When a woman feels the baby move. The first movements during pregnancy: how long, how often, how much? If the movements are intense

The duration of pregnancy is 40 weeks. From the first weeks of conception future mom worries about how the baby is feeling and whether his heart is beating. You can feel the first physical contact with the fetus no earlier than 18 weeks of gestation. The first pushes made by the baby are invisible to the pregnant woman. They are too soft and you can't feel them. Some women claim that they "hear" the baby from 12-13 weeks, but most likely these sensations are associated with increased intestinal static.

The first movements are marked by the middle of the gestational period (if the pregnancy is the first).

The potential mother feels the presence of the child, talks to him. The fetus, in turn, responds to touch and voice from outside.

Due to the fact that the height and weight of the fetus increases, it becomes in the uterine cavity. Appears, the pregnant woman feels the motor activity of the baby.

Tremors from the womb are a guarantee that the baby is alive.

By the nature of shoving, you can determine the well-being of the baby and timely identify possible pathology development.

At what time does the child begin to move

The first movements are made in the process of embryogenesis. This is an average of 5-6 weeks from the moment of conception. By the end of the first trimester, the growth of the embryo is still small enough to feel its movement.

Painful sensations are accompanied by other clinical symptoms and are associated with the underlying disease of the pregnant woman, for example, or.

Painful tremors in moderate amounts are a sign of the norm, but only if the gestational age is from 35 weeks.

The reason for this becomes big weight or gestation at the same time.

Discomfort pain gifts may be the result of an uncomfortable position of the baby or mother, or have more serious reasons. Painful blows can be confused with contractions.

Too much active movements carry a sign of the development of a lack of oxygen (hypoxia). Oxygen deficiency excites the nervous system of the fetus, and he, in turn, begins to “rage”, causing pain to the expectant mother.

You can confirm or refute hypoxia with the help of or ultrasound.

The lack of oxygen adversely affects the baby and can lead to severe developmental disorders of the child.

Why keep counting movements

For determining normal value movements, a special test has been developed, during which the shocks are counted.

The methodology is as follows:

counting of movements starts from the 28th week of gestation;
the expectant mother must refuse to perform any business for this period;
counting starts at 9 am and ends at 21 pm;
any movements are taken into account (small, light, heavy, etc.);
the normal value is 10 or more movements;
in order not to go astray in the calculations, it is necessary to keep a card or regular accounting.

A test for the amount of perturbation is necessary to assess the condition of the fetus.

If the fetus moves less than 10 times, it is serious reason see a doctor.

The absence of tremors for 12 hours carries an unfavorable prognosis.

What to do if the child does not move for a long time

The baby should not always be in an active state. Normally, during your stay in the womb, the time does not exceed 3-4 hours per day. This means that the baby sleeps more often, occasionally interrupting to chat with mom.

There are several methods for forced awakening of the baby:

eat chocolate, candy or sweet drink;
drink hot tea;
stroke and tap on the stomach;
turn on loud music or shine a bright light on your stomach.

The methods are dubious, but sometimes effective.

If the child does not get in touch for more than 12 hours, and the above methods do not help, you can make a crazy act - listen to the heartbeat yourself using a stethoscope.

In a period of 30 weeks or more, it is possible to hear heartbeats, but their quality cannot be assessed.

The most appropriate action would be to seek medical help.

You can also call your attending obstetrician and tell him about the problem.

If the fetus does not move for a long time, most likely it has serious health problems.

Useful video: fetal movement during pregnancy

How often should the baby move during the day? Why is he so lethargic today? Probably, every woman in whose tummy was beating little heart. It is clear that this is a completely natural concern of the mother for the child ... However, doctors are also worried about how many times a day the baby moves in the womb. And so they recommend that women observed during pregnancy count the number of movements using special tests.

By 20-22 weeks, when the spinal cord and brain are formed, fetal movements become regular. At this stage (about 20 weeks), the mother begins to feel and perceive the movements of the fetus. It is known that nulliparous women feel stirring from 20 weeks of pregnancy, and multiparous - from 18 weeks of pregnancy.
However, these times may vary depending on:

from nervous system the woman herself
from the sensitivity of the expectant mother,
from the weight of the pregnant woman (more than plump women begin to feel the first movements later, thin ones - a little earlier than the twentieth week).
on the amount of water (with polyhydramnios, the movements of the baby are felt much weaker).

