The baby begins to move quite early, at about 7-8 weeks of pregnancy, when its first muscles and the rudiments of the nervous system are formed. But these are just muscle contractions in response to nerve impulses.

From the 10th week of pregnancy, the baby begins to move more actively, it moves in the uterus, hits its walls and changes the trajectory of movement. You may have seen these acrobatic exercises on ultrasound. But these shocks are very weak, it is almost impossible to feel them. However, the baby develops, begins to clench his fists, grimace, his movements become more conscious, and by 18-20 weeks of pregnancy, you will probably already be able to feel individual shocks. nine0003

“Experienced” mothers tend to notice the very first movements of the baby, which is called “revival”, earlier than those who give birth for the first time, because they already have experience and it is easier for them to distinguish baby kicks from rumbling in the stomach (for example , gases).

The first movements of the child are rare and irregular. When the expectant mother feels them for the first time depends, among other things, on the individual sensitivity of women. Someone feels them already at 15-16 weeks, and someone only after twenty. Your physique also plays a role here - slender women, earlier than full ones, begin to distinguish the baby's push from the feeling of hunger. And women who work a lot and lead an active lifestyle usually feel the movements of the baby a little later. nine0003

After you first feel the baby move, it will be a few more weeks before your partner can feel it.

Women describe these first movements as popping popcorn, floating goldfish or fluttering butterflies. You can mistake the first gentle thrusts and gurgles for gas in your stomach, but as you begin to feel them more regularly, be sure to understand the difference. nine0003

By the third trimester, you will no longer be able to ignore your baby's kicks, pushes, and rolls. The larger it becomes, the stronger it pushes, and you can see how a sharp elbow or knee moves along the stomach, or feel how the baby tumbled.

Every pregnancy is different, so it's hard to say exactly what you'll feel and when, but here's a rough chart:

You will probably feel a slight flutter in your stomach around this time. If this is not the first pregnancy, then the feeling is already familiar to you, and you will quickly realize that your baby has moved.

If this is your first pregnancy, it may take longer before you realize that this gentle gurgling or “popcorn popping” is your baby's real movement! It is usually easier to feel the movements of the baby if you sit or lie still.

You can already feel slight pushes and kicks. Over time, you will feel more and more strong and frequent movements of the baby and learn to recognize the unique pattern of his activity. If you do not feel the movements of the child, be sure to consult a doctor.

Every day your baby becomes more active, he kicks, squirms and somersaults. This happens especially often in the evening when you are relaxed. Some mothers note that the child begins to move especially actively after they eat something, especially something sweet. At the same time, the level of glucose in the blood rises, which causes increased activity of the baby. nine0003

Your amniotic sac now contains about 800 grams of fluid. This gives your baby plenty of room to move around freely, so you might feel like the little one inside you is doing complex acrobatic exercises. His movements are already reminiscent of the movements of a newborn. After the 24th week, he reacts to the sounds of the voice, music, the emotional state of the mother and "communicates" with her with the help of movements. nine0003

The movements of his arms and legs may be more abrupt, and the movements of his body - smooth. You may even notice your baby jumping up and down at unexpected sounds, and if he starts hiccuping, you will experience repetitive twitches.

Now your baby makes sharper and more precise movements - strong kicks and pushes. From time to time, you will feel tremors - this is your baby shaking his arm, shoulder or elbow. nine0003

Depending on its position in the uterus, you may feel it kick under the ribs, in the middle, on the side of the abdomen, or down in the pelvic region. Some women talk about blows to the cervix. This feeling is not pleasant, but it is completely normal. Don't worry. No matter how hard your child kicks, he is completely safe inside and will not harm you or himself.

The baby is growing up and there is less and less space for active movements. Note that now the type of his movements is changing - they are slower, but last longer. For example, if the baby rests on your stomach with his heel, then he does not immediately pull his leg away, and you can feel it. nine0003

As your due date approaches, your baby will get bigger and there won't be room for vigorous rolls. After he moves into a head-down position in preparation for childbirth, you will begin to feel his kicks and thrusts in new places, under the ribs on one side or the other. The movements of the baby become slower, but at the same time stronger and stronger. Punching and kicking can cause discomfort and even pain. nine0003

Any changes you may experience during the last weeks of your pregnancy are completely normal. But you will feel its movements until the very birth, and sometimes even during them.

