Important things that all mums should know regarding movements:
- Movement may be fairly erratic until around 24 weeks when a consistent pattern should become more obvious. If you have not felt your baby move by this time, let you midwife know, she will refer you for a well- being scan.
- Movements can be anything from kicks, punches, rolls, swishes and stretches but NOT hiccups as these are involuntary movements.
- There is no set amount of movements that is “normal” for an unborn baby, it is important to get to know their individual pattern. It’s common for people to think that 10 movements a day is adequate but that has been proven to be an inaccurate way of monitoring movement. For an active baby who usually moves 40 times a day, 10 movements would be a significant decrease.
- Movement should be recorded in episodes, not each individual movement you feel. For example, 5 minutes of constant movement counts as one episode of movement.
- Your baby's movements will gradually increase until around 32 weeks when they will plateau but NOT reduce. The type of movement that you feel may change, as baby gets bigger stretching movements are more common, but the pattern should remain the same.
- Always call your midwife straight away if there is a significant reduction or increase in baby’s movement or if you ever feel uneasy.
Content courtesy of Count The Kicks