Of course, the baby begins to move from about the eighth week, but as long as he has enough space, and only when he increases so much that he can no longer avoid contact with the walls of the uterus, the mother begins to feel tremors.
The first movements are described differently by everyone. They can be similar to the splashing of a fish, the fluttering of a butterfly, or, tritely, to intestinal motility. According to most pregnant women, this is one of the most exciting periods in their lives, and from that moment on, the mother becomes the most accurate and unmistakable "sensor" that registers the condition of her baby. It is from the first shocks that many women begin to perceive the fetus as their child.
At first, the movements of the fetus are rather timid, not coordinated, but gradually they are ordered and acquire a certain meaning and significance. Within half an hour, a 5-month-old fetus can make from 20 to 60 shocks, sometimes more, sometimes less. In general, the pace, rhythm and strength of the movements vary with the time of day.

By 24 weeks of pregnancy, fetal movements resemble those of a newborn. From this age, the baby actively “speaks” with his mother in the language of movements about his anxiety, joy, pleasure and his well-being. In turn, the fetus is very sensitive to changes emotional state mothers. For example, when a mother is worried or happy, the baby may move more actively or, conversely, calm down for a while.
The activity of the baby depends on many factors:

time of day - as a rule, the baby is more active at night
physical activity - when the mother leads an active lifestyle, the baby's movements are usually not felt or are quite rare
from the nutrition of the expectant mother
psychological state of a pregnant woman,
from surrounding sounds.

An important factor influencing the movements of the child is his character - by nature there are mobile and inactive people, and all these features appear already during prenatal development.

Too violent, painful stirring of the fetus indicates trouble in his condition. Sometimes the movements of the baby cause pain to the mother. In this case, the woman needs to change the position of the body. If for a long time, for several hours, the fetal movements remain painful, the pregnant woman must inform the doctor about this. Most women note some soreness in the hypochondrium in the third trimester of pregnancy - and this is not a deviation from the norm.

From about the twenty-eighth week, the doctor may suggest that the expectant mother monitor the movements of the fetus and count them according to a certain pattern. It is believed that this technique is used only when it is not possible to conduct a special examination, such as CTG or Doppler, but this is not the case. Now, more and more often, a special table is included in the pregnant woman’s card, which will help the expectant mother mark her calculations.

Why is a fetal movement test necessary?

The results of such tests can tell doctors how well they feel. little man. The fact is that starting from the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy, the baby should be reminded of his presence about ten to fifteen times within an hour. Of course, he can sleep for two or three hours, but, in general, fetal movements should be regular. This means that the baby feels great, and doctors do not have to worry about his health.

Another thing is if the baby begins to worry too much. Such prolonged activity without any reason may indicate that the child is in a state of hypoxia (lack of oxygen). Therefore, with any changes in the usual schedule, which will reflect the test for fetal movement, the expectant mother should immediately consult a doctor.

Or, for example, the sluggish activity of the child, as well as complete absence movements, should also alert the woman.

At initial stages intrauterine hypoxia note restless behavior fruit, which consists in increasing and strengthening its motor activity. With progressive hypoxia of the fetus, weakening and cessation of its movements occurs.

Before you panic, you can try to provoke the baby to activity: take a shower, hold your breath, do a few exercise, eat and rest well. If this does not help and the baby does not respond to mother's actions, there is no movement for about ten hours, you need to urgently consult a doctor. The doctor will listen to the heartbeat with a stethoscope, prescribe an examination - cardiotocography (CTG) or ultrasound with dopplerometry. Agree that it is better to play it safe than to worry later because of the consequences of your inattention. But do not worry if the baby does not make itself felt for two or three hours - the child also has his own "daily routine", in which states of activity and sleep alternate.

This is enough important question. The main thing is to correctly identify the movement: if your baby first shoved you, then immediately turned and pushed, then this will be considered as one movement, and not as several. That is, the basis for determining the movement will not be the number of movements made by the baby, but the alternation of activity (both groups of movements and single ones) and rest.

Techniques for calculating fetal movements.

