Childbirth is one of the most vivid and unforgettable experiences in a woman's life, even despite the pain experienced during contractions. Does the child move during them? Let's try to understand these nuances together.

Why movement is important

Starting from the 16th week (and earlier in the second and subsequent pregnancies), expectant mothers experience indescribable sensations - the movements of the baby inside themselves. Previously, he was very tiny, and therefore his movements were not felt at all. But now he has grown up and is trying to push off the walls of his "house" - the uterus.

And with every day approaching childbirth, many pregnant women are more and more concerned about the question: does the baby move during contractions? We will be able to answer it later, but it is worth clarifying that by the time of birth the baby is already quite large, and it is more and more uncomfortable for him to move. But nevertheless should be felt daily throughout pregnancy. After all, this is a sign of his life.

The baby receives its first skills in the mother's stomach. For example, so that after childbirth he could take the breast correctly, nature endowed him with the need to suck his own finger. Developing the sucking reflex, the child has to learn how to move his hands correctly. Of course, at such moments, the mother will feel his movements. So, we conclude that movements are important and very necessary for the baby.

First stage of labor

And then the long-awaited day came when you entered the first phase of childbirth. You have started mild uterine contractions. So your baby will be born soon! Whether a child moves before contractions, every woman who has gone through this knows - no doubt, yes. But these are not the shocks that were a month ago.

The mother's stomach is cramped, so the baby moves only when necessary. There is an opinion that children calm down just before the birth. That is, they are not as active as before. While you are experiencing mild pain, you will be able to feel all the movements of the baby. But with the onset of the second phase of childbirth, things will be different.

active phase

The intervals between contractions become shorter and stronger. At the same time, the pain experienced by the woman in labor also increases. Now she will hardly be able to recognize if the baby is moving during contractions - the movements of the baby and the contraction of the uterus merge together.

By the way, at this very time the baby is in shock. He becomes scared, why, in such a calm until this moment, something unimaginable began? He tries to push off the anterior wall of the uterus with his legs. True, his mother is unlikely to be able to feel it - she is distracted by pain due to contractions.

And if the child began to manifest itself too actively in the mother's stomach, this may indicate a lack of oxygen for him. Doctors call this phenomenon hypoxia. Therefore, they always listen to their mother during labor and draw conclusions on this matter. It is worth contacting a doctor if you notice that the child is pushing much more than usual.

Does the baby move between contractions?

In the first birth phase, when the intervals between contractions are long, the movements of the baby are felt in full. The woman in labor may well control this process. However, in the second phase it is difficult to determine during contractions whether the child is moving. The baby, being an active participant in the birth process, is increasingly resting his head on the bottom of the uterus. A woman feels these movements, and even experiences cramps in the lower abdomen because of this.

You should not be afraid as soon as the child is born - the pain will be removed as if by hand. Some use the modern boon of epidural anesthesia. During her Bottom part the body becomes numb, and contractions are not felt at all. True, only a doctor can prescribe it. If there is no emergency, it is better to do without it and feel the whole birth process.

Usually between contractions, before the very attempts, the woman in labor does not have time to catch her breath before a new wave of pain. Of course, at this stage it is difficult for her to understand whether her baby is pushing or not.

And so that the expectant mother does not worry, doctors connect a special device that listens to the baby's heartbeat. So doctors will be able to monitor the condition of the baby in the prenatal period, even if he suddenly lurks and does not move.

Conclusion

Childbirth is not an easy process. It requires a lot of effort from a woman. Both physical and spiritual. Special exposure will come in handy for her during contractions. Does the baby move during this process? Now we know the exact answer - yes. But do not worry if the shocks are not as active as before.

Doctors are closely monitoring the condition of both participants: mother and baby. To make it easier for women emotionally, there is now a free service - the presence of a future father or grandmother at the birth. They will be able to help count the time between contractions and track the condition of the woman in labor.

Do not worry that you will not cope - your relatives are waiting for you home with a long-awaited baby. And you will still miss his movements!

