Table of contents:
- How to recognize fetal movements in the womb?
- When is it necessary to start counting fetal movements?
- How to calculate fetal movement
- Choose the right time
- Find a comfortable position
- Periodically count fetal movements
- Consultation with a gynecologist
When entering pregnancy, fetal movement may be the most eagerly awaited. However, sometimes you don't know what normal movement looks like and how to calculate it. The following is an explanation of this.
How to recognize fetal movements in the womb?
Like humans, the fetus in the womb also makes various movements. This movement is then often referred to as a kick.
Fetal movement or kicks are an indicator of the health of the baby in the womb. Normal movement indicates that the fetus is in good health, while unusual movement indicates that the baby is under stress or there may be other problems in the womb.
To find out whether the movement of the fetus is normal or not, every pregnant woman needs to recognize and calculate the movement pattern of her fetus every day. The reason is, each fetus has its own movement patterns, such as when it is actively moving, when it is sleeping, and how strong its movements are.
However, pregnant women also need to remember, fetal movement also depends on gestational age. So, don't be surprised when the bigger the mother's stomach, the more the movement will be felt.
When is it necessary to start counting fetal movements?
Basically, the fetus starts moving at 12 weeks of gestation. However, at this age, the baby in the womb is still too small for you to feel its movements yet.
At 16 weeks pregnant, you may already feel a tremor from the stomach. However, it is still difficult for you to determine whether the vibration is definitely a moving baby.
Only at the age of 20 weeks of pregnancy, you can begin to recognize a small kick from the womb. Then at 24 weeks of gestation, the movement will be more pronounced. In fact, you can even begin to recognize rhythmic movements, which usually occur when the baby in your womb is hiccupping.
At 28 weeks of gestation, fetal movements will be more frequent, it can even make you short of breath. It is at this gestational age, you should start counting fetal movements to find out whether your baby's development in the womb is normal or not.
At 36 weeks pregnant, the baby in the womb will get bigger so that the space for your baby to move will be narrower. Thus, your baby's movements may slow down a little.
How to calculate fetal movement
When the gestational age has entered the 28th week, then how to calculate the movement? Here's how to calculate fetal movements that are easy to find out if your baby is healthy or not.
We will start counting, choose the time when the baby is actively moving in your womb. If you are confused about determining, choose a time after you eat sweet foods or cold drinks or after you do physical activity. Babies in the womb are usually active at 9.00 at night to 01.00 in the morning.
Before starting, find a comfortable position. Some mothers prefer to sit with their hands holding their stomach or some prefer to lie on their side facing to the left. It depends on you, but lying to the left is a sleeping position for pregnant women that can help improve your blood circulation and also make the baby more active.
As per the recommendations of the American Congress of Obstetriticians and Gynecologists (ACOG), calculating fetal movements is done by recording how long it took your fetus to make 10 movements.
Ideally, you will feel these 10 movements in 2 hours or less, depending on the baby. Do this every day to see if there are significant changes in your baby's movement patterns. You can write it down.
If for two hours there is no 10 movements in your fetus, try again a few hours later. If there are still no signs, you should immediately consult a gynecologist. Consultation with an obstetrician is also necessary if there are significant changes in the movement pattern of your baby in the womb, for 3-4 days.
In addition to this calculation method, you can also consult with an obstetrician to find out how to calculate other fetal movements.
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