Fetal movement is one of the markers of health conditions as well as fetal growth and development. Pregnant women can usually feel fetal movements when the gestational age has reached the second trimester or around that period.
Feeling the baby's first kick in the womb is one of the most awaited moments for almost every pregnant woman. Pregnant women generally begin to feel the movement of the fetus when the gestational age enters 18-25 weeks.
However, not all pregnant women will feel fetal movement at the same gestational age.
Some pregnant women begin to feel fetal movement at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy, but there are also pregnant women who feel fetal movement at a later gestational age.
Mothers who are pregnant for the second time or more may also be more sensitive to fetal movements when compared to mothers who are pregnant for the first time.
To ensure the condition of the fetus, every pregnant woman needs to regularly monitor the movement of the fetus by counting how many times the fetus moves every day.
Benefits of Counting Fetal Movements
Some fetuses may be more active in the morning, while others may be more active at other times. By studying and paying attention to fetal movements, pregnant women will know the habits and patterns of fetal movements every day.
In addition, by calculating fetal movements, pregnant women can also find out the health condition of the fetus in the womb and suspect early if the little one has a dangerous condition, such as fetal distress or the fetus dies in the womb (stillbirth).
In addition to knowing the health condition of the fetus, taking the time to calculate fetal movements can also forge an inner bond between pregnant women and their prospective baby.
How to Count Fetal Movements
As gestational age increases (usually in the second trimester of pregnancy), fetal movements will become stronger and more frequent.
This is because the size of the fetus is getting bigger and the fetus is starting to respond to activities from outside the womb, such as pregnant women's voices or strokes. It is at this time that pregnant women can start counting fetal movements.
Not only through fetal kicks, pregnant women can also feel the movement of the little one in the womb when he moves his hands or when he changes his body position. These fetal movements can be gentle or quite strong.
To ensure and calculate fetal movements, pregnant women can take the following steps:
- Choose the time of the most active fetal movement, for example at bedtime or after eating.
- When pregnant women are sure that the movement of the fetus is active, sit with your legs stretched out in front of you or you can lie on your side.
- Place your hands on the pregnant woman's stomach, feel the movement, and start to count the movements of the fetus.
- Make a note of how many times the fetus moves and at what time it moves in a day.
Fetal Movement Calculation Results
Pregnant women generally take 45 minutes to a maximum of 2 hours to be able to feel 10 fetal movements. If the fetal movement does not reach 10 times within 2 hours, pregnant women can try counting again the next day.
However, it is important to remember that pregnant women do not need to panic if within 1 day the fetus does not show any movement or only moves a little. This is a normal condition that occurs during the second trimester of pregnancy.
Irregular fetal movement patterns can be caused by a long fetal sleep or a fetal body position that makes it difficult to move.
Entering the final trimester of pregnancy, the movement of the fetus may be felt a little less because of the larger body size, so it is more difficult to move in the womb. However, a healthy fetus will remain consistently moving during this trimester.
If the pregnant woman has reached 25 weeks of gestation and has not felt any movement or if the normally active fetal movement suddenly decreases to less than 10 times in 2 consecutive days, immediately consult a gynecologist for this condition.
To ensure the condition of the fetus, the doctor will perform an ultrasound examination to detect the condition of the fetus and immediately take care if the condition of the little one has problems.
