Feeling your baby’s
movements.
Compound by:
Verloskundige kringen van:
de Kempen-Eindhoven-Strabrecht
Máxima Medisch Centrum, Veldhoven
Get to know your baby.
Your pregnancy has now reached the point that you can feel your baby moving.
During the prenatal check-ups the midwife or gynecologist will check the growth and the
condition of your baby. But as a mother you know your baby best, even before birth.
What your baby tells you by it’s movements is important information.
After the birth you will spend a lot of time taking care of your baby. We advise you to
already spend some time getting to know your baby during pregnancy.
In this brochure you will find some important information about what the baby’s
movements mean and some suggestions how to check his wellbeing.
It is a good habit tot take some time to get to know your baby!
What does your baby do ?
Your baby is active during the whole pregnancy. He makes movements to develop himself.
Your baby is practicing for life outside the womb. From time to time it will also have the
hiccups . You will notice this as little repetitive ticking movement. Your baby will make gentle
and stronger movements in the womb. You probably won’t notice a movement like thumbsucking or the extension of the fingers.
In the third trimester you will feel most of the kicks and pushes. When you change your
position, for instance when you stand up from a sitting position, it is possible you will feel
the baby move a bit more.
What do the movements tell you about the baby’s wellbeing?
Your baby receives everything he needs through the placenta. As long as the placenta
functions well, the baby will move. As soon as the placenta function gets less, the baby will
save his energy and move less. You will notice this decrease of the movements. If the
placenta function deteriorates your baby will grow less and his condition can deteriorate
too. This can also cause problems during the delivery. Fortunately this is seldom the case
when your baby has a normal movement pattern.
When you feel the baby’s movements as you are accustomed, this is a sign that the baby is
doing fine.
It’s important to notice if your baby is less active than your accustomed to.
By feeling the movements attentively you can get to know your baby.
Sometimes it is calm.
Often your baby sleeps and then he will hardly move. These periods of sleep become longer
as the pregnancy progresses. But even at the end of the pregnancy your baby will seldom
sleep for more than one hour.
Most baby’s are active in the evening and many baby’s are also active in the morning. There
can be big differences between the movements of healthy baby’s compared to each other.
Some mothers feel less movements than others because of the position of the placenta.
When it is abdominal (on the tummy side) then mothers might feel less movements. Survey
has shown that girls kick as much as and boys in the womb. And it is also known that baby’s
that move a lot before birth are also more active after birth.
In general the movements are best felt when lying down. When standing up, walking or
when you are busy, you probably will not feel many movements.
Recognize the movements.
It is a good habit to be aware of the movements every day. The movements are important
for every expecting mother. At best you can start to get to know your baby’s movements
between the 26th and 28th week of the pregnancy. All movements are kicks, except for the
hiccups. Different movements at the same time can be seen as one kick. The best way to
focus on the movements is to sit or lay down and relax while concentrating on the
movements. If you baby
is a sleep, you can wake him by gently pushing the womb with your hand. Try to focus on the
movements daily, preferably during the same time of the day. And try to do this in the
period your baby usually is active. Most mothers won’t need a lot of time to get to know
their baby and realize the baby is moving as he usually does.
How often should your baby move? And what to do when the movements get less?
When you’ve gotten to know your baby’s movements, you will probably notice that the
movements van vary from day to day, but that there is an average in the baby’s activity. This
is the case when your baby is in good condition. You might notice that intensity of the
movements can change during the pregnancy.
It is important to recognize if there is an obvious decrease of the normal activity of the baby.
You should always tell your midwife or gynecologist if you have noticed a decrease.
In certain situations you should immediately contact your midwife or gynecologist:
 If your baby has not moved for half a day (never wait until the next day!)
 If your baby moves less and less during the day and you feel little activity.
When in doubt about what “too little activity” is, it can be useful to know that a healthy baby
seldom moves less than 10 times in 2 hours, during an periods in which it is normally active.