on the entire circulatory system of the body. The result of increased blood circulation in some pregnant women may be nosebleeds. Don't be alarmed, this is a temporary phenomenon.

At this stage of pregnancy, sweating and vaginal discharge may increase. This is fine. Maintain personal hygiene; no treatment is required in this case. Your uterus is growing and getting larger day by day.

You may already feel some heaviness in your body. Be patient. Half the way has been completed, but the most difficult thing is still ahead. Find a comfortable position for resting and sleeping (you may need special oblong pillows for pregnant and nursing women).

You are changing. The weight begins to increase, the tummy has grown noticeably. Your old clothes are too small and not suitable for your new condition! Changes in appearance will be an excellent reason for shopping.

Go shopping and update your wardrobe. You will need special trousers or jeans with a soft belt for a growing tummy, a loose knitted dress or tunic, underwear and tights for pregnant women.

Take a moment to please yourself. Events like this always lift your spirits.

Try to move more, sign up for yoga for pregnant women or go to the pool. Such physical exercises will help relieve some of the muscles in your body.

The first movements of the baby in the first pregnancy

A first-time mother can feel the first movement of a baby during pregnancy between 18 and 22 weeks. However, in most cases this happens on . It has been noticed that thin expectant mothers begin to feel fetal movements earlier, usually at 19-20 weeks. On the contrary, women of larger build notice the first movement of the fetus at 21-22 weeks.

Every mother remembers the baby's first movements. The first weak, then more confident and strong pushes of your child cannot be compared with anything. You can see these kicks with your own eyes - in certain places the tummy seems to be jumping. Now you not only know that a new life is growing inside you, you feel and see it.

The baby will most likely respond to gentle stroking of the belly with a slight push. Get used to it, such communication between mother and child will remain until the birth.

How to recognize baby's movements?

Every expectant mother probably wonders how to recognize fetal movements during her first pregnancy, because she has never experienced anything like this before. It’s not easy to describe a baby’s kicks in words.

All pregnant women describe this feeling differently. Some compare the movements of their baby with gurgling in the stomach, others confuse it with the processes occurring in the intestines. Some mothers associate the movements with the splashing of fish and even the fluttering of butterflies. Some people experience a tickling in their stomach at this moment. Others are active shocks that do not cause pain or discomfort at first.

You can feel the baby’s movements especially clearly when lying on your back. In this position, watching the stomach, some even see how the stomach seems to be shaking.

First movements in second pregnancy

There is an opinion that during the first pregnancy, fetal movements are felt later than during the second. Multiparous women usually begin to notice the baby’s movements a little earlier. Because mommy is already familiar with the movements and can distinguish them from intestinal peristalsis.

However, medicine does not differentiate between pregnancies. In obstetrics, there are average statistical terms that are valid for both the first pregnancy and the second. It is believed that a woman should begin to feel movements in the range from 18 to 22 weeks.

During the second pregnancy and each subsequent one, the baby usually begins to move noticeably in the womb a couple of weeks earlier than in first-time mothers. This means that it is possible to feel the light, almost weightless touch of the baby already at 17-18 weeks.

Some claim that they began to feel tiny tremors and upheavals at 15-16 weeks and even before this period. Pregnant women who are carrying twins usually note that they feel the first movements after 14-15 weeks.

However, gynecologists usually do not take this seriously. Many doctors are confident that in the second pregnancy, sensations of the baby moving are noticeable at 18-20 weeks.

Don’t be upset if at 16 weeks you haven’t yet felt your baby moving. Even if you move are not felt even at 20-21 weeks, no need to worry. Pregnancy is a very individual process. It depends not only on the number of previous pregnancies. It is influenced by the physical and mental state of the woman during this period.

How many movements should be normal at 5 months?

By the nature of the fetal motor activity, the doctor can judge how the pregnancy is progressing, that is, its activity is a kind of sensor of its progress.

