This is due to the fact that the women giving birth already know what those feelings are, and women, pregnant for the first time, can firstly mix up the fetal movements while they are still not intense, with peristalsis of the intestine, gas formation in the abdomen or muscle contractions. In addition, in re-pregnant, the anterior abdominal wall is more stretched and sensitive. More complete women feel the wiggling of the fetus somewhat later than the lean ones. Details on the movements of the fetus in the mother's tummy, find out in the article on "The first signs of a child's movement."
So, during the first pregnancy, women feel the first movements of the fetus, usually in the interval between 18 and 22 weeks (usually in the wo weeks), and the moths can feel the movements of the future baby from 16 weeks. When future moms begin to feel the movements of their babies, they have many questions and doubts: how often should the child move? Is it moving intensively enough? It should be remembered that every kid is individual and develops at his own pace, and the rules concerning the movements of the fetus have a fairly wide range.
The character of the perturbations
First trimester. In the first trimester of pregnancy, the most intensive growth of the unborn child occurs. First, a group of cells quickly divides, grows and becomes an embryo that attaches to the uterine wall and begins to grow, protected by the amniotic fluid, the fetal membranes and the muscular wall of the uterus. As early as 7-8 weeks during the ultrasound examination, it is possible to fix how the finitenesses of the embryo move. This is because his nervous system is already ripe enough to carry out nerve impulses to the muscles. At this time, the embryo moves chaotically, and its movements seemingly lack any meaning. And, of course, it is still too small, and the movements are too weak to feel them. Second trimester. By 14-15 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus has grown and its limbs have completely differentiated (they have become familiar to us in the form and shape of pens and legs), the movements have become intense and active. During this period, the baby freely floats in the amniotic fluid and repels from the walls of the uterus. Of course, he is still very small, so these repulsions are weak and the future mother does not yet feel them.
By 18-20 weeks the fetus grows up, and its movements become more tangible. These easy first touches of pregnant women describe as "fluttering butterflies", "swimming fish." As the fetus grows, the sensations become more distinct, and by 20-22 weeks, as a rule, all pregnant women clearly feel the movements of their child. In the second trimester, future mothers can feel the baby's "tremors" in different parts of the abdomen, because it has not yet reached a certain position in the uterus and there is enough space for it to turn and rotate in all directions. What do children do when they are in the mother's womb? According to observations made during ultrasound examination, unborn babies have many different activities: they drink amniotic fluid (with ultrasound it is seen how the lower jaw moves), turn the head, knock on the legs, handles can grasp the legs, finger and grasp the umbilical cord. As the gestation period increases, the baby grows and becomes stronger. Light shocks are already replaced by strong "kicks", and when the child turns inside the uterus, it is noticeable from the outside, as the stomach changes its configuration. At the same time, mom can face the fact that her baby "hiccups". At the same time, a woman feels the child shudder at regular intervals. "Icicle" movements are associated with the fact that the fruit intensively swallows the amniotic fluid and its diaphragm begins to actively contract. Such movements of the diaphragm are a reflex attempt to push out the liquid. This is absolutely safe and is the norm. The absence of "hiccups" is also a variant of the norm.
Third trimester
By the beginning of the third trimester, the fruit can freely turn and rotate and by 30-32 weeks it occupies a constant position in the uterine cavity. In most cases, it is located head down. This is called the head presentation of the fetus. If the baby is placed down with legs or glutes, this is called the pelvic presentation of the fetus. With the head presentation, active movements are noticeable in the upper half of the abdomen, and in the pelvic region, on the contrary, they are felt in the lower parts. In the third trimester, a pregnant woman may also notice that the baby has certain cycles of sleep and wakefulness. The future mother already knows at what position of the body the baby is more comfortable, because when the mother is in an uncomfortable position for the child, he will certainly let the person know about it with violent, intense perturbations. When the pregnant woman lies on her back, the uterus exerts pressure on the blood vessels, in particular those on which oxygenated blood enters the uterus and the fetus. When they are squeezed, the blood flow slows down, so the fetus begins to experience a slight lack of oxygen, to which he reacts with violent perturbations. Closer to the birth, the perturbations are felt mainly in the area where the extremities of the baby are located, most often in the right upper quadrant (as in the vast majority of the fetus is located head down and back to the left). Such jerks to can even cause future mum pain. However, if you lean forward slightly, the baby will stop pushing so hard. This can be explained by the fact that in this position the blood flow improves, more oxygen enters the fetus and it "calms down."
Shortly before the onset of labor, the baby's head (or buttocks, if the fetus is in the pelvic presentation) is pressed against the entrance to the small pelvis. From the side it seems as if the stomach "sank". Pregnant women note that before the birth the motor activity of the fetus decreases, This is explained by the fact that at the very end of pregnancy the fetus is already so large that it does not have enough space for active movements and it seems to "fade away". Some future mothers, on the contrary, note an increase in motor activity of the fetus, because on the mechanical limitation of motor activity some babies, on the contrary, respond with a more violent character of the perturbations.
How often does the toddler stir?
