Probably one of the things that a mother-to-be enjoys the most is to feel her baby’s movements. One of the most frequently asked questions by our patients is ‘when can I feel my baby’s movements’. Especially in the first pregnancy, we witness that rhythmic uterine contractions or bowel movements are mixed with baby movements.
‘When does the baby play’?
Although baby movements start earlier, these movements are usually noticed by the mother after the 20th week. Experienced mothers who have had a baby before may notice the baby’s movements earlier. Baby movements are a function of the baby’s developing central nervous system. The central nervous system matures in parallel with the growth of the baby. Especially after the twenty-eighth week of pregnancy, baby movement has an important place in tests such as nonstress test and biophysical profile, in which the well-being of the baby is evaluated.
in overweight mothers compared to thin ones
In patients whose estimated due date calculated according to the last menstrual period is incorrectly calculated due to irregular menstruation or any other reason, baby movements may be felt late.
How to feel baby movement?
Maybe there is a separate definition of baby movement for each pregnant woman. When we ask how your baby is playing, we get answers such as ‘twitching’, ‘wing flapping’, ‘kicking’, rumbling’ etc.
The course of baby movements during pregnancy
After the baby movements are noticed, it leaves its place to the concerns about how the frequency of the movements should be or because of not being noticed for a while. The frequency of noticeable movements varies from pregnant to pregnant and during the day in the same pregnant. The reasons for these differences;
Although the baby is constantly active, only some of them are audibly strong.
Depending on the baby’s posture, you may not notice it because of his introverted movements or because of your current activity.
Also, most babies are most active at night, when you are asleep (as they normally should).
The excessive amount of water in the baby and the fact that the expectant mother is obese (overweight) makes it difficult to feel the movements.
‘My baby is not moving, what should I do?’
If you haven’t heard any baby movements all day, the best way to brighten the situation is to rest for an hour or two and eat and drink something energizing. Your inactivity and the energy of what you drink will activate your baby. If it still doesn’t happen, don’t worry, if you don’t hear or hear little baby movement for 24 hours, it would be good to contact your doctor.
After the 28th week, baby movements begin to become more regular and stable. However, since its place is narrowed, its movements are also limited. It can only turn and wiggle in its narrowed slot. When his head is placed down between the pelvis bones, he can now move even less.
By checking the baby’s movements every day, mothers participate in an important activity about the continuation of the baby’s well-being. The acquisition of such a habit also contributes significantly to the psychological rapprochement between mother and baby. At this stage, what the movement is is unimportant, provided you feel movement every day. If you do not feel any movement, it would be appropriate to consult your doctor.
Maintaining this activity until the end of pregnancy is one of the most important contributions of the pregnant woman to pregnancy follow-up. We advise our patients to consult a doctor if their baby movements decrease or stop in the last weeks of pregnancy.
We say that the patient should feel ten baby movements a day, especially in the case of a delay in the day.