From the beginning of the baby’s first activity recorded by the mother until pregnancy, the time intervals between episodes of movements can reach 24 hours. This is normal and does not indicate any pathology. It’s just that the mother may not notice some movements or confuse them with increased gas formation in the intestines.

Starting from 26-28 weeks of pregnancy, the baby should make itself known approximately 10 times every 2-3 hours.

If a mother does not feel her baby move for two hours, this is not yet a cause for concern. You can try to “stir up” him: walk around, do some light work, or eat something tasty.

Ultrasound at 5 months: determining the sex of the child

- time for the second ultrasound. The baby has grown up, now the doctor will be able to examine him in more detail. An experienced ultrasound specialist will measure all external data and internal organs, and calculate the approximate weight and height of the child.

At this time, the doctor will most likely be able to determine the sex of the child.

In some cases, babies may cross their legs. In this case, the ultrasound specialist may advise you to lie on your side, stroke your stomach, walk along the corridor, eat something sweet (it won’t hurt if you take a small chocolate bar with you). The ultrasound specialist will ask you to do the same thing if the child has hidden his face with his hands.

If everything is normal, you should still see a specialist once a month. Before each visit, get standard blood and urine tests. Carefully monitor your well-being and the baby’s already quite distinct behavior.

Finally, debilitating toxicosis, weakness, and anxiety about the possible threat of miscarriage are left behind, and pregnancy enters the next phase. The expectant mother eagerly awaits the first movement of her baby and begins to worry if his activity does not appear. To avoid unnecessary worries, you need to know in what week the movements are felt, what determines the intensity of the tremors?

At what time does the fetus begin to move?

The baby begins to move much earlier than the expectant mother feels the tremors. In the third week of pregnancy, the embryo's heart is already beating. On the 10th day, the child independently changes the trajectory of his movements. From the 3rd month, the nervous system is formed and the first reflexes develop. The embryo is already making a very difficult movement, swallowing amniotic fluid.

At the 4th month, he should distinguish sounds, reacting to them, distinguish intonations, feel the emotional state of the mother. On average, it is at the 4th month that fetal movements that are sensitive to a woman begin. During the research, it became known that when they hear a loud sound, some babies cover their faces with their hands. At week 17, the baby blinks and squints. After just 7 days, the fetus should be able to:

finger the umbilical cord with your hands;
clench and unclench fists;
touch your head;
change body position.

From the moment of the first noticeable movement, the activity of the fetus will increase with each day of pregnancy. The intensity of movements reaches its peak at 24–32 obstetric weeks. From the beginning of the last trimester, the child develops an individual routine: 16–20 hours are allocated for sleep, 4–6 hours for wakefulness.

When can a mother feel movement?

To the question of when a child begins to move, not a single table will give a definite answer. In most cases, between 18 and 22 weeks you can already feel some movement inside. However, the exact time is individual for each woman and varies depending on the following factors:

how many pregnancies the woman had;
How does gestation proceed?
what is the thickness of the fat layer on the mother’s abdominal wall.

Thin or multiparous women feel the baby moving two weeks before the designated period. The first movements are weakly expressed, similar to intestinal peristalsis.

During the first pregnancy

As a rule, during the first pregnancy, fetal movement is felt at 20 weeks. In primiparous women, the uterine muscles are less sensitive. Experts say that even minor movements of each subsequent baby are felt earlier, because an experienced mother can accurately recognize them.

If the placenta is attached to the posterior uterine wall, the woman will feel the baby's movements several weeks earlier. Located in front, it softens his movements, and the mother will feel the movements much later.

It matters a lot what kind of build a woman has. If the expectant mother is overweight, she will notice movements much later than a thin mother who does not have a fat layer to soften the shocks.

For repeat pregnancies

During the second and third gestations, women notice the first movement earlier than first-time mothers. Why is this happening? Having previously experienced the sensation of movements, a woman knows exactly how this happens and does not confuse intrauterine movements with the work of the gastrointestinal tract.