There are several methods for counting movements. It is possible to determine the condition of the fetus using the British obstetric test, the Pearson method, the Cardiff method, the Sadowski test and other methods. All of them are based on counting the number of movements, differing only in the time and timing of the calculations.

The most popular among gynecologists are the methods of Pearson, Cardiff and Sadowski.

"Count to ten" - that's how another name is widely used in modern medicine D. Pearson's fetal movement test. The expectant mother at the twenty-eighth week of pregnancy is given a special card on which she will need to mark the number of fetal movements every day. Listening to the "inner life" is supposed to be from 9 am to 9 pm. After the tenth movement, doctors usually advise you to relax and no longer put marks on the chart - this means that everything is in order with the baby. At the same time, it is worth considering individual characteristics each child: someone likes to frolic in the morning, and someone arranges a real disco in the late afternoon.

in the table, mom notes the start time of the count;
any movement of the baby is recorded, except for hiccups - coups, pushes, kicks, etc .;
at the tenth stirring, the counting end time is entered in the table.

How to evaluate the results of calculations:

If twenty minutes or less have passed between the first and tenth movements, you don’t have to worry, the baby is quite active;
If it took about half an hour for ten movements, you shouldn’t worry either, maybe the baby was resting or simply belongs to the inactive type.
If an hour or more has passed - provoke the baby to move and repeat the count, if the result is the same - this is a reason to see a doctor.

Cardiff method for scoring fetal activity

It is also based on a tenfold count of the baby's movements over a twelve-hour period.

How to count:

Just as in the method of D. Pearson, the time of the beginning of the counting of perturbations and the time of the tenth perturbation are noted. If ten perturbations are marked, in principle, you can not count further.

How to evaluate the test:

If in a twelve-hour period the baby completed his “minimum program”, you can not worry and start counting only the next day.
If a woman cannot count the right amount movements - a doctor's consultation is required.

Sadowski method - moving the baby during pregnancy

It is based on counting the movements of the baby after the pregnant woman eats food.

Within an hour after eating, the expectant mother counts the movements of the baby.
If there are not four movements per hour, a control count is made for the next hour.

How to evaluate the results:

If within two hours the baby shows himself well (at least four times during the specified period, ideally up to ten) - there is no reason for concern. Otherwise, the woman needs to consult a doctor.

Concluding our conversation, I would like to remind future mothers: the first movements of the baby are not only an indicator of his condition, but also unique sensations that a woman can experience only in this short, but such a happy period of her life.

But at this stage it is still too small. In addition, he is free to amniotic fluid and practically does not come into contact with the walls of the uterus. This explains why a woman begins to notice for the first time in the womb a few weeks later.

From the 9th week, the baby may well swallow a small amount of amniotic fluid, which in itself is a rather complex motor process.

Already from 10 weeks of pregnancy, the baby can accidentally stumble on the uterine wall and independently change the trajectory of movement. This is a kind of first reactions to obstacles and the first motor lessons. But all these manifestations of fetal activity go unnoticed.

At 16 weeks, the fetus may react to sounds. Already at this stage, the baby learns to recognize the voice of the mother and respond to changes in his intonation.

With the onset of 18 weeks of fetal development, the baby learns to squeeze and unclench his fingers, touches his own face, covers it with his hands if he hears unpleasant sounds. In addition, he gropes for the umbilical cord and from time to time feels it. By this time, he has already formed the perception of specific sensations, now he is learning to respond with movement to different kind irritants. For example, a baby swallows more amniotic fluid, if it is sweetish, it can recoil from a source of an unpleasant sound or jet. cold water. When mom touches her stomach with her hand, the fetus tries to cling to her as closely as possible and freezes at the sounds of dad's low voice.

Movements that are noticeable to a woman occur at about 19-21. In fact, this date is very approximate, because every woman is arranged in a special way, not only in terms of susceptibility, but also in the physiological sense of the word. can be seen by the expectant mother at both 14 weeks and 25, all individually.

A woman waiting for her own, of course, has no idea what sensations to expect from his movements. Each in its own way describes their feelings and impressions. Someone compares it with trembling or some kind of trembling inside, others - with kicks or pushes. Again, it all depends on at what stage of pregnancy the first manifestations of the baby became noticeable. On more - these are barely noticeable impulses. On more - these are already quite confident kicks or. Some women do not pay attention to the first movements of the embryo, mistaking them for the natural processes of gas formation or the calls of a hungry womb.

