The journey of carrying a baby is one of the most thrilling and beautiful experiences in a woman’s life. This nine-month adventure is a rollercoaster ride with midnight cravings paired with aches and pains. Baby movements can make you feel things. As a to-be-mother, nothing else can light your world up more than when your baby kicks for the very first time. So, if you are someone who is expecting a baby soon, you should educate yourself about the fetal movement of your baby.
What Is Baby Movement & When Does The Baby Start Kicking?
Scientifically known as ‘quickening’, the baby movement is first felt between 16-25 weeks of pregnancy. Baby kicks or movements is one of the first communications a baby makes with the mother.
It is seen that during the first pregnancy, the kicking isn’t felt until 25 weeks+. But women with second pregnancy can experience this baby movement by 13 – 16 weeks. You are more likely to experience the movement in a quiet atmosphere while sitting or lying down.
What Does The Baby Movement Feel Like?
Not all the movements you experience are baby kicks. In most cases, the movements go unnoticed because baby movements in the womb aren’t strong enough and feel more like wind blowing. Have you ever wondered what a baby movement in the womb feels like? the butterflies in the pit of the stomach, like nervous twitches and some tumbling motion. Yes, that’s what it feels like. Initially, it is hard to detect the movements of babies, but eventually become evident as the pregnancy continues. In later months, you can differentiate when do you feel the baby flutter from usual gas or internal motions.
In Which Month Does The Baby Start Moving In The Womb?
A baby will start showing movements around 4-6 months viz. late second trimester. Usually, 4 months pregnant baby movement is more difficult to notice than a 7 months pregnant baby movement.
What Are Reduced Fetal Movement And Its Meaning?
Fetal movements are seen as an essential experience. Fetal movements signify that the baby is growing and developing at a normal rate. No or sudden decrease in baby movements during pregnancy may come across as a warning sign.
Even though reduced kicks don’t always necessarily mean something is wrong, take professional help at an early stage to get a cure without any harm to mother and child.
1. After Sexual Intercourse
The rhythmic uterine contractions that follow orgasm often lull babies off to dreamland. Other babies may become more active after sex.
2. In The Second Trimester
At this stage and with your baby still quite tiny, it’s normal not to feel regular movements in your womb.
3. In The Third Trimester
Your baby now has a fairly regular cycle of sleep and wakefulness. Sometimes a lull in activity just means deep slumber so need to get anxious about that.
However, in the last trimester, keep a count of your baby’s kicks per day and report to the doctor if you see any undesirable changes. As your baby grows usually by the end of the second trimester, the kicks should grow stronger and more frequent.
Any interruption may indicate distress due to lack of oxygen or nutrition. Studies show that by the third trimester, the baby moves about 30 times each hour.
Important Facts About Fetal Movement
To understand the fetal movements well, you must be aware of certain facts that will make the entire procedure easier and enable you to help deal with the ups and downs.
Baby kicks are just not a way to determine proper growth and development. It is a way in which your baby is trying to communicate and connect with you. You wouldn’t want to miss it, right? So, let’s run through some important facts about your babies movement here:
- The small flutters that you feel in your body are the sense of baby movement in the womb because your baby is growing inside you
- The baby movements are a constant reminder that you have a life growing inside you
- The first kick of your baby, generally tells about their age, growth and viability. So be attentive when you sense the first flutter
- Frequency of kicks increases when you lie on your left side as it boosts blood supply in the baby increasing baby movement in the womb
- Babies tend to move as a stimulation to the surrounding environment like sound, light, touch, or certain foods
- Babies need to stretch, relax, and sleep as well and they make sure of it by moving and settling their position inside your womb
- Your baby can taste the flavours of the food that you eat through the amniotic fluid surrounding it inside the womb
- If your baby doesn’t like or like the fluid, It will respond with kicks
- The average number of kicks for a normal baby falls between 15-20 per day
- Keep a track of 7 months pregnant baby movement as during that time the development of baby must be ensured
- Babies are generally most active between 9 P.M. to 1 A.M. This is in response to a change in blood sugar levels
- Movements tend to subside around the 32nd week as your baby gets bigger and has less room to move about
- Mother’s health determines the baby’s activity level. If you smoke or are under excess stress, living on an irregular and unstable diet, your baby kicks may reveal that with weaker or less frequent movements
- Reduced baby movements can be an indicator of distress from lack of nutrition or oxygen. In such cases, a doctor may ask for a maternal and fetal assessment to understand the cause of reduced fetal movements
- The baby’s pattern of movement in the uterus often gives rise to guesswork about their behaviour after they are born
- In a study, Jane DiPietro assessed 50 babies to find out the connection between fetal movement and their future behaviour. The results speak for themselves
Key Takeaways
- Baby kicks are a very natural phenomenon during pregnancy
- Also known as quickening, first-time mothers can feel it when their baby is around twenty-five weeks old while second-time mothers may experience it by thirteen to sixteen weeks
- The kicking is more visibly felt from six months onwards
- A reduced fetal movement doesn’t necessarily mean there is something wrong
- Still, if there are sudden reduced movements inside the mother’s womb, especially in the eighth month, it is advised to consult a doctor
- Physical movement, diet pattern and some more factors can affect the frequency of womb movements
- Regular check-ups are advisable for better monitoring of the growth of the baby
Pregnancy can be tiring and full of worries about your little one. These 9 months are preparation for you to fall in love for a lifetime. Your family is about to get bigger by two feet and you should be celebrating this news.
Feel your baby and experience the joy of giving life to another life within you. It is beautiful how patiently and affectionately a mother nurtures her baby. Baby movement during pregnancy is an experience of its kind and is not a matter to worry about as long as you are following your medical and health routine. Keep consulting your doctor and cherish this beautiful feeling of becoming a mother.
