Fetal movements during pregnancy: what do they mean and how to count?

The most thrilling, unforgettable feeling during pregnancy is the first long-awaited movement under the baby’s heart. When can we expect it? What do periods of activity and rest mean? How to conduct a movement test yourself and what studies can confirm that everything is fine with the baby?

Signs of new life: fetal movements

A positive pregnancy test, registration at the antenatal clinic, regular visits to the doctor... Everything is so new for you. But the strongest emotions will be caused by the baby’s first movement. The sensations are painless, still weak and indistinct, but so different: as if a fish swam in the stomach, or a butterfly fluttered in the palms. It is from this moment that you realize that a new life is growing inside.

In fact, the baby begins to move from the 8th week. He already has the first muscle bundles and nerve fibers. It is still very small and, surrounded by amniotic fluid, practically does not touch the walls of the uterus. As the nervous system grows and develops, its movements become more orderly. The baby reacts to external stimuli and touches the walls of the uterus. Then you feel the movements.

Cheap methods for determining the sex of a child: what is the reliability?

The content of the article

Not so long ago, the mystery of the sex of the unborn child remained a mystery until the moment of its birth. Our grandmothers used folk methods in solving this issue, from studying the shape of a pregnant woman’s belly to analyzing her taste preferences. Japanese and Chinese conception tables and signs relating to the appearance and behavior of a pregnant woman were used.

But already in those days, gynecologists preferred to trust the laws of anatomy, and knew how to determine the sex of a baby by its heartbeat. This technique is still used today, although it has been established that its reliability does not exceed 70%. Is this not enough? Any other folk methods of determining sex give a probability of 50%, i.e. absolutely useless - guessed right - wrong.

Sensitivity degree

When does a child make itself known? It is believed that during the first pregnancy this occurs at 20 weeks, and during the second pregnancy - two weeks earlier. But the timing is approximate and depends on many reasons.

If you are an experienced mother and are familiar with similar sensations from previous pregnancies, you will recognize them earlier. Thin girls are also highly susceptible. For a woman with weight, subcutaneous adipose tissue prevents her from feeling the first movements, and sometimes she mistakes them for features of intestinal motility.

The placenta plays an important role. If it is located on the front wall of the uterus, the baby’s movements will become obvious to you later.

Feelings of the expectant mother

Your belly is already quite noticeable, each week its circumference increases by about 1 cm. The uterus continues to grow, at 22 weeks its bottom is 2-2.5 cm above the navel. Due to its pressure on internal organs, shortness of breath occurs and trips to the toilet become more frequent.

Weight gain by the 22nd week of pregnancy averages 5-6 kg. A sharp increase in body weight requires additional diagnostics, as it may indicate gestosis or polyhydramnios.

Even in thin women, the breasts noticeably enlarge, the mammary glands become heavier, and the areolas become darker.

Vaginal discharge should normally be colorless, light in color and without an unpleasant odor. Perhaps they have become more abundant than usual. This is additional protection against infections.

Many pregnant women are surprised to note that the size of their legs has increased. Now your feet are under increased stress, they may swell, and under the influence of hormones, ligaments and joints soften. As a result, you need shoes 1-2 sizes larger. Don't worry: the foot usually gets smaller after childbirth.

Note to the doctor

So, the day came when you realized: the baby is moving.
Remember the date. The doctor will definitely ask about it and note it on the exchange card. Using this parameter, he will calculate the expected due date. During the first pregnancy, 20 weeks will be added to the date, with a second pregnancy - 22. You can determine the position of the fetus by movement. The limbs are usually located in the place of its greatest activity. If the kicks are mainly felt closer to the diaphragm, the baby is lying head down. If in the lower abdomen, it is likely a breech presentation. Until 34-35 weeks, the baby has the opportunity to take the correct position.

Possible complications

At 22 weeks of pregnancy, a woman may experience low and polyhydramnios.

Low water

An insufficient amount of amniotic fluid is dangerous because it causes hypoxia and intrauterine growth retardation. Typically, a pregnant woman experiences pain in the lower third of the abdomen, which intensifies when the fetus moves. An accurate diagnosis is made using ultrasound. The causes of the condition are poorly understood, but indirect factors are considered to be high blood pressure, obesity, and metabolic disorders in a woman’s body. Treatment is carried out strictly in a hospital.

