Baby Kicks during Pregnancy

Feeling the movement of your baby is one of the greatest feelings, especially for first-time-moms. It can be felt after 13 weeks of conception but normally, it would be felt within 24 weeks. You need to monitor the baby kicks from the time you experience it first. Lack of foetal movement or its slowing down may be an indicator of some problem.

The quickening

The first foetal movements felt by a woman are called quickening. Expecting mothers report that it feels like butterflies or bubbles going off in the tummy. In early pregnancy, you may not feel the baby’s movement very often. As the baby is quite small, the frequency of baby kicks would depend on his location in the womb.

Keeping track of the baby kicks and movements

As you reach the third trimester, it would be a good idea to chart the baby’s movements. The American Pregnancy Association has specified the number of kick counts that you should feel when 28 weeks pregnant. 10 kicks is the norm when 28 weeks pregnant. They even recommend having honey and milk with sugar if the kick counts are less than 10. The reason of less kick counts may be that the baby was asleep. If kick counts are less than 10 even after 2 hours, it is time to call your physician.

Sleeping patterns of the baby

You should start to monitor the sleeping patterns of the baby. The babies have their sleeping times and their active times. When you know that the baby is going to have active time, let him get used to your voice by singing or reading to him. Your husband can join in the fun as it helps to develop a bond with your child before even being born.

Too much of baby movement

While it is a problem to find sudden end of baby kicks and other movements, sudden increase in these movements is a cause for concern too. With the gradual increase in the baby’s size, it is expected that the foetal movements would continue to diminish. If instead, you find that the foetal movement has increased and it is frantic, there is a good chance that it is due to some kind of foetal distress. It may be nothing but why take a chance. Do not hesitate to visit your doctor if you face a situation of frantic foetal movements.

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