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. Do not 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 kicking 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 movements during pregnancy

Fetal movements are expected by pregnant women and obstetrician-gynecologists. This is a very important sign that allows you to judge that the pregnancy is going well, and the child is developing successfully. Also, the baby communicates with the mother with the help of movements and can tell her about any inconvenience, so you need to listen to the movements of the fetus.

When fetal movements appear

1. The first fetal movements appear at the seventh or eighth week of pregnancy. However, the small fetus does not come into contact with the walls of the uterus, so the mother does not feel its movements. nine0138
2. Closer to the seventeenth week, the fetus begins to react to loud sound and light, from the eighteenth it begins to consciously move.
3. A woman begins to feel movements during her first pregnancy from the twentieth week. In subsequent pregnancies, these sensations occur two to three weeks earlier. Also, a woman will feel the first movement of the fetus earlier if she is slim and leads an active lifestyle.
4. From the twenty-eighth week, especially active movements are observed. The child "communicates" with the mother, reacts to her emotions. This continues until the thirty-second week, when the baby grows so much that it can no longer actively move in the uterus. nine0138

Fetal movement - as normal

Except for three to four hours a day when the baby sleeps, he is in constant motion. In the twentieth week, the fetus makes two hundred perturbations a day, from the twenty-eighth to the thirty-second, their number increases to six hundred. Then, the activity decreases again.

Fetal activity may vary depending on the following factors:

1. Time of day . Usually the fetus moves more actively in the evening and at night.
2. Mother's emotions . If a pregnant woman is under stress, then the child is frightened, may freeze and stop moving, or, conversely, react to adrenaline with active movements.
3. Physical activity . During physical activity, the child is usually more calm than at rest. If the mother is in an uncomfortable position for a long time, the fetus may react with strong painful shocks. nine0138
4. Pregnant diet . If the mother feels hungry, the child begins to move more actively. Also pushing and touching become stronger after eating. Especially if mom eats sweets.
5. Environment a. The fetus reacts to loud sounds, sudden switching on of light. He may freeze in fear, or vice versa, begin to move more actively.

Why and how to count fetal movements

Changes in the motor activity of the fetus may be a sign of pregnancy pathology. Too strong, painful, or vice versa, weakened movements signal that the child does not have enough oxygen. This condition is called fetal hypoxia. In addition, sensations change when the amount of amniotic fluid changes. Therefore, it is important to count fetal movements, especially during the first pregnancy. nine0003

There are three methods for counting fetal movements:

1. Pearson method . Movements are considered from nine in the morning to nine in the evening, during which physical activity is limited. In a special table, the time of every tenth movement is entered. Normally, the interval between them is less than an hour.

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