The first time a mother feels her baby’s movements is a beautiful moment she will never forget. From the moment the news is known, the future mother eagerly awaits the moment when she will notice the little boy’s kicks. However, this intimate sensation can also turn into something distressing when we stop feeling it.
Many mothers wonder if it is customary to stop feeling the baby or wonder why they notice little fetal movement. In the following article, we will answer them and explain when it should be a cause for concern.
Table of Contents
Is it normal not to notice the baby every day?
Feeling your baby for the first time is a moment that any mother looks forward to. Typically, babies begin to move when they are still in an embryonic stage, from the eighth or ninth week of gestation. However, it is tough for the pregnant woman to notice it until the 18th or 22nd week arrives due to its small size. When the embryo has grown enough, the mother sees its movements.
How the first time fetal movement is felt is defined is endless, almost as many as there are pregnant women in the world: from the fish moving in the water to the direction of the butterfly, the sensations are personal, and each one feels your way. But these sensations are not just an anecdote; the fetal movement is an essential indicator of how the pregnancy progresses; in fact, the action is a sign that the fetus is in good condition. When the mother notices the first tap, the ultrasounds will reaffirm the baby’s state of health.
Fetal movements become more precise as the weeks go by; as the baby grows, they become more noticeable, but at the same time, it also gains precision in the flexion of the legs and arms, in the sucking and swallowing, and in the way they turn.
However, is it normal not to notice the baby every day? Do all women see them the same? The fact is that depending on certain factors, the baby’s movements will be detected more or less:
- Obesity makes it difficult to see the activities of the baby.
- Depending on the amount of amniotic fluid. The more there is, the more difficult it is to notice fetal movement.
- The nerves: if you are not calm, the abdominal muscles will tighten, making it more challenging to see the signs.
What to do if I have stopped noticing my baby
As we have already explained, the baby’s movements are something important, as they give us valuable information about the health of the fetus. Gynecologists recommend mothers that, as far as possible, pay attention to the baby’s movements and, above all, to the absence of these after 24 weeks of gestation.
Starting this week, babies usually make at least six movements during the day, either in the morning, afternoon, or at night. Fetal movements reveal that the baby is in good condition, that it is oxygenated, and that it responds to stimuli. But we should not be alarmed if we are a few hours without noticing it, firstly because stress can make it even more difficult for us, and secondly because we have our handsome techniques to stimulate their movements. In the next section, we explain how to make my baby move; there, you will find the methods we have to carry out to stimulate the baby to move.
If the baby does not move, it may be:
- Because he is asleep.
- Because they have low blood glucose levels.
- Because of a drop in amniotic fluid levels.
We will now explain only when it does not respond to your techniques. After 2 hours of not noticing movements, we should go to the gynecologist to do the relevant tests and rule out any possible pregnancy complications.
How to make my baby move
The baby’s movements in the tummy are one of the main concerns of women during pregnancy. However, it would help if you did not let yourself be carried away by the minor anguish you do not notice, since then your muscles will contract, and it will be more challenging to see it. . It’s also not good to obsess over your every move; that can only backfire.
If you are working, busy, or simply not paying attention, you may arrive at night and not remember that it has moved. In that case, you can do different things to stimulate his movement and get the baby to move :
- Like something to get your glucose levels up, you prefer to eat something with sugar, for example, fruit or chocolate.
- Lie on your left side and try to relax.
- Massage your belly to stimulate it.
- A good option is to put music on, which has been shown to stimulate the baby’s movements.
The usual thing is that the fetus’s movements are noticed when the mother is relaxed; that is why it is widespread to stay at night. Consequently, it would help if you tried to be calm and not get upset.
Health-related topics are full of urban myths and legends; however, if there is one that takes the cake, it is pregnancy. We already did the article on the ten myths about pregnancy; now we will talk to you about the movements of the baby in the belly, explaining if they are true or false:
- If he does not move much, he will be a calm child: there is no relationship between the fetal movements and the future behavior of the child.
- Babies have hiccups in the tummy: indeed, this is part of the three respiratory movements of babies. They are usually noticed from week 20 to week 32.
- If you eat sweets, they move more: With food intake, gastric activity is stimulated. The supply of glucose may enable it metabolically.
- At the end of pregnancy, babies move less: the reason is that as the weeks go by, they have less and less space to move.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Is it normal to stop feeling the baby? We recommend that you enter our Pregnancy and baby health category.
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.