Around the middle of pregnancy, at 20 weeks, a primiparous woman first begins to feel the movement of the baby. This is an inexpressible feeling in terms of the strength of emotional perception, which, however, is compared with the touch of the wings of a butterfly, or, more prosaically, with the movement of gases in the intestines. At first, the movements are very light, but very soon they will be quite tangible jolts.
When the first movements of the child appear
The muscular system is sufficiently developed already at the 8th week of embryo development and the future person begins to make the first movements. Of course, at such a short period of pregnancy, it is still impossible to feel them. Women of the asthenic body type, especially multiparous ones, talk about tangible movements of the child starting from 13-14 weeks of pregnancy, but basically the movement of the fetus becomes noticeable from 15-16 weeks for multiparous women and from 20 weeks for primiparous women.
When the child moves
The future baby can roll over, move the arms and legs, rotate his head, suck the umbilical cord or finger, even somersault while there is still enough space in the uterus. It is generally accepted that the child moves when awake. Also, the baby can react with intense movements to the sweets eaten by the pregnant woman. However, strong sharp shocks should alert the expectant mother, because this behavior of the baby can also indicate discomfort. For example, a pregnant woman is lying down or sitting too long, or the room is stuffy or smoky - in these cases, excessively active movement is a likely reaction to insufficient oxygen supply to the fetus. In order to help the baby, you need to open the window, providing an influx of fresh air.
If the child's increased activity is associated with a long stay of the mother in a sitting position, you need to walk a little, preferably in the fresh air, to ensure blood flow to the pelvic organs, which, in turn, will provide the placental blood with oxygen. And, of course, it will be superfluous to talk about how harmful it is for the baby to stay in a room filled with tobacco smoke. Even secondhand smoke is very dangerous for a growing fetus, since poisons penetrating into the bloodstream can lead to a number of diseases, pathological conditions and malformations of the child.
How much fetal movement is normal
In the second trimester of pregnancy, when all expectant mothers already feel the movements of their babies, it is still impossible to talk about any regularity and norm of the number of fetal movements, since the child is still too young and the mother may not always feel his movements. In the third trimester, from the 28th week of pregnancy, by the number and intensity of movements, one can already judge the well-being of the baby. That is why, in some cases, the gynecologist observing the pregnancy may prescribe special testing in order to calculate the number of movements and take the necessary measures in time to preserve the child's health.
What is the Pearson test
The Pearson test is by far the most popular analysis method that helps the obstetrician-gynecologist draw conclusions about the health of the baby in the womb. Pearson's method is called "Count to 10". To count fetal movements, the doctor gives the pregnant woman a special table, which displays the numbering of weeks from 28 to 40 and the time from 9:00 to 21:00. From 9 o'clock in the morning, mom begins to count the movements of the fetus. Feeling the tenth movement, mom marks this time in the table with a cross and on this day she no longer counts. If in the period from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. a pregnant woman feels less than ten movements, then their number is indicated at the bottom of the table and after 21 hours on this day she no longer counts. Testing is performed daily from 28 weeks of gestation.
The methods of Cardiff and Sadowski work on the same principle, aimed at counting fetal movements over a 12-hour period.
What to do if the child is too active or does not move for a long period
Intrauterine fetal hypoxia begins with an increase in the child's motor activity, therefore, if the baby moves more actively than before, try changing the position of the body or taking a walk in the fresh air. Prolonged hypoxia can lead to a decrease in fetal activity. If you find this, try a snack or a warm shower. Usually these measures are sufficient. Well, if the child behaves too restlessly or, on the contrary, does not make itself felt for several hours, this is a reason to immediately consult a doctor who will give clear instructions on how to act for a pregnant woman in such a situation.