What sensations at the first movements of the child. Well, when will this happen?

On the Internet you can read the most different descriptions sensations arising from the first movements of the child. It seems to some that it looks like gas bubbles that come out when you open a bottle of sparkling water. Others claim that their stomach is like an aquarium in which fish swim. For the third movement, it is associated with the fluttering of butterflies. And someone does just feel the tremors. No matter how we try to describe these sensations in words, one thing is for sure: for any pregnant woman, the moment when she can finally feel her baby, and not just know about its existence in her stomach, is long-awaited and almost the most reverent ... I remember how I myself sat and sobbed, as if for no reason, feeling the first movements of my son ... I told my relatives during interrogations that I saw the child waving at me ;-).

Found on the web short video, showing how the child moves slightly in his house, by the end of the term he can play football or rugby there ...

In order to understand how many weeks the child's movements become tangible, it is worth having an idea of how he develops inside.
In fact, the fetus in the uterus begins to move much earlier than we can feel it. This happens at 8-9 weeks due to the beating of the heart. But the fetus is still so small that the woman simply does not feel its movement. During the first scheduled ultrasound for a period of 12-13 weeks, you can already see how the baby moves his arms and legs. However, only by 16-20 weeks the child grows to such a size that it becomes possible to feel his movements, how he swims in the amniotic fluid, starting from the walls of the uterus. Thus, it turns out that it is worth starting to listen to your feelings at the 17th week of pregnancy.

You can often hear that someone felt the first movements much earlier, at 15-16 weeks, while others felt it only at 20-21 weeks. Why is this happening?

It turns out that there are many factors that affect how long you are most likely to feel movements:

Place of attachment of the placenta. If the placenta is attached along the anterior wall of the uterus, then the first movements are likely to be felt a little later compared to the case when the placenta is attached along the back wall.
Body composition of the expectant mother. Skinny women With thin layer subcutaneous fat most often begin to feel the first signs of the movements of their baby earlier than women with more magnificent forms.
The activity of the intestines of a pregnant woman. Often, the first movements are mistakenly mistaken for simply seething of the intestines. At the same time, it is precisely because of this that one can just miss the moment of the first movements, attributing one's feelings only to the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
Threshold of sensitivity of a pregnant woman.
Mismatch of biorhythms of mother and baby. It may well turn out that the child sleeps during the day, but is awake and moves at night. But since for up to 20 weeks its weight and dimensions are still very small, the expectant mother probably simply does not notice the movement of her child through a dream.
As a rule, women who are expecting their first child begin to feel his movements for more later dates compared to those who are waiting for the second, third, etc. child. This is explained simply by the "experience" of the expectant mother, who already knows what kind of sensations and when to expect. Girls, in fact, knowing and understanding what happens to a mother during pregnancy is important and useful for both the child and parents - contrary to the opinion that pregnant women should turn off the Internet!

Girls, if the topic of baby movements has touched you, I hasten to congratulate you on the upcoming replenishment of the ranks of your loved ones! How nice it is to create the very one who will love you all your life clean and most strong love. And on the way to this creation, there is often such a reason as fear of pain ... However, after looking at one of courses an experienced mentor of women in labor Marina Aist - you will definitely become prepared for childbirth and conquering new heights!

The value of pushes.

Fetal movements are not just sensations that strengthen the emotional connection between the mother and the unborn child, allowing you to feel how it grows there. It is also important index course of pregnancy. What sensations the mother experiences during the first movements of the child, the nature and frequency of movements, starting from about 28-30 weeks, gives the mother and doctors information about the condition of the fetus.

If you feel that the fetus is moving too actively, and the stomach is literally “walking like a shaker”, you should alert and report it to the obstetrician-gynecologist. This behavior of the child may be indicative of hypoxia, that is, a lack of oxygen to the child. However, a sign of hypoxia can also be too little movement per hour, or even their absence for 6 hours or more. On average, about 10 baby movements per hour are considered normal.

