Fetal Movement

because yo may have gas :)

If you are expecting your first baby you can expect to feel your baby for the first time between 18 and 24 weeks gestation. If this is not your first baby you can expect to feel your baby a bit sooner than you felt your first. This is usually said to happen because you know what you're feeling for and your uterus is more stretched out than it was the first time around There may be reasons that you are not feeling movement as early as you are expecting to feel it. Many of these are normal occurrences, including your body weight, your baby's position and the location of the placenta. The second big milestone is when others can also feel the baby move. Your partner might be surprised by a quick thump here or there, after many weeks of patiently (or impatiently) waiting. A sibling might get a quick bump on the cheek or hand and be very excited about the reality of the new baby.

Some women may feel the baby kick frequently, and other women may not feel the baby kick at all at 20 weeks pregnant. Either is completely within the bounds of a normal pregnancy and nothing to worry about. Most practitioners (OBs, midwives) consider 24 weeks the standard deadline for when a woman should first feel fetal movement. So, while some women may feel movement far earlier (some report as early as 8 weeks), it isn't cause for concern if you haven't felt anything in week 20.

Fetal kick counts - counting the number of times the baby moves within a set period of time - generally aren't recommended/requested earlier than 24-26 weeks, since the baby is still small enough that you won't necessarily feel the majority of the baby's movements. Different practitioners have different guidelines for doing the kick counts. Some ask that you do them on a regular (often daily) basis, while others may say you only need to do them if you notice a decrease in fetal movement. Anywhere between 6 movements an hour to 10 movements in 2 hours is considered sufficient, normal movement. Keep in mind that all babies are unique - some may do 10 distinct movements in 2 minutes, while others may be less active and take the full 2 hours. You will get to know your baby's movement pattern and activity level over time.

As a note, despite the fact that they are called "kick counts", any movement the baby makes should be included. So, whether he or she kicks, punches, rolls over, or hiccoughs, it counts as a movement in the fetal kick count. Often it will be difficult or impossible to tell what type of movement the baby has just made, particularly earlier on in the pregnancy.

You will be able to touch your abdomen and begin to notice the increased size of your uterus usually around the same time that you begin to "show", near week 10 of most pregnancies. You may start to feel the movement of the baby around the fifth month (20 weeks). Women who are overweight usually don't feel it as soon as smaller women, but most will feel the movement, pokes, and kicks by week 21.

Feels pretty much like a pop. Sometimes you can actually see your stomach popping up and down depending on how often the fetus kicks or move.

if the baby is in the right position a sonographer can usually tell what the sex is at your 22 week sonogram. they say if you carry the baby high it is a girl and if you carry a baby low it is a boy. that was how it was for me , but i wouldn't rely on it. with my son i carried really low and all out front and with my daughter i carried high and wide( she is the reason i now have love handles) also alot of women "just know". trust your instincts!!!!

The baby grows in the mother's womb for nine months before it is ready to be born.

Babies kick in response to many of the same things that adult humans or animals kick. Some of it is involuntary movements. The rest can be reactions to stimulation, hunger, pain, etc. Experts also believe that the movements "in utero" (in the womb or uterus) help the developing fetus develop muscle strength. Animal babies show more muscle strength in the weeks after being born than human babies show, because animal babies grow much faster than humans.

If a fetus (animal or human) never moved in the uterus, it would not have put its growing muscles to use, so the muscles would be very weak. If a baby animal or human is born with undeveloped or underdeveloped muscle TONE, the baby could die because it needs respiratory muscles in order to breath. Babies with flaccid (no tone) muscles would not be able to scoot toward its mother (ex. kittens and puppies), so that baby would not get fed and would die without food, mother's warmth, and mother's attention. Human babies born with flaccid muscles would have trouble nursing or sucking on a bottle and could have digestive and respiratory problems from lack of muscle tone. As human babies grow, if it had flaccid muscles, it would not be able to hold its head up, roll over, or begin to crawl.

So, in a sense, human and animal fetuses use the time in the uterus to build muscles-- it's like they are in their own little swimming pool and getting exercise!

yes and its terrible!

You should be able to feel your baby move between 16-20weeks. if this isn't your first pregnancy then you will be able to distinguish 'baby' movement even earlier

From my experience, the baby may not move all the time, when I thought something was wrong I would lie on my bed and turn side to side then lay on my back and just lay there for a while, eventually she would move. If its been more than 4 days I would talk to your doctor just to be safe.

I'm not trying to frighten anyone but I lost a baby at six months. With my second child, I was told to call if I don't feel movement within twenty four hours. You should do a kick check. Drink something with sugar in it and within an hour if you don't feel movement, wait a bit and call the doctor. I would lay still and the baby would be active. When you are super active, you don't always feel kicking. You activity makes the baby sleep. For most women, myself included, my babies were active at night when I tried to sleep. But if you feel nothing in 24 hours call your doctor or go to the emergency.

Oncew the baby's heart starts beating it stays more or less the same until after it is born. It can be anywhere from 120-160 and it varies over the day.

I am 20 years old and pregnant with twins. This is my first pregnancy and I started to feel some fetal movement at 17w. It wasn't strong or very frequent, but it was definitely there. It felt like butterflies in my lower abdomen. I'm not 22w pregnant, and they kick me all over!

yes. It doesn't mean that your going to have the baby early it just means that the baby is getting ready. My 2nd daughter got in the head down position and stayed that way at 16 weeks. It just depends on the baby.

Most women start to feel the baby move around 13 to 16 weeks of pregnancy. If a person is very thin, they may feel it before.

The "baby drop" is officially called lightning....when it happens depends on how many times you have been in labor. For first time mom's lightning can happen up to two weeks before labor begins.....if you have had at least one child previously lightning usually happens once labor begins or in the first stage of labor.

You won't feel many movements at 21 weeks, maybe small flutters or kicks. Later on, around week 24, movements will be stronger. You should feel 10 movements every six hours. Your doctor may recommend you do kick counts to confirm the baby is healthy. If you are worried about lack of movement in your fetus, call your doctor.

Nope - breathing is the action of drawing air into the lungs, and expelling waste gasses. Whilst in the womb, the developing foetus draws all the oxygen it needs from the placenta.

Yes, (and congratualtions! )

I started feeling movements around the fourth month. They start like soft little flicks in your abdomen.

21 weeks is at the very lowest limit of survival, only one or two babies in the world have lived Each additional day adds to the baby's chances. Babies born under 28 weeks and living also have a very high chance of ongoing medical problems and disability.

It is possible for one to feel movement very early on in a pregnancy. I am currently pregnant with my third child and am 9 weeks and have felt a fluttering sensation. I will say that having a previous pregnancy you will be more sensitive very early on. It depends on your body and experience.

all people are different. my ob said that you usually feel light flutters around 16-19 wks. then the kicking should begin 20-23 wks.

I have had 4 children and this is normal , if your wife busy doing other things she may not notice until she sits down or lays down to relax , unless she has noticed that the baby has not moved in 24/48 hours i would see the midwife as soon as possible so she/he can have the baby monitored just to make sure that everything is OK.

This will then put your mind at ease , if you are concerned at all and just want some reassurance see the midwife anyway and she/he may give your wife a kick chart so that she can monitor and record the movements herself and take it back on the next midwife appointment.