During the second pregnancy, a woman notices the baby’s movements already at 16–17 weeks. With each subsequent gestation, kicks are heard earlier. If noticeable movements of the first child appeared at 20 weeks, when carrying the second they will appear 2 weeks earlier, the third and subsequent ones - at 15–16.

How to understand that it is the baby’s movement that is felt?

Pregnant women often wonder how not to miss the first intrauterine movements and not confuse them with intestinal peristalsis? Doctors assure that this phenomenon cannot be confused with anything else.

At first the child does not kick, his movements are quite weak, reminiscent of the movement of bubbles. When asked what the first movements of the fetus can be compared with, the following answers were received:

with the splash of a small fish;
with the bouncing of a small ball;
with gentle stroking from the inside;
with light butterfly flutters;
with the tickling of a feather;
with mild tremors.

Based on the answers, it is not difficult to understand that each pregnant woman perceives the baby’s movements in her own way. Sometimes even an experienced mother finds it difficult to determine the cause of the sensations that arise within her, but over time, everyone begins to recognize the baby’s signals.

What determines the intensity of fetal movements?

With the first movements of the fetus, pregnancy enters a new stage. Observing the fetus's activities during an ultrasound, you can see how it twists its legs, swallows amniotic fluid, sucks its fingers, fingers the umbilical cord, and turns its head. Every day the movements become more intense. Hiccups are noted - a normal phenomenon caused by ingestion of amniotic fluid. The activity of fetal movements depends on the duration of pregnancy. The following standards exist:

Strong, frequent kicks can be easily felt at 24–25 weeks. The fetus has already grown and is actively moving. If the music is playing too loudly or the pregnant woman’s position provokes a lack of oxygen, its activity increases: the woman feels painful tremors.
By the 32nd week, the baby hears all sounds, recognizes the voices of loved ones, his nervous system is already developed. The fetus is actively turning and spinning, but it has grown and does not have enough free space, so its movements can cause discomfort to the pregnant woman.

Sometimes the baby's movements disturb his mother's sleep at night. Since the mother has laid down and her belly is no longer rocking, the baby is spinning, trying to get into a more comfortable position.

Is it possible to cause movements and how to do this?

Many people are interested in whether it is possible to get the baby to move, to stir him up. If it seems that the child has begun to move, but you are not sure, it is recommended to resort to the following methods:

To begin with, drink 200 ml of slightly warmed milk or eat something sweet to stimulate the activity of the fetus with the help of glucose. Then lie on your back, close your eyelids, and place your palm on your stomach, without pressing on it, relax. Listen to yourself, imagining how the child is moving inside. The feeling of lightly floating bubbles is the baby’s first movement.
While in the womb, children react very actively to discomfort. The placenta continuously supplies nutrients and oxygen to the tiny body. If you hold your breath for a while, the baby will express his dissatisfaction with a tangible kick. However, you should not “cut off the oxygen” for more than 10 seconds.

How should a baby normally move during pregnancy?

At 12–14 weeks, the part of the brain responsible for coordination is actively working. The embryo's movements become more precise: it rubs its eyes, sucks its finger, and performs various actions with its arms and legs. Although the reproductive organ gradually leaves the pelvic area, the woman does not yet feel the baby’s movements. During an ultrasound, it is not difficult to see how the baby moves in the stomach. For more information about this, watch the video below.

At 16–20 weeks, the mother feels the first movements. They are almost imperceptible and resemble intestinal peristalsis. A pregnant woman feels as if air bubbles are bursting in her stomach. Not all women feel the first movements of the embryo at this stage.

At 20–24 weeks, the baby pushes more intensely, because he has grown and become stronger (we recommend reading: (we recommend reading:)). The woman feels quite noticeable movements, the baby begins to kick at the most unexpected moment.

Peak physical activity occurs between 25 and 32 weeks. The baby's mother constantly hears strong movements inside her abdomen. The embryo spins and turns over several times a day, occupying different positions. Its tremors are felt in a variety of places (in the stomach, kidneys, bladder, etc.).

