Feeling baby move.
Have you felt them move yet? Ben had been asked this a lot, I am sure many pregnant people can relate to how this question can be a great thing or very frustrating.
There are many different guild lines to when and what stage in ones pregnancy that movements should first be felt. Many are made to feel concerned that they have not yet felt movement or that something is wrong if someone else has felt movements by a certain week and you have not. alternatively if someone else seems to feel the baby more then you feel yours, resulting in panic and stress. This causes distress at foremost but on the other hand if you are worried always go and get checked. Midwives will always tell people to come in if they feel that movements have reduced or they are worried about a change or lack of movements. They will always see you and monitor baby just to make sure everything is okay.
But other people and our own worried minds are our worse enemy. so these are some things we have experienced, or learnt.
advise about fetal movements from Tommy's-
Fetal movements can be anything from flutters, kicks, rolls and twists. which will progress and change through the pregnancy. Most people feel something between 18-24 weeks, if it is your first pregnancy you may not notice early flutters and might not feel movements until more then 20+ weeks pregnant. While some who have previously been pregnant might feel it early on because, they know what to feel for. However ever pregnancy is different, meaning it will depend on your own baby's pattern that your will get to know further into the pregnancy. This is what your should compare; what is normal for your baby, not other people's babies.
A few things can affect feeling the baby's movements regularly, if you are active and busy, providing that you make time to lay down, to concentrate on the baby's movements, meanwhile laying down a lot for example, when on bed rest, this can make the baby less active. Another reason is if your placenta is at the front of the uterus, it may not be easy to feel the baby's movements. since it cushions their kicks. This is very common but, not well spoken about or explained by medical professionals. If your baby is also laying with their back at the front of the uterus, you may feel fewer movements but get a sore back and the kicks are towards your back not belly. Nonetheless you should never assume this is why you can not feel the baby's movements. Do not rely on home Doppler to check the baby's heartbeat yourself. This can give false reassurance and midwives will advise against these. While people do use them, we have used one ourselves but they should not be used regularly and never as self diagnosis, only as bonding. We always go and get checked and do not use Doppler instead of being checked. This is because professions know what they are looking for, if your not trained the noises of the blood vessels, the cord, placenta and the fluid or even your own heartbeat can be confused for the baby's, giving false reassurance. Being that the baby is still so small, with lots of room to move around finding their heartbeat could be hard. Causing people to panic when everything is actually fine.
If you think your baby's movements have slowed down, stopped or changed contact your midwife or maternity unit immediately. It is always best to get checked, where you will be monitored, have other checks, like blood pressure, urine sample and the baby's heart rate checked. You may be sent for more checks or an ultrasound if needed. While in most cases reduced movements, or changes in patterns present that the baby is okay, always go get check! Reduced or no movements passed 24 weeks could be an early sign that baby is unwell, hence early treatment could save the baby. Never wait until morning whatever time of day or if you are worried go get checked immediately!!
additionally others can also make you more concerned or worries when their is no need to be. We have experienced this ourselves, as early as 16 weeks when we first went into hospital preparing for surgery. We had midwives asking Ben if he has felt movements yet. This automatically made him think am I meant to feel it by now, that something is wrong especially when being asked by medical professionals. Not just everyday people or reading online that others are feeling movements early. I could tell Ben was a little worried, by being constantly asked this by each nurse or midwife that cared for us during that week. Although technically this was his second pregnancy they just assumed he should feel something by now. Yes, while this was Ben's second pregnancy, he did not feeling anything with Nico as he was born sleeping far to early and too small for Ben to start feeling him kick. bearing this in mind he did not know what to expect or what these movements would feel like. Everyone was telling him oh they are just flutters, like butterflies or pop corn, little swipes across the inside. So this worried him the further we went on and he was still not feeling any movements.
Nevertheless knowing it was still early and that he would feel it when baby was ready. On our scan's the baby was jumping, turning and kicking so much, even at our private scan the sonographier said that the baby was so active, that when Ben does start to feel them they will never stop wiggling. That is was normal to still not feel anything at 18 weeks even for second time pregnancies. As it depends on where baby is and where the placenta is. Ben's placenta seemed to be at the front of the baby and they were right up against it. The placenta was more then likely cushioning the small subtle movements too.
Evan by 20 weeks he had still not felt anything and everyone was still asking if he felt any kicks, when reading on some of the pregnancy apps or books stating you should be feeling baby move, that they will be stronger and more regular. Yet he had not felt or had not noticed if he had any flutters. This would put pressure and anxieties for most people more so first time parents or high risk pregnancy's like ours. We knew anyhow that is was common, nothing to worry about. concluding this; we wanted to highlight that it is okay to not feel movements or regular patterns before 24 weeks. of course if you do and they reduce, change or worried at all go seek medical advise or go get checked.
On various forums or Facebook pages I am on I see people so worried that they have not felt movements or they get a flutter then do not feel anything for a while, which is all fine so early on. That while some people say they feel movements well before 16 weeks this could be gas, the waters moving or just muscle. It could be early flutters caused by the baby despite this it is also common to not feel anything past 20 weeks or before 24.