If you suspect something is wrong, you don’t need to panic ahead of time, just listen more carefully to the behavior of your crumbs for several hours. If during this time there will be no changes, and anxiety does not leave you, tell your doctor about your experiences. Most likely, he will then prescribe CTG - a diagnostic method in which special sensors are applied to the stomach, and the device to which they are connected records the number of fetal movements and its heartbeat. CTG allows you to determine the condition of the fetus and tell you when to sound the alarm, and when, on the contrary, you should not worry.

However, we have somewhat digressed from our main topic, since all this concerns far from the first movements of the child. What sensations at the first movements of the child can be experienced, bearing a single child?

If there are two inside.

Pregnancy with twins is completely different from expecting only one child. Such pregnancies require special attention. It is not surprising that the question often arises: at how many weeks can you feel movements during pregnancy with twins?
After all, and since 2 fetuses grow at once in the tummy, then you can probably feel them earlier than when there is only one baby?

You will be surprised, but if multiple pregnancy movements generally begin to be felt at about the same time as with normal pregnancy i.e. between 16 and 20 weeks. At the same time, the longer the period, the more active the movements of both children become, since each of them will try to “reclaim” more for himself. free space in such a warm and cozy mother's tummy! Oh, I didn’t have twins - otherwise I would have told about my feelings!)

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” №8/2014 02.06.16

Of course, all expectant mothers are looking forward to the first movements of the fetus. Many women from this moment are truly aware of the fact of their pregnancy. At this stage, many questions arise regarding the activity of the fetus in the mother's tummy. We will answer the most popular ones.

1. The baby starts to move before you feel it.

The fetus begins to make the first movements early, already at 7-8 weeks of pregnancy. It was at this time that his first muscles and the beginnings of the nervous system were formed. From about 10 weeks of pregnancy, the baby begins to move more actively in the uterus, sometimes bumping into its walls. However, it is still very small, and these blows are very weak, so the expectant mother cannot yet feel them.

2. “Like a fish swam”: during the first pregnancy, fetal movements are felt later

The first movements of the fetus will be soft and as if tickling - as if a fish swam. The expectant mother will be able to feel tangible shocks a little later. If the pregnancy is the first, the first movements of the fetus can be seen for a period of 18–20 weeks, and with repeated pregnancy- at 16-18 weeks (a woman is already familiar with this sensation, she more accurately and earlier determines the movement of the fetus).

In general, the manifestation of the first movements of the fetus is very individual and depends on how sensitive the expectant mother is, as well as on her physique. For example, thin women may feel fetal movements earlier - even at 15-16 weeks, and larger mothers - sometimes after 20 weeks.

Women who lead an active lifestyle, work a lot, usually feel the movements of the fetus later, since with high employment they usually listen less to their inner feelings.

3. From the 24th week, the fetus already “communicates” with the mother with the help of movements

Fetal movements are an indicator of a normal pregnancy, good growth, development and well-being of the baby. At first, when the expectant mother only felt the first movements of the fetus (18–20 weeks), movements may not even be felt every day. From 24 weeks of pregnancy, the expectant mother already feels how the fetus changes position, moves its arms and legs. The motor activity of the fetus increases gradually, and its peak falls on the period from the 24th to the 32nd week of pregnancy. At this time, it becomes one of the indicators normal development baby, the child begins to "communicate" with his mother with the help of movements, respond to the sounds of her voice and emotional state. From the moment of “his growing up”, when the baby began to actively move, he “talks” to his mother, thereby informing her about his anxiety, joy, pleasure or his well-being.

In turn, the fetus is very sensitive to changes in the emotional state of the expectant mother. For example, when she is excited, worried about something or rejoices, the baby may move more actively or, conversely, calm down for a while. Fetal movements can vary in number and intensity even during the day. And this is normal.

4. If there is no movement, the baby can just sleep

Starting from the 24th week of pregnancy, the baby should move on average 10-15 times per hour. If the baby does not make itself felt within 3-4 hours, it is possible that he is just sleeping. In this case, the expectant mother needs to eat something sweet and lie down on her left side for half an hour. If these simple steps do not help, it is worth repeating them again after 2-3 hours. If the baby still does not make itself felt, this is an occasion to consult a doctor.

After 32 weeks of pregnancy, the number of fetal movements gradually decreases due to the fact that the baby is growing up, and he simply does not have enough free space. But their intensity and strength remain the same or increase. This becomes especially noticeable at the time of childbirth.