After the 32nd week, the motor activity of the fetus begins to decline: it has grown and there is not enough space for it. Since it has become difficult to roll over, the nature of the movements changes. Now the baby does not kick, but stretches his limbs, as if trying to stretch the uterus. In rare moments when he pushes, you can see a protruding clenched fist or leg under the skin of the abdomen. If you listen to your feelings, you can feel light stroking from the inside.

If a child pushes about 15 times per hour, this is normal. If there is no movement for 3 hours, most likely the fetus has fallen asleep. It is important to know that the severity of movements depends on the following factors:

the fetus is more active in the evening or at night;
if the mother is under stress, the fetus may hide or, on the contrary, movements intensify;
when a woman performs physical exercises, the baby becomes quiet;
when hungry, the child becomes very active, the same happens after glucose enters the body;
loud sounds frighten the fetus and it becomes quiet, but there is a reverse reaction when the intensity of its movements increases;
If the mother takes a position that is uncomfortable for the child and remains in it for a long time, a violent reaction from the fetus will follow.

In what cases should you consult a doctor?

If the baby does not move for 10–12 hours, a doctor’s consultation is necessary. It is better to play it safe, because some conditions dangerous to the fetus arise suddenly and develop rapidly, requiring emergency medical care. Often, the transition from excessive activity to a prolonged state of rest indicates the development of hypoxia, which can cause a number of complications, even fetal death. In this case, you cannot do without medical help.

This is due to the fact that women who have given birth already know what these sensations are, and women who are pregnant for the first time may initially confuse fetal movements, while they are not yet intense enough, with intestinal peristalsis, gas formation in the abdomen or muscle contractions. In addition, in repeatedly pregnant women, the anterior abdominal wall is more stretched and sensitive. Chubby women feel fetal movements a little later than thin women. Find out more about the movements of the fetus in the mother’s tummy in the article on the topic “The first signs of the baby moving.”

When can you feel the baby move?

So, during the first pregnancy, women feel the first movements of the fetus, usually between 18 and 22 weeks (usually at 10 weeks), and multiparous women can feel the movements of the unborn baby as early as 16 weeks. When expectant mothers begin to feel the movements of their babies, they have many questions and doubts: how often should a child move? Is he moving intensely enough? It should be remembered that each baby is individual and develops at its own pace, and the norms regarding fetal movements have a fairly wide range.

Character of movements

First trimester. The most intensive growth of the unborn child occurs in the first trimester of pregnancy. First, a group of cells rapidly divides, grows, and becomes an embryo, which attaches to the wall of the uterus and begins to grow, protected by the amniotic fluid, membranes, and muscular wall of the uterus. Already from 7-8 weeks, when performing an ultrasound examination, it is possible to record how the limbs of the embryo move. This happens because his nervous system is already mature enough to conduct nerve impulses to the muscles. At this time, the embryo moves chaotically, and its movements seem to be devoid of any meaning. And, of course, he is still too small, and the movements are too weak to be felt. Second trimester. By 14-15 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus has already grown and its limbs have completely differentiated (they have acquired the familiar appearance and shape of arms and legs), movements have become intense and active. During this period, the baby floats freely in the amniotic fluid and pushes away from the walls of the uterus. Of course, he is still very small, so these repulsions are weak and the expectant mother does not feel them yet.

