Early fetal movements
One of the most exciting and fascinating moments of pregnancy is certainly the moment in which i is anticipated baby's first movements, their "soccer".
Many women ask me questions about it because, beyond what may seem obvious, it is not so easy to recognize and distinguish these movements.
20 PHOTOS
Ultrasound during pregnancy: what do you see?
During the nine months of pregnancy, the expectant mother will have to undergo various ultrasound scans. Here's what you will be able to see
In medical language these movements are called MAF ie active fetal movements. If you look at the ultrasound reports that are released you will find this wording, and it indicates that there were movements while the gynecologist was doing the ultrasound even if you may not have perceived it.
Starting from the beginning of the adventure, one of the most frequent questions I am asked is: when should I start feeling my baby kick?
There is no precise date, a precise week in which all women perceive the movements of the baby. Let's say that statistically most women say they have perceived the first movement between the 16 and the 20 weeks, i.e. at 4 -5 months of pregnancy.
As you can see there are three weeks of difference, this is due to several factors, for example if the mother is not used to listening to her body and its movements (this happens in 90% of cases) it could be difficult to identify a movement.
Read also: Video: the movements of the child
My advice in this case is to start in the evening to stop, in silence, and concentrate on the different parts of the body to understand if they move and how they do it. The heart, the breath, the stomach, up to the intestine and the uterus.
But how does the baby's movement manifest itself and how often?
In reality, the baby's movements begin long before the fourth month but his size and the amplitude of the movements he makes do not allow mothers to be able to perceive them.
However, since the baby begins to assume more abundant dimensions, these movements begin to be felt. Initially it may be that you are not sure if it is a bowel movement, a small muscle cramp or a movement of the baby, just because you have never felt it.
Children usually have some regularity in moving and prefer the evening, or in any case the late afternoon. So if in this period of time you feel some strange bumps or small cramps in the area of the pubic bone or just above it, know that it could be your baby.
15 PHOTOSThe fetus in the nine months of pregnancy
Photos of the fetus during the nine months of pregnancy
As pregnancy progresses, acquiring too volume the baby, these footballs will become much more recognizable and sometimes, especially in the third trimester, it is possible by looking at the belly to see the baby's movements. He will not lose his rhythm, that is, if he is a child who moves a lot in the morning and less at lunchtime, so it will happen for the entire duration of the pregnancy with slight variations.
All projects end of pregnancy the baby's movements will no longer be as large as in the fifth month due to the size reached, significantly reducing the space available. For this reason, about a month from the end it is also said that it will hardly change the position (ie if it is breech it will very likely remain breech and if it is cephalic it will remain turned head).
However, this does not mean that the movements will disappear because children need to "stretch" their legs and arms. To understand a part of the motivation that pushes a baby to move, imagine being contained in a fetal position for 24 hours a day in a rather rigid balloon and close enough to you, after some time surely some pins and needles, you are uncomfortable, try to turn around or move just enough to not feel more discomfort. The same thing do babies in the belly.
Read also: Baby's movements in the bellyTo this we must add that in some moments close to the term of pregnancy, especially cephalic babies, they try what will be the movements to be made during labor and delivery to be born. Then they turn their heads, bend and straighten their legs by pushing on the bottom and walls of the uterus (which also triggers contractions or a sensation of pain in the mother).
Is it necessary to keep track of fetal movements and mark them somewhere?
From a purely clinical point of view I would say no, it is not necessary to mark them with absolute precision as, for example, you are asked to do sometimes for contractions.
As a midwife, however, I recommend notice the movements, that is, to pay attention to when the child moves and also how he moves. This is because movement being an indicator of the fact that the baby is fine, if the mother is attentive, she can detect when the baby does not move at all or very little. In that case I recommend going to the emergency room to carry out a control ultrasound or a monitoring of fetal well-being through cardiotocography. Sometimes it happens that they are excessive scruples, other times it manages to prevent tragic events.
Ultrasound during pregnancy: what do you see?
During the nine months of pregnancy, the expectant mother will have to undergo various ultrasound scans. Here's what you will be able to see
In my experience one or two days before the start of labor instead it happens that the child slightly reduces the amount of movements, does not stop it, but reduces it. This seems to be explained by the fact that as physical effort is also important for the baby, it is necessary to acquire as much energy as possible before labor.
I seem to have emphasized how important it is know the movements of the child, both to ensure vigilance over his health, and to live these moments with a smile, to create a relationship of acquaintance with your child already during pregnancy.
So please, moms, take the time to listen to the little person in your belly.