. At first, perceptible tremors will be rare and feel weak. Today you may feel a few movements, and tomorrow none. The baby in the mother's stomach is constantly moving, but many of these movements are not yet strong enough for you to feel them. But by the end of the second and beginning of the third trimester, the pushes and kicks become stronger and more regular. At the 20th week of pregnancy, the baby makes about 200 movements per day, and between the 28th and 32nd weeks their number can reach 600 per day. True, the expectant mother does not feel all these movements, but only a small part of them . nine0003

During the third trimester, mothers-to-be notice that their baby has certain sleep-wake cycles. As a rule, children are more active from 19 to 4 hours, and the rest period begins from 4 to 9 in the morning. The baby's movements also depend on the mother's mood. If she is happy, then the amount of endorphins - hormones of joy that regulate the work of the heart and blood vessels, including those of the placenta - increases. During stress or sharply negative emotions, the level of stress hormones increases, which also affect the work of blood vessels. This is how the child feels the mood of the mother and reacts to it. nine0003

When the mother is resting, the child's activity increases. When busy with work, the baby calms down.

Don't worry if you feel different than your friends. Each child is individual, and if his activity as a whole does not decrease, then everything is in order with him.

Once you begin to feel your baby kick regularly, pay attention to how often he moves and tell your doctor right away if you notice your baby's activity level has dropped. nine0003

Decreased activity in the third trimester may indicate a problem and your doctor may want you to have a non-stress test, amniotic fluid ultrasound and maybe a fetal biophysical profile to make sure everything is okay.

Some doctors recommend counting your baby's kicks every day during the third trimester. There are many ways to do this, your doctor will tell you about them. For example, he may advise you to choose a time when your baby is active (ideally, you should count at about the same hour). Sit quietly or lie on your side and note the time during which you feel 10 distinct movements - kicks, elbows and the movement of the whole body are considered. If you do not count 10 movements in 2 hours, contact your doctor. nine0003

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Fetal movement during pregnancy | When the first movements appear

Pregnancy

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The feeling of the first fetal movements is one of the most exciting experiences during pregnancy. The movements of the crumbs help to fully feel the presence of a small life inside and make sure that everything is in order with the crumbs. After all, the movement of the baby in the stomach is also an important marker that allows you to assess his condition at different stages of pregnancy. nine0003

6 min. for reading Feb. 17, 2022

When do the first movements appear?

The baby begins to move very early in the womb - at 7-8 weeks of gestation. But the first movement of the fetus goes unnoticed, since during this period it is very tiny, a little larger than a marigold.

The first tangible movements of the child, as a rule, appear in the second trimester - between 16 and 22 weeks of pregnancy, when the baby has already grown and grown stronger. The week in which the movement is felt depends on many factors:

• First or second child. During the first pregnancy, the movements of the baby become noticeable closer to the 20-22nd week. If the pregnancy is the second or third, the movements begin to be felt on average at 18 weeks or even earlier, because the woman already knows what sensations to expect.
• Placenta placement. If the placenta is closer to the back wall of the uterus, then the woman may feel movements later, if to the front - earlier.
• Physique of the expectant mother. Sometimes physique plays a role: fragile girls can feel the first tremors 2 weeks earlier. nine0150
• Lifestyle. In the midst of the working day, in noise or shaking, fetal movement is easy to miss. It is more likely to feel the first movement of the crumbs in a calm position, sitting or lying down.

In what part of the abdomen do you feel the first movements? Usually timid first movements are felt in the lower abdomen. At first, it is easy to confuse them with other internal processes, such as rumbling and bouts of hunger. But the baby grows and the movements become more intense, more diverse and “travel” along the tummy along with the tumbling baby. nine0003

Features of fetal movements at different stages of pregnancy

The nature and frequency of movements of the child change as he grows and develops. At first they are weak and irregular, but then the activity increases, and the movements become stronger and more intense.

Let's take a closer look at how the baby moves at different times and how the mother feels it.

First trimester

Toward the end of the first trimester, the baby begins to make its first movements, as light as the fluttering of a butterfly. But it is still very small, so in most cases the movements go unnoticed. The maximum that can be felt is a light, light, barely noticeable flutter in the lower abdomen or something resembling bubbles. nine0003

Second trimester

At 16 weeks pregnant, some women begin to feel the baby move. Someone describes them as the flutter of small wings or the movement of a fish wagging its tail, while someone describes them as twitching of a vein pulsating inside or blows of a small hammer.