Polyhydramnios

Excessive volume of amniotic fluid is a high risk of premature birth, fetal death, and uterine rupture. The woman complains of heaviness and pain in the abdomen, swelling, and severe shortness of breath. Among the main causes of polyhydramnios are diabetes mellitus, kidney pathologies, Rh-conflict pregnancy, and infectious diseases during pregnancy. Most often, doctors resort to early delivery.

Methods for diagnosing a baby’s well-being

Cardiotocography (CTG) helps monitor the baby’s well-being. A sensor is placed on the abdomen, where heart sounds can be heard better. The second is installed on the upper part of the uterus to record uterine tone. In your hand you will hold a special button that you must press every time you move. The signal is recorded on paper.

The interaction of the nervous, muscular and cardiovascular systems is also checked. If the child moves and his heartbeat increases, the reaction is correct. If the heartbeat does not change when moving, this indicates the first signs of hypoxia and the need for close medical monitoring. This type of research is planned. It is carried out from 30 weeks twice a month.

The state of blood circulation in the “mother-placenta-fetus” system can be assessed by ultrasound with Doppler. This ultrasound makes a qualitative and quantitative analysis of blood flow in the uterine arteries, umbilical cord vessels, aorta and cerebral arteries of the fetus.

Checklist for 22 weeks of pregnancy

• Communicate with your baby: his movements are reactions to your voice and stroking. In the same way he shows his joy or displeasure.
• Monitor your blood pressure and weight gain.
• Consider a maternity photo shoot. Now is the right time for her.
• You may want to avoid wearing rings on your fingers due to the swelling that occurs during pregnancy.

If you experience swelling and other complications at 22 weeks of gestation, contact the specialists at the Women's Medical Center. All necessary tests and studies can be completed at a time convenient for you. We work from Monday to Saturday.

cramped house

You will feel your baby more active at 24-32 weeks. During this period, he grows quickly, develops, and there is still enough space in his “house”. Later, the baby becomes cramped in the uterus and his energy levels decrease. Especially before giving birth. With growth, the nature of movements also changes. From 32 weeks, the fetal nervous system is already quite developed, and the formation of the “activity-rest” cycle occurs. The baby may move vigorously for an hour, and then calm down.

Many pregnant women complain about the obstinate nature of the baby. During the day he behaves calmly, but as soon as he lies down to rest or fall asleep, the “dancing” begins. And the child just likes the pleasant swaying of his belly when you go to the store or do chores around the house. In addition, when you are in a relaxed state, blood circulation improves, and the baby has more strength to play mischief. And with his energetic movements he forces you to stand up and change your body position. Don't worry. At longer stages of pregnancy, your sleep and wakefulness rhythms will most likely coincide.

Do you feel rhythmic twitching in your stomach? It's your baby who's hiccupping. Don't worry. The relationship between fetal hiccups and disturbances in its intrauterine state has not been established.

How many times and how should a baby move in the third trimester?

Obstetricians note that the child should move and make itself felt about ten times over the course of 12 hours. The peak of tremors occurs in the evening, when the expectant mother comes home from work or simply lies down to rest after a difficult day. This is where the “dancing” begins.

But in the third trimester, the baby will no longer perform acrobatic tricks. His movements, to a greater extent, will resemble swarming, spinning, hiccupping, tickling - all this is associated with a decrease in space.

Monitoring the child's activity

What matters is the change in the child’s physical activity over several days. Unusually strong, erratic, threshing movements will indicate a violation of his condition. A possible reason for this increase in reflex activity is an increase in carbon dioxide in your blood. The doctor will order additional laboratory tests and give recommendations.

A decrease or cessation of the baby’s movements after vigorous physical activity may be a sign of hypoxia, when the child lacks nutrients and oxygen. Placental insufficiency can be triggered by poor health of both you and the baby. We will have to establish the degree of development of hypoxia. In the acute form, emergency medical care is required; in the chronic form, constant monitoring and treatment is required.

Important points affecting the quality of the fetal heartbeat

Of course, traditional medicine does not recognize the possibility of determining gender by heartbeat, relying only on ultrasound diagnostic data. This is due, first of all, to the fact that the child’s heart beats at different frequencies and rhythms at different stages, and when measuring the heartbeat it is necessary to be attentive to a combination of factors.