How does the baby behave before birth? How does he feel, does he calm down, and what changes are taking place in his body in connection with the upcoming birth?

In recent weeks, the baby has hardly gained weight, he is already big, now nature is preparing him for an independent life, very soon he will have to breathe on his own, eat, and do many things that his mother's body did for him for 9 long months.

AT last days, the child calms down, as if sensing the impending big changes. Preparation for childbirth is accompanied by a decrease in the number amniotic fluid, which creates more and more tightness in the uterus. The position of the child is of great importance for the upcoming delivery. Approximately 2 weeks before childbirth, it becomes stable, as it will be by their beginning. Pressing the presenting part of the fetus to the pelvic bones fixes the baby, the child's activity before childbirth naturally subsides.

Since the stomach drops, now the baby does not hurt your ribs, however, the location of the child before childbirth is low, pressing against the pelvis, now more and more unpleasant pokes go to your bladder and perineum, this is not only painful, but it can also be cause of urinary incontinence.

The behavior of the child before childbirth largely depends on his condition. It is bad if he is too active, but there is nothing good in the complete absence of movements either. A woman should control the motor activity of the fetus, because it signals his well-being or not well-being. If the baby is actively moving before childbirth, this may indicate that he does not have enough oxygen. Fetal hypoxia is dangerous and often becomes an indication for urgent delivery, in severe cases even to caesarean section, so if the baby kicks a lot, you should inform the doctor about it. You will probably be prescribed a CTG to clarify the condition of the fetus, and based on the results of the examination, they will decide what to do next.

An active fetus is not always bad, so don't get upset if it bothers you in advance, just don't leave the symptom unattended.

Sometimes the baby's movement becomes so infrequent that it's frightening. future mother. If you do not hear the baby's movements or they are rare, do a Pearson test. The complete absence of movements for several hours in a row is a reason to urgently consult a doctor, and if they are still there, counting the movements will help you make sure that everything is fine even before a visit to the doctor.

The "count to 10" test is conducted as follows:

Draw a simple table in which mark the time from 9 am to 9 pm with an interval of half an hour and days of the week. We count the movements every day. From 9 in the morning we begin to count all the movements of the fetus, even the weakest. A series of perturbations is counted as 1 perturbation. Having counted 10 perturbations, we put a tick in front of the time in the table, and then you can no longer count on this day.

With the help of the test, you will understand whether the baby moves before childbirth and whether he is active enough. There should be at least 10 episodes of movements per day. The table allows you to track the activity of the baby day after day, and immediately catch that there are too few or too many movements.

The observing gynecologist is always interested in how the child moves before childbirth, he will only be happy if you start keeping such a diary, because the dynamics of movements accurately indicate the condition of the fetus and may become a signal for the need for additional examination.

Almost all women, without exception, say that the child before childbirth behaves less actively. And this despite the fact that he used to be very active. Of course, if the baby practically stopped moving in the middle of pregnancy, then this should have alarmed the woman and forced her to immediately consult a doctor.

In order not to panic about the baby moving before childbirth, every pregnant woman needs to know when it is considered normal that a previously active child begins to calm down before childbirth, and when this is really a cause for concern.

Why does the baby calm down before giving birth?

There are several reasons why a baby begins to calm down shortly before delivery.

1. There is much less free space in the uterus, and the child has grown quite a lot and can no longer perform all those somersaults that he did before. It also affects the fact that before childbirth, the uterus descends and is clamped by the pelvic bones of a woman.
2. The second reason that affects the activity of the child is that shortly before the birth, the nature of the baby's movements begins to change. The baby's head begins to gradually settle at the entrance of the small pelvis. At the same time, the baby begins to settle down exclusively strictly along the vertical axis, of course, with the exception of those cases when the baby initially occupies an incorrect presentation. It is worth noting that now most of the blows will fall on the bottom of the uterus, which means that the woman will not be able to feel all of them due to the fact that this part of the uterus is less sensitive and has much fewer nerve receptors that would help to feel all the charm of the blows. Compared with the movements that a woman felt during pregnancy, they really may seem too rare and quiet.
3. Gradually, towards the end of pregnancy, the amount of amniotic fluid begins to decrease. When the period starts approaching the 40th week, then physiological oligohydramnios can be noted in all pregnant women.

