Tuesday, 06 February 2018 07:14

Baby movements during pregnancy

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Feeling the baby move inside is probably the most thrilling moment of a pregnant woman’s life. Feeling a baby move inside is a sign of life. Most women begin to feel their baby move between 16 to 24 weeks of pregnancy. A baby’s movement is usually described by the mother initially when the baby is small as a flutter, a swish as the baby grows bigger, she can start feeling the kick.

Thus the type of movement can change as the pregnancy progresses. If by 24 weeks you have never felt your baby move, you should contact your Doctor who will check your baby’s heartbeat. There is no set number of normal movements. Your baby will have their own pattern of movements that you should get to know. From the time you begin to feel the baby movements until the 32nd week the baby movements increase in both intensity and number. It may slow down a little after 32 weeks until delivery as the baby is bigger and heavier and there is not much space left in the uterus for it to move.

 But if you do not feel the movements of the baby for more than a couple of hours please contact your doctor immediately. Fewer movements could mean that your baby is unwell, but usually, these checks reveal that all is well. Most women who have experienced one episode of fewer movements have had a normal pregnancy and healthy baby. However, it is very important that you are checked to make sure everything is OK.

It is said that when the baby is unwell, it tries to conserve its energy by not moving around much, similar to times when we as adults are sick, we will want to take it easy and rest it out, rather than keep working. So it is important for the doctor to know, if everything is ok with the baby, so it is important for you to report to the doctor.

When do you feel the baby movements the most?

 During the day, You are more active and moving around and all the movements are like a lullaby for the baby and the fetus may actually be less active and sleep and because you are concentrating on so many other things and not paying attention, you may not notice the movements, but as you begin to retire to bed in the night, you may notice the movements better as now you are more relaxed and focused on your baby. Some women also see a surge in the movements of the baby after a meal as the blood sugar also peaks after a meal and give the baby a boost of energy. A woman when nervous and anxious also feel an increase in activity of their baby as adrenaline released by the body during these situations also seems to have the same effect as the sugar giving the baby a boost of energy, although this is not a good one.

Do you need to count the number of kicks every day?

It is usually a good idea to start counting the baby’s movements after 28 weeks of pregnancy till delivery. Set aside a time in the morning, when the baby is less active and once in the night before you go to bed when it is more active. Lie down in a quiet place and pay attention to the movements of your baby note the time and begin to count.  You can stop counting after you reach a count of 10 and relax. If you don’t feel any movements for almost 2 hours,  drink some juice or take a sweet and relax for sometime and count again. Even after this if you don’t feel any movements, please contact your doctor. Though the absence of activity doesn’t necessarily mean something’s wrong, it can occasionally be a red flag that needs quick evaluation or monitoring

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Last modified on Friday, 03 August 2018 10:22
Dr Padma

Dr Padma is a Family care physician and is the Founder and CEO of MedHealthTV.

www.medhealthtv.com

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