By 18-20 weeks, the fetus grows and its movements become more noticeable. Pregnant women describe these light first touches as “the fluttering of butterflies,” “the swimming of fish.” As the fetus grows, the sensations become more distinct, and by 20-22 weeks, as a rule, all pregnant women clearly feel the movements of their baby. In the second trimester, expectant mothers may feel “pushes” of the baby in different parts of the abdomen, because he has not yet taken a certain position in the uterus and there is still enough space for him to turn over and rotate in all directions. What do children do while in their mother's womb? According to observations made during ultrasound examination, unborn babies have many different activities: they drink amniotic fluid (an ultrasound shows how the lower jaw moves), turn their head, knock their legs, can clasp their legs with their hands, finger and grab the umbilical cord. As the pregnancy progresses, the baby grows and becomes stronger. Light pushes are already replaced by strong “kicks”, and when the baby turns over inside the uterus, it is noticeable from the outside how the stomach changes its configuration. At the same time, a mother may experience that her baby “hiccups.” At the same time, the woman feels the child shudder at regular intervals. “Hiccupping” movements are associated with the fact that the fetus intensively swallows amniotic fluid and its diaphragm begins to actively contract. Such movements of the diaphragm are a reflexive attempt to push out fluid. This is completely safe and normal. The absence of “hiccups” is also a variant of the norm.

When are the first movements felt during pregnancy?

Third trimester

By the beginning of the third trimester, the fetus can freely turn over and rotate and by 30-32 weeks it occupies a permanent position in the uterine cavity. In most cases, it is positioned head down. This is called cephalic presentation of the fetus. If the baby is positioned with his legs or buttocks down, then this is called breech presentation of the fetus. With a cephalic presentation, active movements are felt in the upper half of the abdomen, and with a pelvic presentation, on the contrary, they are felt in the lower sections. During the third trimester, a pregnant woman may also notice that her baby has certain sleep-wake cycles. The expectant mother already knows in what body position the baby is most comfortable, because when the mother is positioned in a position that is uncomfortable for the baby, he will definitely let you know about it with violent, intense movements. When a pregnant woman lies on her back, the uterus puts pressure on blood vessels, particularly those that carry oxygenated blood to the uterus and the fetus. When they are compressed, the blood flow slows down, so the fetus begins to experience a slight lack of oxygen, to which it reacts with violent movements. Closer to childbirth, movements are felt mainly in the area where the baby’s limbs are located, most often in the right hypochondrium (since in the vast majority of cases the fetus is positioned head down and back to the left). Such pushes can even cause pain to the expectant mother. However, if you lean forward slightly, the baby will stop pushing so hard. This can be explained by the fact that in this position the blood flow improves, more oxygen reaches the fetus and it “calms down”.

Shortly before labor begins, the baby's head (or buttocks, if the fetus is in a breech position) is pressed against the entrance to the pelvis. From the outside it seems as if the stomach has “sank”. Pregnant women note that before childbirth, the motor activity of the fetus decreases. This is explained by the fact that at the very end of pregnancy the fetus is already so large that there is not enough room for it to actively move and it seems to “quiet”. Some expectant mothers, on the contrary, note an increase in the motor activity of the fetus, since some babies, on the contrary, respond to mechanical restrictions on motor activity with more violent movements.

How often does the baby move?

The nature of the motor activity of the fetus is a kind of “sensor” of the course of pregnancy. By how intense and often the movements are felt, one can indirectly judge whether the pregnancy is going well and how the baby is feeling. Until approximately the 26th week, while the fetus is still quite small, the expectant mother may notice large periods of time (up to a day) between episodes of fetal movements. This does not mean that the baby does not move for so long. It’s just that a woman may not notice some movements, because the fetus is not yet strong enough, and the expectant mother has not yet learned well enough to recognize the movements of her child. But from 26-28 weeks it is believed that the fetus should move 10 times every two to three hours.

Obstetricians and gynecologists have developed a special “calendar of fetal movements.” During the day, the woman counts how many times her baby moves and records the time when every tenth movement occurred. If a pregnant woman thinks that the baby has calmed down, she needs to take a comfortable position, relax, eat something (it is believed that after eating, the fetal motor activity increases) and within two hours note how many times the baby moves during this time. If there are 5-10 movements, then there is nothing to worry about: everything is fine with the child. If the mother does not feel the baby's movements within 2 hours, she should walk around or go up and down the stairs, and then lie down quietly. As a rule, these events help to activate the fetus, and movements will resume. If this does not happen, you should consult a doctor within the next 2-3 hours. The nature of the movements is a reflection of the functional state of the fetus, so it is necessary to listen to them. If the expectant mother has noticed that in recent days the child has begun to move less, she should also consult a doctor to check how the baby is feeling.