Eventually Ben did feel small flutters, he was 20 weeks and 4 days. After a trip to the hospital the night before due to pain, he did try to lay and concentrated on feeling the baby but had no luck. He then got up, went to the toilet before having breakfast, to lay on the sofa. He did move around a bit, which I think helped since most of the time he is laying down. Later that morning, I was blogging and Ben was googling baby stuff, he had his phone resting on his belly when he felt what was like a swipes along the inside of his tummy, right where his phone was. It was like the baby knew and our rainbow was giving us a sign, letting us know they were there. Either agreeing or disagree at whatever Ben was looking at. He got two more little flutters, that shocked him so he then knew what people were explaining about feeling flutters. This was so special his first proper sign that rainbow is moving round in there. Now we can not wait for our scan in 4 days, and for more regular movements, until I can feel our baby kick too. I have never felt this and although other people around me are pregnant I have avoided feeling a baby kick because I want my baby to be the first movements that I feel. It will make it even more special.
A few things can affect feeling the baby's movements regularly, if you are active and busy, providing that you make time to lay down, to concentrate on the baby's movements, meanwhile laying down a lot for example, when on bed rest, this can make the baby less active. Another reason is if your placenta is at the front of the uterus, it may not be easy to feel the baby's movements. since it cushions their kicks. This is very common but, not well spoken about or explained by medical professionals. If your baby is also laying with their back at the front of the uterus, you may feel fewer movements but get a sore back and the kicks are towards your back not belly. Nonetheless you should never assume this is why you can not feel the baby's movements. Do not rely on home Doppler to check the baby's heartbeat yourself. This can give false reassurance and midwives will advise against these. While people do use them, we have used one ourselves but they should not be used regularly and never as self diagnosis, only as bonding. We always go and get checked and do not use Doppler instead of being checked. This is because professions know what they are looking for, if your not trained the noises of the blood vessels, the cord, placenta and the fluid or even your own heartbeat can be confused for the baby's, giving false reassurance. Being that the baby is still so small, with lots of room to move around finding their heartbeat could be hard. Causing people to panic when everything is actually fine.
If you think your baby's movements have slowed down, stopped or changed contact your midwife or maternity unit immediately. It is always best to get checked, where you will be monitored, have other checks, like blood pressure, urine sample and the baby's heart rate checked. You may be sent for more checks or an ultrasound if needed. While in most cases reduced movements, or changes in patterns present that the baby is okay, always go get check! Reduced or no movements passed 24 weeks could be an early sign that baby is unwell, hence early treatment could save the baby. Never wait until morning whatever time of day or if you are worried go get checked immediately!!
additionally others can also make you more concerned or worries when their is no need to be. We have experienced this ourselves, as early as 16 weeks when we first went into hospital preparing for surgery. We had midwives asking Ben if he has felt movements yet. This automatically made him think am I meant to feel it by now, that something is wrong especially when being asked by medical professionals. Not just everyday people or reading online that others are feeling movements early. I could tell Ben was a little worried, by being constantly asked this by each nurse or midwife that cared for us during that week. Although technically this was his second pregnancy they just assumed he should feel something by now. Yes, while this was Ben's second pregnancy, he did not feeling anything with Nico as he was born sleeping far to early and too small for Ben to start feeling him kick. bearing this in mind he did not know what to expect or what these movements would feel like. Everyone was telling him oh they are just flutters, like butterflies or pop corn, little swipes across the inside. So this worried him the further we went on and he was still not feeling any movements.
Nevertheless knowing it was still early and that he would feel it when baby was ready. On our scan's the baby was jumping, turning and kicking so much, even at our private scan the sonographier said that the baby was so active, that when Ben does start to feel them they will never stop wiggling. That is was normal to still not feel anything at 18 weeks even for second time pregnancies. As it depends on where baby is and where the placenta is. Ben's placenta seemed to be at the front of the baby and they were right up against it. The placenta was more then likely cushioning the small subtle movements too.
Evan by 20 weeks he had still not felt anything and everyone was still asking if he felt any kicks, when reading on some of the pregnancy apps or books stating you should be feeling baby move, that they will be stronger and more regular. Yet he had not felt or had not noticed if he had any flutters. This would put pressure and anxieties for most people more so first time parents or high risk pregnancy's like ours. We knew anyhow that is was common, nothing to worry about. concluding this; we wanted to highlight that it is okay to not feel movements or regular patterns before 24 weeks. of course if you do and they reduce, change or worried at all go seek medical advise or go get checked.
On various forums or Facebook pages I am on I see people so worried that they have not felt movements or they get a flutter then do not feel anything for a while, which is all fine so early on. That while some people say they feel movements well before 16 weeks this could be gas, the waters moving or just muscle. It could be early flutters caused by the baby despite this it is also common to not feel anything past 20 weeks or before 24.
Ben felt movements.
Top Tip:
Get to know your own babies movements, patterns and what is normal for you not others. Stay calm and rest by lay on your left side and concentrate on feeling your baby, eat or drink something cold and remember babies have periods of sleep in the womb but if you are worried at all then seek medical assistance immediately. DO NOT WAIT.
References:
(Written at 20 weeks)
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