Fetal movements
One of the main confirmations that life is growing and thriving inside you is your baby's movements. The movements of the baby in the womb help you connect and get to know him/her during pregnancy. This gives you the opportunity to develop a close relationship with your baby while also learning about your child and his/her movement patterns. In addition, the other parent also gets the opportunity to experience the baby’s movements from the outside. It can be wonderful and empowering for expectant parents to feel the movements together and perhaps even some limbs such as a small foot or hand.
The first movements you feel are like bubbles or butterflies in your stomach. As the baby grows and develops, these bubbles turn into distinct kicks and other movements. Over time, you will begin to recognize your baby's movements. Sometimes, for example, the child moves more at one time of the day than at another, but all this is different for each child. Each and every child is unique.
It is possible to do exercises to learn to recognize your child's movement patterns better. These are mindfulness exercises that are called “mind-fetalness exercises”, where you observe your baby's movements from the 28th week of pregnancy for 15 minutes every day when your baby is awake. In this way, you will learn to find and recognize the nature, strength and frequency of your child's movements. We encourage you to try it! You can read more about these exercises here.
It is most common to feel your baby's first movements between the 16th and 20th week of pregnancy. After that, the movements should increase until the 32nd week and stay that way throughout the pregnancy. In the last weeks of pregnancy, you will perceive your baby's movements in a different way because the baby starts to move lower in the pelvis and his/her head is engaged. But even though the movements change, they should not decrease. At this time, the baby also has less space to move around, which limits the movement of the limbs to some extent.
Towards the end of your pregnancy, contractions begin to increase, which can mean that you don’t feel your baby's movements as well as before. You feel the baby's movements best when you are at rest and lying down, but you feel them less if you are standing upright and are busy with the daily tasks of life.
The baby’s movements are the best sign that he/she feels well and, therefore, is often used as an indication for the baby’s well-being. Normal movements indicate efficient functioning of the child's various organ systems, such as the cardiovascular system, nervous system and musculoskeletal system. The most common reason why women feel less movement is because the baby is resting, but keep in mind that a baby rests 90% of the day and moves 10% of it. If you notice that there have been changes in your child's movements, it may be helpful to do the following:
· Get settled in a place of peace and privacy
· Get something cold to drink and eat
· Breathe deeply in and out and try to relax as much as possible
· Lie on your side
· Count how long it takes for the child to move ten times
· Watch how it moves
Movements include kicking and kneading, but not hiccups. You can rest easy if you feel ten movements in less than two hours and the baby continues to move in the same pattern as before. If the movements are less than you are used to, it is important that you contact your midwife in maternity care, because a decrease in the movements of a child may indicate that your baby needs to be monitored more closely. Remember that you know your baby best, so we encourage you to listen to your own intuition. If this happens outside of working hours, we advise you to contact Landspítali's Antenatal and Postpartum Department by phone: 543-3220. If you live in a rural area, contact your health institution by dialing: 1700.
For more information visit Kicks count: https://sporkintelja.is/en/
Ágústa Gísladóttir, nurse and student in midwifery at the University of Iceland, in collaboration with the midwives of the Reykjavík Birth Center