The baby in the stomach is very active: possible reasons for the baby's active behavior and what to do

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Every pregnant woman expects the first movements of her baby with special trepidation. This is the main proof of the well-being of the child and his viability. That is why expectant mothers worry about whether the baby is comfortable in the stomach, whether he receives enough oxygen, whether he moves too much. In our article, we will dwell in detail on the situation when the child is very active in the stomach. We will pay special attention to the reasons for this behavior of the baby and talk about how to help him calm down faster.

When does the baby start moving in the belly?

Despite modern methods of diagnosing a fetus, movements are perhaps the main confirmation of its normal development and growth. Usually, the expectant mother begins to feel them in the fifth month of pregnancy. But in fact, the child begins to move much earlier.

On the eighth weekPregnancy begins to lay the nervous system of the fetus. By this time, he already has muscle tissue, which is excited by nerve impulses. The first motor reflexes caused by contractions of nerve endings are observed in the fetus from the end of the eighth week of pregnancy. Thus, in the uterus, the baby begins to move quite early, although unconsciously. In addition, there is still quite a lot of space in the fetal bladder and the embryo swims freely in it, without touching its walls.

At about 16 weeks of gestation, the baby begins to react with movements to sounds, especially to the voice of his mother. With each subsequent week, the fetal movement only intensifies. At 18 weeks, he is already touching the umbilical cord, covering his face with his hands and making other simple movements.

The date when a woman can say for sure that the baby in her stomach is moving very actively is individual for each pregnant woman. This happens between 18 and 22 weeks. It all depends on the sensitivity threshold of each particular woman. With each subsequent week, the movements become more intense and clear. According to them, a pregnant woman can judge whether the baby is growing and developing normally in the uterus, whether he receives enough nutrition and oxygen.

How does the expectant mother feel?

For a pregnant woman to feel the first movements, the baby must hit the wall of the uterus hard enough. At the same time, the sensations of the expectant mother will be barely noticeable. They can be compared to the movements of a small fish orthe flutter of a butterfly. But from that moment on, the woman becomes the very “sensor” that allows you to control the state of the baby in the stomach.

The first movements of the baby do not have a clear coordination, but over time they acquire a certain meaning and meaning. In many ways, the frequency of fetal movements depends on the activity of the mother and on the time of day. On average, a five-month-old baby in the womb makes up to 60 movements daily.

From about 24 weeks, the movements of the baby become clearer, and in the third trimester you can even see how the stomach moves. The movements feel more like the movements of a newborn. Most women call them very nice.

In the long term, the expectant mother often feels pain in the hypochondrium when the baby moves. This is not a deviation from the norm. It is enough to change the position of the body and the movements will become moderate. If the active movements of the fetus in this case will cause pain to the woman, it is recommended to inform the doctor about it.

Intensity of movements and fetal well-being

From the moment the expectant mother felt the first movements of the baby in her stomach, she must constantly listen and control them. The complete cessation of movement within 12 hours is a very alarming signal. At the 6th month of pregnancy, the fetus should make 10-15 movements per hour if it is in the waking stage. At the same time, the baby can sleep for a long time, about three hours in a row. Experienced mothers know what to do in this case. If you hold your breath for a few seconds or eat a piece of chocolate, then the baby usually wakes up andstarts to become active. Fears in a pregnant woman should cause complete rest of the fetus during the day. In this case, you need to see a doctor so that he can listen to the baby's heart rate or do an ultrasound.

Experiences of the expectant mother can be associated not only with a lull in the stomach, but also with why the child is active, and more precisely, why he moves more than usual. First of all, this may be due to the uncomfortable position that the woman took (sitting, cross-legged, lying on her back), in which insufficient oxygen is supplied to the child. In this case, you need to change the position. If after 1-2 hours the activity of the child does not decrease, you should consult a doctor.

Thus, the expectant mother should be alerted by both the excessive activity of the fetus and its weak movements. But there should be no reason to panic. It's just another reason to see a specialist.