How many days before birth does the baby calm down?

It is worth noting that, as a rule, the child begins to calm down about 2-3 weeks before the onset of the birth process. This completely coincides with the time when the active preparation of the woman's body for childbirth begins and the lower segment of the uterus begins to gradually unfold. All these changes end with the fact that the small segment of the uterus securely fixes the head of the child in the entrance of the small pelvis. This is also the main reason that the child begins to move less.

Can the baby move actively before birth?

Of course, you need to understand that not always the child will calm down before childbirth. But be that as it may, there will still be changes in the nature of the movements of the child, and the woman needs to carefully monitor their condition so that you can notice some symptoms that are not the norm. These include the following symptoms:

• the child moves less than three times a day;
• the child is too active;
• the movements of the baby cause severe discomfort and pain in the mother.

What to do if the child began to move differently. If there are no symptoms that can cause excitement, then there is no cause for concern. If you are not sure or notice that something is wrong with the child, you should immediately contact your doctor to find out the reason for this behavior of the child.

Closely monitor your well-being and the movements of the baby, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy. Many gynecologists recommend during this period to start keeping a diary of movements, which will help if there is a problem with the baby, notice it in time and take the necessary measures. And if you have suspicions that something is wrong, then it is better to consult a doctor.

The child begins to move in the womb at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. True, mother usually does not feel this - his movements are too weak. But the ultrasound clearly shows how the baby moves his legs and arms, puts his hands on the walls of the fetal bladder, learning the first tactile sensations. From the end of the second trimester, his movements become quite energetic. He actively flexes and unbends his legs and arms, rolls over, moves his head, opens his eyes, smiles, frowns, sometimes even sneezes or hiccups. And how does the child behave before childbirth? Does his behavior change? And if so, why?

Baby getting ready to be born

In the second half of the third trimester of pregnancy, the child is already fully developed: he hears sounds, distinguishes light. Neonatologists recommend that expectant mothers and fathers often speak out loud to him, sing to him, and try to avoid any negative emotions. Putting your ear to your mother's belly, you can hear the baby's heartbeat, it is 120 - 140 beats per minute. About two weeks before the due date, the baby begins to prepare for the birth.

In the prenatal period, the volume of water in the fetal bladder decreases, and therefore the baby, whose weight has almost reached the “planned”, becomes cramped in the womb. Its activity naturally decreases, and frequent and short shocks are replaced by rotational-translational movements. So the fetus tries to take a "starting position", gradually moving closer to the cervix. In the future, this position will stimulate labor pains.

Usually, moving before childbirth to the mother's pelvic bones, the child is fixed in position with the head down. This is the most correct location of the fetus from the point of view of physiology. But it happens that the baby "does not want" to take the desired position, and sits tightly in his mother's tummy on the ass. And although this is not perfect option, since the largest part of the body - the head - will come out last, give birth safely with breech presentation quite possible.

The norm of motor activity of the child before childbirth

Is it necessary for a baby to "quiet" in the womb shortly before birth? No, of course, this does not happen in all cases. Do not worry if a friend’s child behaved calmly during this period, and yours continues to kick in the stomach just as vigorously. Each pregnancy has its own characteristics of the course. However, it is necessary to control how the child behaves before childbirth - this is an important indicator of his well-being.

Doctors recommend that a week before the due date, periodically calculate the average number of baby movements per hour. It is considered normal if there are 45 - 50 per day. Sometimes the mother takes the baby's hiccups for the movements of the child, which is often observed in the prenatal period. Typically, hiccups feel like a mild stomach cramp and can last up to 20 minutes.