By 20 weeks, most pregnant women already feel the baby's light movements. At week 24, they become more pronounced and intense, sometimes accompanied by a slight twitch during hiccups. By the end of the second trimester, active fetal movement begins - the child somersaults and pushes more and more clearly, more often and stronger. nine0003

Third trimester

At 28 weeks, the baby moves up to 30 times an hour, and some of his kicks and pokes can be so strong that the mother takes her breath away. During this period, obstetricians recommend starting to count the movements of the child. The nature of the activity helps the doctor understand what is happening with the baby and how he is developing.

At this stage of development, the baby develops a certain pattern of sleep and wakefulness. Peak activity tends to occur in the evening and at night—between 9:00 PM and 01:00 AM—just when mom is trying to sleep. This surge is due to changes in blood sugar levels. In addition, the movements of the baby can react to touch, bright light, loud noises or an uncomfortable posture of the mother. nine0003

Your baby's activity continues to increase until 32 weeks. But after that, the grown-up child becomes more and more crowded in the fetal sac and the number of movements is reduced.

Tip

If you want your baby to make itself felt and move around, eat something sweet and lie on your side. An increase in blood glucose will cheer up the baby and he will begin to push.

Due to lack of space, fetal movements before childbirth become slower and more and more constrained. However, the baby should continue to move regularly throughout the day. nine0003

Important!

If your child's activity changes abruptly for unexplained reasons: he calms down or vice versa - the movements are too intensified and more frequent - tell your doctor as soon as possible. A change in the motor activity of the fetus may be a symptom of a violation of its condition and necessarily requires additional examination.

How to correctly calculate fetal movements?

Starting from the 28th week of pregnancy, the child's physical activity should be monitored every day. Until this time, the movements of the baby are not so noticeable, so the calculation will be uninformative. nine0003

So, how many movements should be per day? And how to count them correctly?

To determine the characteristics of the child's activity at home, use a special test of fetal movement by D. Pearson - "Count to ten". To do this, you need to mark in a special table every tenth movement of the baby from 9:00 to 21:00. If the child develops normally, then in 12 hours you will count at least 10 movements.

Important!

Not every push is considered a movement, but a series of movements (from the start of pushes to a pause). nine0003

After the 10th movement, write down the time and start counting the next day. And if the baby moves much less or does not make itself felt within 12 hours, contact your doctor as soon as possible!

In addition to the Pearson test, there is another way to count the child's movements. Choose an hour during which you will count movements every day. It is very important to do it at the same time. Focus on the baby's movements and see how long it takes the baby to complete 10 kicks. If you counted 10 shocks in an hour, you can be calm - everything is in order. nine0003

If you still don't get 10 pushes within an hour, try eating, changing your position, and then try counting the number of pushes again.

Advice

Keep a diary of your movements to record all changes. You can write everything in a notebook, or you can use a special mobile application that will help you track and record movements.

What should alert the future mother?

Be sure to contact your gynecologist if:

• You are past 22 weeks and you still don't feel your baby move. Perhaps you just did not notice them, but you need to make sure that the pregnancy is proceeding normally.
• Tracking the activity of the child, you notice that for more than 12 hours there is no movement at all or they have become significantly less during the day.
• For several hours in a row, the baby behaves too actively, the intensity of the shocks has changed so much that it hurts you because of his movements.
• A sharp change in the nature and frequency of movements is monitored, although there are no apparent reasons for this. This may indicate a violation of the condition of the fetus, its heartbeat, or an infection.

Advice

In the third trimester of pregnancy, sleeping on your back is not recommended. In this position, the vena cava can be clamped, which provides the baby with oxygen.

See also: Cord entanglement: causes and consequences for the baby

To make sure that everything is fine with the baby, the doctor may perform several examinations, such as auscultation, cardiotocography (CTG) and Doppler ultrasound. nine0003

Auscultation is a method of assessing the condition of the baby by the sounds that he makes in the womb. The doctor listens to the tone and rhythm of the heartbeat, different noises, monitors their sequence and duration.

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