Seek immediate medical attention if:

there is no motor activity of the fetus for 12 hours or more,
the fetus was overly active for several days, and then abruptly subsided,
you notice only rare and weak fetal movements (this may be caused by a lack of oxygen - fetal hypoxia).

5. How to count fetal movements? 2 special tests

It is recommended that every expectant mother count the number of fetal movements, especially in the third trimester of pregnancy (after the 28th week) - there should be at least ten of them during the day. There are 2 fetal movement tests to assess fetal activity

"Count to ten". On a special card (you can get it from your doctor or he will tell you how to make it), the number of fetal movements is noted daily, usually from 28 weeks of pregnancy. The essence of the test of fetal movements is that the expectant mother counts the movements of the fetus for 12 hours, for example, from 9 am to 9 pm. If the fetus makes less than 10 movements per period, this is a reason to consult a doctor for an examination.

There is another way to count fetal movements - Sadowski technique. They spend it like this: in the evening after dinner, the woman lies on her left side and counts the movements of the fetus. At the same time, everything must be taken into account, even the most small movements fetus. If 10 or more fetal movements are noted within an hour, this indicates that the baby feels good. If the fetus moved less than 10 times in an hour, then its movements are counted for the next hour. Evening time for this method The scores were not chosen randomly. It is in the evening, especially after dinner and the associated increase in glucose, that the greatest activity of the fetus is noted. If the number of fetal movements is less than 10 times in 2 hours, this should be considered as a sign of a violation of his condition and additional studies should be carried out.

6. Fetal movements can be a little painful.

Sometimes the movements of the baby cause pain to the expectant mother. In this case, she needs to change the position of the body (lie down on the other side, walk, etc.). After that discomfort must pass. If for a long time, for several hours, fetal movements remain painful, the expectant mother should definitely inform the doctor about this, as this may be a sign of problems during pregnancy (for example, with oligohydramnios). In addition, most expectant mothers note some soreness in the hypochondrium, especially in the third trimester of pregnancy- and this is not a deviation from the norm, since the uterus has risen high enough for the baby to “get” already in these areas.

7. Nimble baby: why are the fetal movements too active?

The baby can move too actively, as already mentioned, when the emotional state of the expectant mother changes, in addition, he can react to external noise in this way (from about the 20th week of pregnancy, when the hearing aid was formed and the bones in it began to ossify in order to conduct sound ). Therefore, if the expectant mother comes to an apartment that is being renovated, or watches a movie with strong sound effects in a cinema, she will most likely feel quite frequent tremors in her tummy.

8. What is the oxygen starvation of the fetus?

There is a widespread opinion that increased activity fetus is a sign of it oxygen starvation, but this is not always the case. Indeed, in the initial stages of fetal hypoxia, the baby's restless behavior is noted, which consists in the increase and intensification of his movements. However, with a prolonged or increasing lack of oxygen, the movements of the little man weaken, and may even stop altogether. Therefore, rare (less than 10 per day), weak fetal movements (especially after 30 weeks) or increased activity after a “quiet period” should cause alarm, which requires urgent consultation with a doctor. If the doctor suspects something is wrong, he will send the expectant mother for an ultrasound or CTG (cardiotocography), with which you can figure out why the baby is behaving this way. And if necessary, the doctor will prescribe treatment to normalize the condition of the fetus.

It is very important to listen to the sensations in your tummy and notice how often and intensively the baby moves. Then you can feel the changes in the nature of his movements and consult a doctor in time to make sure that everything is in order with the baby.

9. The little "cosmonaut" is always on the move

At the 20th week of pregnancy, the fetus makes about 200 movements per day, and between the 28th and 32nd weeks, their daily number reaches 600. Naturally, future mommy does not feel all the movements of the baby, but only a small part of them. So, after 28 weeks, the frequency of fetal movement, according to the sensations of a woman, is usually 4 to 8 times per hour, with the exception of periods of his sleep (3-4 hours in a row). In the third trimester, a pregnant woman may notice that the baby has certain sleep and wake cycles. Children are usually most active from 19:00 to 4:00 in the morning, and the "rest" period occurs more often from 4 to 9:00 in the morning.