FETAL MOVEMENTS: LET'S GET TO KNOW THEM TOGETHER

Babies in the belly move continuously throughout the day. If you are about to become a mother too, take moments to pay attention to what your baby is doing in the belly. When you rest on the sofa or are about to fall asleep, take the time to talk to him, sing him a song, cuddle him. Enjoy these moments - this is how you will learn about his movements. Watch this video about cuddling during pregnancy!

Does it matter more how much it moves or how it moves?

It is good to clarify one thing immediately: there is no pregnancy that is exactly the same as the other, just as each child is different from the other. For this reason, it is good to avoid measuring your baby's health based on the number of movements he makes during the day. It is more correct to pay attention to his habits and any changes in movement.
The extent of fetal movement depends on several factors. The physical characteristics of the mother, such as the position of the placenta, the amount of amniotic fluid or the length of the umbilical cord certainly affect how many movements the fetus makes during the day. Then we need to consider the temperament of the fetus: there are those who are calmer and, perhaps, begin to move just when their mother sits at the desk to work, and those who are a real earthquake that kicks all the time.

An awareness that arises naturally

Paying attention to the movements of your baby during pregnancy is important: following his position is a parameter with which the mother measures the health and well-being of the fetus.
Over time, the mother becomes aware of it. For example, he understands when he sleeps and when he is awake - the fetuses have a very different sleep-wake rhythm from that of the mother, in fact they alternate half an hour of sleep and half an hour of wakefulness and even when they sleep they can move, just like we do. . The mother gradually learns to understand even when the baby plays and does somersaults, how it reacts to external stimuli or what she eats or drinks: many children, in fact, tend to move more lively after the mother's meals, because they receive new nutrients.

Finally, there is another rhythmic movement that mothers soon learn to recognize: hiccups! For the fetus, it is crucial to learn how to use the diaphragm. In the uterus, the fetus takes oxygen from the placenta, but it must still learn to move the diaphragm because, as a newborn, it will have to use the lungs to breathe. Some children will have it more often, others less.
In any case, we mothers are unable to perceive all movements during gestation, especially when we walk, move or have our head focused on something else. This is why many of us believe that babies move mostly at night. It is a wrong perception: in reality it always does, but it is in moments of rest and tranquility that we feel it most.

The first movements: when they begin

The fetus in the uterus already moves a lot from the very first weeks of life: by observing the ultrasound images you can see babies stretching, playing with the umbilical cord or turning on themselves. But the mother does not notice if such a small fetus moves, because it does not reach the uterine wall.
The moment in which we mothers begin to perceive the first movements varies from pregnancy to pregnancy.It is generally from the 16-17th week of gestation, but they could be felt around the 25th week as well. Especially if we are in the first pregnancy, we will not have a clear perception of them, so we could often mistake them for simple bowel movements. There are those who speak of bubbles, some of a little fish in the belly, some of butterflies ... all expressions that make it clear that it is a new and unusual sensation.
It often happens that mothers, in pregnancies following the first, feel their baby moving in advance. This may be because the second pregnancy already has a clear perception of these unusual movements and, moreover, the uterus is more sensitive.

How the movements change as the pregnancy progresses

We clearly realize that our baby is moving between the 18th and 20th week of gestation. As the development of the fetus continues, kicking, punching and somersaulting in the belly become more and more vigorous.
Between the 26th and 30th week, following the decrease in amniotic fluid, the fetal movements are felt more and, when the baby moves, changes in the appearance of the belly can be noticed. At this point in pregnancy, babies are mostly still in breech presentation, that is, upside down.

Between the 30th and 35th week the movements become more vigorous but slowed down, due to the decrease of the space in the uterine cavity. For years it was believed that, precisely because of this decrease in space, the fetus moved less, but now it has been established that this is absolutely not the case: it simply does it differently. It is in these weeks that in view of delivery the baby turns upside down, in cephalic presentation. Only a small part of the fetuses remain in breech presentation: in this case a caesarean section must be performed. Once the position is found, the fetus will no longer do somersaults, but will continue to move anyway. After the 36th week, the fetus will hardly change presentation.

It may happen that during pregnancy the fetus assumes unusual positions that can be annoying for the mother, especially if she is very thin. The baby may tuck hands and feet under the side or liver or press on the bladder or rectum. In these cases, the only thing you can try to relieve the discomfort or pain is to change position or do some stretching, hoping that the mother's stretching will encourage the baby to move a little.

The last weeks of gestation are the most delicate

Between the 35th and 40th week the movements are still well perceptible but they tend to change for reasons of space. Especially in these last weeks of pregnancy, the mother must be even more careful to recognize any oddities or anomalies.
Although the studies still give conflicting data on the real usefulness of monitoring fetal movements, it is in fact the only weapon we have to try to prevent any possible complication and what most frightens us, namely death in utero.

When to worry and how to behave

Especially in the third trimester, when the movements of the fetus are perfectly distinguishable, it is good for the mother to pay close attention to them.
If for more than two consecutive hours you do not feel any movement, then it is advisable to stop to eat something and rest, possibly lying on one side: this favors the flow of blood to the fetus. Most likely, within an hour at the most, the mother will soon begin to hear him again. If this does not happen, however, it is necessary to do a check.
Often there is nothing to worry about: sometimes, for example, it may happen that the amniotic fluid in the belly has shrunk, not making the mother feel the movements; still others the baby may have placed himself in such a position that the mother cannot hear him.
Or, as has already been said, often we future mothers are simply too busy, or something has distracted us and we do not always perceive the movements of our baby in the belly.
In other cases, however, it could be a symptom of disease: for example, for some reason, the fetus may have received less oxygen and nutrients, so it has grown less.
But if, in general, we realize that we have not felt any movement or that the usual pattern of movements has changed, we immediately call our gynecologist.

In summary, it is not a question, as it was done a few years ago, of counting the number of movements in a certain time interval, nor is there a threshold number beyond which to rest assured. Much more simply, it is about learning about the characteristics of your child's movement and becoming aware of it, without becoming a reason for stress.
If we mothers perceive a change in our baby's movements, we never postpone a checkup until the day after. Better to consult a specialist once more than one less.