The rhythm and intensity of sound varies depending on the following factors:

• Whether the child is awake or asleep;
• Gestational age;
• The health of the expectant mother and her psychological state;
• Formation of the heart muscle;
• Mother's posture when measuring the baby's heartbeat;
• Presence of fetal pathologies.

Thus, even with a great desire to find out the sex of the unborn baby in advance, the method of determining by heartbeat will not give an unconditional guarantee. Therefore, you should treat this as a game, choosing reliable methods.

Baby moves: count to 10

This is the simplest and most common test of baby D. Pearson's movements. It is recommended by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and is indicated in official documents on the management of pregnancy in our country. It can be used by everyone from 28 weeks at home to independently monitor the baby’s condition. In a special table, every tenth movement is noted from 9:00 to 21:00. This is how the characteristics of his motor activity are determined. Under normal conditions, the tenth movement is noted before 17:00. If the number of movements within 12 hours is less than 10, it is advisable to inform your doctor. If the baby does not make itself known within 12 hours, it is an emergency, see a doctor immediately!

The second test recommended by our gynecologists is counting movements within an hour. There should be 10-15 of them. If it is more or less, you must definitely draw the attention of a doctor.

If the baby does not move for three hours, there is no reason to worry. He might just be sleeping.

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Counting movements

At some point, your doctor may ask you to start counting fetal movements—for example, by keeping track of how long it takes you to count ten kicks.

Feeling your baby kick every day is a reassuring sign that he is doing well.

How to count fetal movements

Your doctor will instruct you exactly how to count movements and when to start doing so. Here are two possible ways to count fetal movements:

• Lie on your left side and time how long it takes before you count ten movements. If less than two hours, this is a sign that everything is fine with the baby. If more than two hours, tell your doctor.
• For three days, once a day, count how many movements the baby makes in an hour. If the result is similar all three days or on some day the number of movements is greater than on the previous one, this is an encouraging sign that the baby is doing well.

The right time to count movements is when your baby is usually active, such as after you have eaten.

You may notice that on some days your baby is more active, and on other days he becomes quieter. This doesn't necessarily mean that something is wrong. The child can sleep or rest. On average, a baby's sleep periods last from 20 to 40 minutes. However, if you are concerned about your baby's movement patterns, consult your doctor.

Movement language

Sometimes movements become especially intense in a short period of time. This baby is “protesting” because of your uncomfortable position. If you lie on your back for a long time, the large vessels of the uterus are compressed and blood flow to the fetus is reduced. By his actions he is trying to force you to change your position.

The baby calms down during the cold spell, when you are worried, worried, sitting in one position for hours. Try eating something sweet - he should respond to the treat. He benefits from walking in the fresh air for at least three hours a day, good nutrition, long sleep, and a reasonable alternation of work and rest.

The child also really wants you to communicate with him. In the last weeks of pregnancy, his movements can sometimes cause pain and discomfort. Change your body position, stroke your belly, say a few kind words to the mischievous person, and everything will return to normal.

Interesting Facts

Your baby is the size of

Zucchini

280mm Size

430 g Weight

During this period, you feel more and more how your connection with your child is strengthening. With his movements, the baby tells you about his own well-being. He also responds to belly rubs. The twenty-second week of pregnancy is usually very calm for the mother. You radiate cheerfulness and confidence. Let's find out what happens to the pregnant woman and the baby at this stage, but first we'll figure out the calculations:

• 22 week of pregnancy - what month?

  You are 5 and a half months pregnant. This is the second trimester. More than half the journey has already been completed.

• From conception or from menstruation?

  The 22nd obstetric week of pregnancy approximately corresponds to the 20th week of the embryonic period.

How soon will I feel movements?

During your first pregnancy, this may happen around the 20th week.
Sometimes expectant mothers begin to feel movements already at the 16th week of their first pregnancy, and sometimes only at the 24th. This does not mean that until this time the baby does not move in the womb. Of course, he pushes - basically he feels you from the inside with his hands, turns from side to side and even somersaults. Everything is individual (the sensations often depend on the body of the pregnant woman and on which wall of the uterus - anterior or posterior - the placenta is attached to). The first movements will be similar to sensations from increased gas formation in the intestines. Some say it feels like a small aquarium fish has swam inside.