The nature of the motor activity of the fetus is a kind of "sensor" of the course of pregnancy. By how intensively and often the perturbations are felt, you can indirectly judge whether the pregnancy is happening and how the baby feels. Approximately until the 2nd week, while the fetus is still quite small, the expectant mother can mark large intervals (up to a day) between episodes of fetal movements. This does not mean that the baby does not move so much. It's just that a woman can not notice some perturbations, because the fetus is not strong enough, and the future mother has not yet learned enough to recognize the movements of her child. But from 26-28 weeks it is believed that the fruit should move 10 times during every two to three hours.
Obstetricians-gynecologists have developed a special "calendar of fetal movements". During the day, the woman counts how many times her baby moved, and records the time when every tenth stir occurred. If the pregnant child seems to have died down, it is necessary to take a comfortable position, relax, eat something (it is believed that after eating the motor activity of the fetus increases) and within two hours note how many times during this time the baby moved. If there are 5-10 shifts, then there is nothing to worry about: the baby is fine. If the mother does not feel the baby's stirring for 2 hours, you should walk or climb and go down the stairs, and then lie down quietly. As a rule, these activities help to activate the fetus, and the perturbations will resume. If this does not happen, you should see a doctor in the next 2-3 hours. The character of the perturbations is a reflection of the functional state of the fetus, therefore it is necessary to listen to them. If the expectant mother noticed that in the last few days the child began to move less, you should also consult a doctor to check how the baby feels.
By the third trimester of pregnancy, future mothers, as a rule, already know the nature of their children's movements and can notice any changes in the "behavior" of babies. For most women, a disturbing sign is a violent, too active stirring. However, increased motor activity is not a pathology and is most often associated with the uncomfortable position of a future mother, when the fetus temporarily receives less oxygen due to a decrease in blood flow. It is known that when a pregnant woman lies on her back or sits, leaning heavily backwards, the fetus begins to move more actively than usual. This is due to the fact that the pregnant uterus squeezes the blood vessels, which, in particular, carry blood to the uterus and placenta. When they are squeezed, blood flows to the fetus through the umbilical cord in a smaller volume, as a result of which, it senses a lack of oxygen and begins to move more actively. If you change the position of the body, for example, sit down with a leaning forward or lie on its side, then the flow of blood will be restored, and the fetus will move with its usual activity.
When should I worry?
A terrible and alarming indicator is the reduction of motor activity or the disappearance of the child's movements. This suggests that the fetus is already suffering from hypoxia, that is, lack of oxygen. If you notice that your baby has become less likely to move, or you do not feel his movements for more than 6 hours, then you should immediately contact your obstetrician. If there is no possibility to visit the doctor on an out-patient reception, it is possible to cause "first aid". First of all, the doctor will listen to the heartbeat of the fetus with the aid of an obstetric stethoscope, normally it should be 120-160 beats per minute (on average - 136-140 beats per minute). Even if during normal auscultation (listening) the fetal heart rhythm is determined within the limits of the norm, it is necessary to perform one more procedure - cardiotocography (CTG). KTG - a method that allows you to assess the heartbeat of the fetus and its functional state, to check if the baby is suffering from hypoxia (lack of oxygen). During the study, a special sensor straps attached to the anterior abdominal wall on the back of the child in the approximate projection of his heart. This sensor determines the fetal heart rate curve. Simultaneously, the pregnant woman holds a special button in her hand, which should be pressed when she feels the fetus move. On the chart, this is indicated by special labels. At the norm in response to the perturbation, the fetal heart rhythm begins to increase: this is called the motor-cardiac reflex. This reflex appears after 30-32 weeks, therefore holding CTG before this time is not sufficiently informative.
CTG is carried out for 30 minutes. If during this time there is not a single increase in the heart rate in response to perturbations, the doctor asks the pregnant woman to walk for a while or several times to go up the stairs, and then conduct another recording. If myocardial complexes did not appear, then this indirectly indicates hypoxia of the fetus (lack of oxygen). In this case, and also, if the baby began to move badly at a period of up to 30-32 weeks, the doctor will prescribe a Doppler study. During this study, the doctor measures the speed of blood flow in the vessels of the umbilical cord and in some vessels of the fetus. Based on these data, it is also possible to determine whether the fetus suffers from hypoxia.
If there are signs of fetal hypoxia, obstetric tactics are determined by the degree of severity of hypoxia. If the signs of hypoxia are small and not expressed, then the pregnant woman is shown observation, CTG and Doppler examination and evaluation of their results in dynamics, as well as the appointment of medications that improve blood circulation and the intake of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. With the increase in signs of hypoxia, as well as in the presence of pronounced signs of hypoxia, immediate delivery should be performed, as there is no effective drug therapy aimed at eliminating fetal hypoxia. There will be an operation of cesarean section or delivery through natural birth canals, depends on many factors. Among them - the state of the mother, the willingness of the birth canal, the duration of pregnancy and a number of other factors. This decision is made by the gynecologist individually in each specific case. Thus, every woman should listen to the perturbations of her child. If there is any doubt about the well-being of the fetus, do not delay the visit to the doctor, as a timely appeal to an obstetrician-gynecologist can prevent negative pregnancy outcomes. Now you know what are the first signs of a baby stirring in the womb.