By the third trimester of pregnancy, expectant mothers, as a rule, already know well the nature of their children’s movements and can notice any changes in the “behavior” of their babies. For most women, an alarming sign is violent, too active movement. However, increased physical activity is not a pathology and is most often associated with the uncomfortable position of the expectant mother, when less oxygen is temporarily supplied to the fetus due to decreased blood flow. It is known that when a pregnant woman lies on her back or sits leaning far back, the fetus begins to move more actively than usual. This is due to the fact that the pregnant uterus compresses the blood vessels that, in particular, carry blood to the uterus and placenta. When they are compressed, blood flows to the fetus through the umbilical cord in a smaller volume, as a result of which it feels a lack of oxygen and begins to move more actively. If you change your body position, for example, sit leaning forward or lie on your side, the blood flow will be restored and the fetus will move with its normal activity.

When should you worry?

A terrible and alarming indicator is a decrease in motor activity or the disappearance of the child’s movements. This suggests that the fetus is already suffering from hypoxia, that is, lack of oxygen. If you notice that your baby begins to move less often, or you do not feel his movements for more than 6 hours, you should immediately consult an obstetrician. If it is not possible to visit a doctor on an outpatient basis, you can call an ambulance. First of all, the doctor will use an obstetric stethoscope to listen to the fetal heartbeat; normally it should be 120-160 beats per minute (on average 136-140 beats per minute). Even if during normal auscultation (listening) the fetal heart rate is determined within normal limits, it is necessary to carry out another procedure - a cardiotocographic study (CTG). CTG is a method that allows you to evaluate the fetal heartbeat and its functional state, to check whether the baby is suffering from hypoxia (lack of oxygen). During the study, a special sensor is attached with straps to the anterior abdominal wall on the back of the child in the approximate projection of his heart. This sensor detects the fetal heartbeat curve. At the same time, the pregnant woman holds a special button in her hand, which should be pressed when she feels the fetus moving. This is shown on the chart with special marks. Normally, in response to movement, the fetal heart rate begins to increase in frequency: this is called the “motor-cardiac reflex.” This reflex appears after 30-32 weeks, so CTG before this period is not sufficiently informative.

CTG is performed for 30 minutes. If during this time no increase in heart rate is recorded in response to movements, then the doctor asks the pregnant woman to walk for a while or climb up the stairs several times, and then makes another recording. If myocardial complexes do not appear, then this indirectly indicates fetal hypoxia (lack of oxygen). In this case, and also if the baby begins to move poorly before 30-32 weeks, the doctor will prescribe a Doppler test. During this test, the doctor measures the speed of blood flow in the umbilical cord vessels and in some fetal vessels. Based on these data, it is also possible to determine whether the fetus is suffering from hypoxia.

If signs of fetal hypoxia are detected, obstetric tactics are determined by the severity of hypoxia. If the signs of hypoxia are insignificant and unexpressed, then the pregnant woman is advised to observe, conduct CTG and Doppler measurements and evaluate their results over time, as well as prescribe medications that improve blood circulation and the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. If signs of hypoxia increase, as well as in the presence of pronounced signs of hypoxia, immediate delivery should be performed, since effective drug therapy aimed at eliminating fetal hypoxia does not exist today. Whether it is a cesarean section or a vaginal delivery depends on many factors. Among them are the condition of the mother, the readiness of the birth canal, the duration of pregnancy and a number of other factors. This decision is made by the gynecologist individually in each specific case. Thus, every woman should listen to the movements of her child. If you have any doubts about the well-being of the fetus, you should not delay a visit to the doctor, since a timely visit to an obstetrician-gynecologist can prevent negative pregnancy outcomes. Now you know what the first signs of a baby moving in the womb are.