Test to determine the number of movements

From the 28th week of pregnancy, the expectant mother must take control of the child's activity. Such a test is carried out 2 times a day (morning and evening) and consists in performing a simple sequence of actions. Mom needs to count the number of movements during a certain period of time and write them down. The test is performed in the following sequence:

1. Mom writes down the time of the first movement (for example, 9 a.m.).
2. The woman captures all the movements of the fetus, including light kicks and coups.
3. As soon as 10 movements are recorded, countstops. As a result, the time interval from the first to the last push should be about 20 minutes. This indicates good fetal activity.
4. If a pregnant woman does not feel the baby move for an hour, she is recommended to have a snack with a chocolate bar or drink sweet tea, and then continue with the control count. If fetal activity remains low, a physician should be consulted.

It is worth noting that from 28 to 32 weeks the baby will move more actively than, for example, in later stages of pregnancy. This fact must also be taken into account when counting movements.

Why does the baby in the stomach move so much?

It is considered normal when a pregnant woman feels 10 clear movements during the day. At the same time, in the last weeks, kicks may be less obvious, their character changes. This is explained by the fact that by the end of pregnancy, the baby is already quite large and it is cramped in his stomach. If from 24 to 32 weeks a woman has more than 10-15 movements per day, she needs to see a doctor.

It should be noted that usually the baby in the belly is very active due to:

• hypoxia - lack of oxygen to the fetus;
• unstable emotional state of the expectant mother, overexcitation, stress;
• smoking, drinking and other bad habits;
• unbalanced diet.

Consumption of caffeine, overly spicy foods and other strong tasting foods negatively affectsthe emotional state of the baby, because of which he can move more strongly. To help the baby calm down, you should find out why the baby in the stomach is very active. In addition to the above reasons, the fetus reacts sharply to other factors occurring outside.

Influence of environmental factors on fetal activity

A baby in the womb is able to respond to what is happening in the environment by changing its habitual behavior. Factors contributing to this include:

• music and other sounds, noise;
• touches of future mom and dad;
• smells.

Most babies don't like loud noises they hear from outside. He responds to them with movements. Usually, the activity of the fetus increases in response to the loud sound of working power tools, too loud music, etc. As a rule, the child can be calmed only when the unpleasant sounds from outside subside. Psychologists recommend avoiding them during pregnancy.

At the same time, if the baby in the stomach is very active, you can quickly calm him down with the help of classical music. US scientists have proven that the works of Mozart or Vivaldi have a positive effect on the children's nervous system and intrauterine development. When listening to calm classical music, the baby easily calms down with mom.

After 24 weeks of pregnancy, fetal movements can be quite painful for the expectant mother. In this case, when the baby is very active in the stomach, dad's touch can calm him down. It is enough for him to put his hand on his stomach tothe baby was silent for a while. If the hand is not removed immediately, then the fetal tremors may even intensify, because babies in the womb love to play with new people whose touch they feel.

Baby's reaction to smells

Not only touches and sounds affect the motor activity of the baby. He also reacts to some unpleasant odors with strong movements, as if trying to turn away from them. It has been proven that the baby in the womb does not like the smell of chlorine, acetone, oil and acrylic paint, varnish, various solvents, etc.

The baby begins to move actively and when exposed to tobacco smoke. Nicotine has a strong negative effect on the fetus. Moreover, not only the direct smoking of the mother, but also the smell of smoke in the room have a negative effect on the intrauterine development of the child. In both the first and second cases, the child experiences oxygen starvation, and starting to move strongly, he tries to cope with hypoxia. It is enough for the mother to leave the smoky room for fresh air and the baby will immediately calm down.

Constant exposure to unpleasant odors adversely affects the intrauterine development of the fetus, prevents normal weight gain, oligohydramnios. That is why a pregnant woman should refuse to participate in repairs, cleaning with aggressive detergents and smoking.

