How many weeks does fetal movement begin?

When you first hear the sound of the baby moving in your belly, you will have a very happy feeling. Because every mother's physical fitness is different, the time when she feels the fetal movement is also different. Generally speaking, fetal movement can only be felt slowly after five months of pregnancy. At the beginning, it is a very light sound, and the mother can hardly perceive that it is the movement of the fetus. When the baby is eight or nine months old, the fetal movement will become more obvious.

The onset of fetal movement

Every mother has a different physique, so the fetal movement will be slightly different. Some bodies are more sensitive and can feel the fetal movement very early, but others need to feel the fetal movement later. This is normal.

Generally speaking, most mothers can feel obvious fetal movements after 18 weeks of pregnancy, and the number of times the fetus stretches its hands, kicks its legs, and hits the uterine wall in the uterus gradually increases; and the 28-38 weeks of pregnancy is the most active period of fetal movement.

Normal number of fetal movements

Normal obvious fetal movements are no less than 3 to 5 times per hour; the number of obvious fetal movements in 12 hours is about 30 to 40 times or more. However, due to individual differences between fetuses, some fetuses may move more than 100 times within 12 hours. As long as the fetal movement is regular, rhythmic, and does not change much, it means that the fetal development is normal.

What does fetal movement feel like?

The feeling of fetal movement at different stages is different.

The fetal movements during the 18th to 20th week of pregnancy are very light, almost imperceptible, like a gentle touch.

Starting from the 20-24 week period, the number of fetal movements will gradually increase. The second trimester is a period of very active fetal movement. The baby keeps kicking and somersaulting in the mother's belly, and the mother can feel the baby's movements becoming stronger and stronger.

At 24-28 weeks, the mother may feel her stomach jumping intermittently, which is the baby hiccups. Now there is enough amniotic fluid in the pregnant mother's amniotic sac, and the fetus can move freely in the uterus. In addition, the fetus can already hear external sounds at this time, so the mother may feel the fetus move suddenly from time to time due to external sound stimulation.

Generally speaking, starting from the 28th week of pregnancy, the fetus will develop a more regular rhythm of life and will have cycles of sleep and wakefulness. As the baby grows bigger, its range of movement in the uterus is limited, so mothers will find that the baby's big rolling movements are no longer as frequent. This is normal.

Position of fetal movement

Each fetus has a different fetal movement position in the expectant mother's belly, and is constantly moving, sometimes moving from the left to the right, or from the right to the left. Generally speaking, the uterus will rotate to the right to varying degrees after pregnancy, so pregnant mothers may often feel fetal movements on the right side, which is normal.

Importance of fetal movement

The source of nutrition for the fetus' growth and development in the uterus is the mother's blood. Nutrients, oxygen and metabolic products are exchanged between mother and child through the placenta attached to the inner wall of the mother's uterus and the umbilical cord connected to it. The number, speed, strength, etc. of fetal movements often indicate the safety of the fetus. Therefore, people call fetal movement a sign of fetal safety.

Normal fetal movement indicates that the placenta is functioning well, that the fetus is receiving sufficient oxygen, and that the fetus is developing healthily in the uterus. However, if the fetal movement exceeds the normal number of times within a period of time, the fetal movement is frequent, or the number of fetal movements decreases significantly until it stops, this is a sign that the fetus is suffering from severe hypoxia in the uterus and must be treated with caution.