Monitoring your baby’ s
movements during pregnancy
by Jessica Moran
During pregnancy there are many assessments that can be done to determine the wellbeing of your baby. These include ultrasounds, blood tests and listening to your baby’ s heart rate. While these tests are important, the best way to assess your baby’ s wellbeing each day is to monitor the movements that you feel.
A change in your baby’ s movements may indicate a potential problem in your pregnancy. It is important to understand your baby’ s normal movement pattern and to know what to do if you notice a change.
When do movements start? The first baby movements you feel when you are pregnant is known as‘ quickening’. These first movements may feel like tiny little flutters in your stomach. It is an incredibly exciting time of your pregnancy! These tiny little flutters will soon become stronger and you will start to feel your baby kick, stretch, turn and roll.
The first movements may be felt anywhere between 16 and 24 weeks, sometimes even earlier. It may depend on the position of your placenta, your body size, how much weight you have gained in your pregnancy and if it is your first pregnancy or not. Generally, women will feel movements earlier in their second or subsequent pregnancies. If you haven’ t
felt any movements by 24 weeks, please contact your midwife or obstetrician for advice.
When will the movements become regular? This will vary between women and between each pregnancy. Some women will notice regular movements quite early in their pregnancy, while other women may feel movements sporadically until later. By 24 weeks most women will notice regular movements and they will be able to recognise a familiar pattern to these movements.
Understanding your baby’ s regular pattern While in the womb, babies experience regular sleep and wake cycles, much like a newborn baby does. While your baby is asleep you may not feel any movements. In the womb a baby may sleep for 20 – 40 minutes, but rarely longer then 90 minutes. When your baby is awake you will experience lots of movements. All babies are unique, and they will all have different sleep / wake cycle patterns. It is important that you get to know your own baby’ s individual patterns.
Stillaware. org suggest that a good way to bond with your baby is to dedicate a specific time each day to sit down and focus on your baby’ s movements. They suggest picking a time that your baby is generally awake. While sitting with your legs up or laying on your side you can focus on your baby’ s movements. You may notice that your baby responds to your voice, to music, or to your touch.
By doing this each day in the third trimester you will understand your baby’ s movements and be able to identify any changes immediately.
What to do if you notice a change in movements? If you notice that your baby’ s movements are different to normal, then it is important to contact your midwife or obstetrician immediately.
Do not wait until the next day, call as soon as you notice. You may feel that the movements are not as regular or strong as normal, or you may feel frantic movements. Any changes to your baby’ s normal pattern should be recognised and you should call your healthcare provider immediately.
Why is it important? A baby who is healthy will continue with their normal pattern of movements. A change in movements may be the first sign that your baby is unwell. Therefore, it is important that if you notice a change in movements that you contact your healthcare provider immediately. In Australia, around 2500 women experience stillbirth each year. A lot of these women reported that they experienced a change in their baby’ s movements prior to their baby passing away.
12 KIDZ ON THE COAST