Active stirring of the baby before childbirth

The greatest motor activity of the fetus is observed from 24 to 32 weeks, which is associated with the peculiarities of intrauterine development of the crumbs. The baby is growingdevelops and strives for knowledge of the surrounding world, which at the moment is limited for him by the walls of the uterus. In addition, already in the womb, the baby lives according to its own rhythm of life. During wakefulness, they become more active, while during sleep there is a lull. Over time, the expectant mother will learn to understand the established routine of the baby's day.

On the eve of his birth, the child usually calms down. He still moves daily, but his movements become less intense and infrequent. He can roll over, kick his mother with his legs and arms, but he will not be able to roll over on his own. Among pregnant women, there is a sign according to which, if the baby stops moving actively, then childbirth is very close. At 40 weeks, the baby has very little space left in the uterus. If even at this time the child moves very actively in the stomach, then such behavior is an exception to the rule and it should alert the expectant mother.

Usually, intense fetal movements before childbirth indicate some kind of discomfort or oxygen starvation. In this case, if the child is very active in the abdomen, it is recommended that the pregnant woman go out into the fresh air and take a walk. If this does not help and the movements are still strong, the woman is advised to consult a doctor. At this time, the risk of oxygen starvation is quite high and carries a great danger to the fetus.

How to determine that hypoxia has begun?

When changing the nature of fetal movements, their frequency and intensity, it is recommendedultrasound or cardiotocography. But for starters, it will be enough to contact the attending obstetrician-gynecologist, who will be able to listen to the baby's heart rhythms. It has been proven that if a child does not receive enough oxygen, his behavior in the stomach becomes restless, and his heart rate increases. Together with other parameters, excessive fetal activity allows the doctor to diagnose the initial stage of intrauterine hypoxia. The reasons for this condition can be different:

• complications during pregnancy;
• Rhesus conflict;
• intrauterine diseases of the fetus;
• anemia of the future mother, diabetes, cardiovascular disease.

The state when the child moves very actively in the stomach refers to the initial stage of hypoxia. At this point, the heart rate increases by an average of 15 beats per minute. With progressive hypoxia, a weakening or cessation of his movements occurs.

To determine the condition of the fetus is used:

• ultrasound diagnostics - the thickness of the placenta, the amount of amniotic fluid, the position of the umbilical cord, the size of the baby are assessed;
• doplerometry - this method allows you to study the blood flow between the placenta and the fetus;
• cardiotocography - with the help of special sensors you can monitor the baby's heartbeat, breathing and movements.

To prevent oxygen starvation, the expectant mother is recommended to have more rest and walk in the fresh air.

How to help a very active child settle down in the tummy?

If during the day fetal movements rarely cause discomfort to the expectant mother, especially if she is on the move all day, then at night they can become the main cause of insomnia. In order to calm down a child who is very active in the abdomen, a pregnant woman should take the following measures:

1. Outdoor walks. They are needed to prevent oxygen starvation and excessive fetal activity. If it is not possible to walk before going to bed, then thorough ventilation of the room will be enough. Also, a good prevention of hypoxia is gymnastics and various warm-ups.
2. Change in body position. Often the increased activity of the fetus can be caused by the uncomfortable position of the mother. Sometimes a simple rollover from back to side helps to cope with strong movements of the baby in the stomach.
3. Removing the source of stress. The emotional connection between mother and baby is very close, so it is no coincidence that he reacts sharply to her mood. A balanced mother and a baby grow more calm.
4. Listening to soothing music. Classical music and a gentle parental voice have a positive effect on the condition of the fetus.
5. Balanced nutrition. The food a mother eats during pregnancy should be he althy. Preservatives, caffeine, flavorings excite the fetal nervous system. They should be avoided during pregnancy.
6. Reception of soothing herbal teas and decoctions. Black tea, rich in caffeine, during pregnancy is better to replace with a herbal drink withmint or lemon balm.
7. Establishing contact with the child. Rhythmic stroking movements on the abdomen soothe the baby. This should be taken into account if the baby is very active in the stomach at night. The warmth of his mother's hands will help him calm down faster.