If the frequency of movements is normal, but at the same time they have become weaker, this is due to a change in the position of the child, he is now pushed into less sensitive places. Its legs (with the correct presentation) are directed upwards, towards the bottom of the uterus, where there are fewer nerve endings, and therefore even intense shocks are felt weakly. Yes, and the range of motion of the child is limited, he can no longer swing his leg vigorously and roll over.

There should be concern when physical activity the child before childbirth suddenly became too large. If it almost continuously and very strongly, painfully pushes - this is an alarming sign. Most likely, the child does not have enough oxygen. In this case, the pregnant woman should immediately visit her doctor. To assess the condition of the fetus, he can prescribe cardiotocography, and based on its results, he will decide what to do. In some cases, fetal hypoxia is an indication for urgent delivery.

The opposite behavior is also considered bad, when the child behaves too calmly, passively before birth. If you have completely stopped hearing his movements or they have become very rare, less than 6 movements per day, this, like pathological activity, should be the reason for an urgent visit to a doctor.

But do not panic when you notice that the baby in the stomach has calmed down for several hours - he is just sleeping or gaining strength before childbirth. Want to make sure he's okay? Try eating something sweet or drinking milk, and then lie down on your left side. For the baby, this position is uncomfortable, and he will certainly express his dissatisfaction with an energetic push.

We wish you and your baby to reach full mutual understanding and go through childbirth easily and safely!

Pregnancy is an important and happy moment in a woman's life. When the time comes to the cherished day of the exit of the child from the womb, I want everything to go without complications. Many parents have a question: before childbirth, is the child active or quiet?

What is the behavior of the child with the approach of childbirth?

There is no cause for concern, as there are children who, as birth approaches, calm down and stop being active. This is typical behavior. The fetus does not undertake energy-consuming movements. A person needs energy, because getting out of the mother's belly is not such an easy process.

However, if the fetus does not move at all, this is an additional reason to consult a doctor once again. In order to avoid unnecessary worries, which are by no means useful to the expectant mother, it is worth understanding how the child behaves before childbirth.

Two weeks before the release of the burden, the woman's stomach drops when the fetus takes a preparatory position. This is a kind of low start before the upcoming breakthrough. The advantage is that the pressure on the ribs disappears. The kid is held thigh bones. With a decrease in intrauterine water, the fetus feels cramped. At this time, growth stops.

The little man gathers strength within himself. If during the previous 37 weeks there was a strong movement, now, after finding the required posture, it stops. For those who do not know whether the child is quiet or active before birth, such a change may be alarming, but there is no reason to worry.

Movements are rare, but have more power than before. Because of this bladder women periodically hurt, often want to relieve a small need. In the last two weeks, when babies are getting ready to be born, they move less.

Increased activity

If, examining how the child behaves before childbirth - it calms down or actively moves, future mother discovers that her heir does not think to calm down, it is also not worth raising a panic about this. This is not a symptom of impending complications.

There are children who thus express their readiness to be born. They literally can't wait to see the world. The positive aspect of this situation is that the woman constantly feels the baby, does not worry, being in the dark. A subconscious connection is established between mothers and children, making it possible to understand what the fetus desires.

If, while observing how the baby behaves before childbirth, you notice excessive activity, this interaction will only strengthen. Behavior of this kind is completely normal, and the child's calming down is not a generally accepted rule, but only one of the possible scenarios.

When should you worry?

Understanding whether the child is active or quiet before childbirth, you should only worry if extremes occur. It also happens that children completely calm down. The abrupt cessation of tremors is already an alarming sign.

At least six shocks should be carried out per day. In such a situation, it is advisable to consult with your doctor. Watching how the baby behaves before childbirth, you should know that his stirring is more of a good sign than a negative one.

Quite the contrary, everything with a complete lack of activity. It can talk about the weakness of the child, the shortage of substances necessary for normal functioning. Not having the strength to fight for a place under the sun, he is unlikely to be able to get out of his mother's womb on his own.

By the behavior of the child, it becomes clear when he is ready for birth. Thus, the mother can prepare in advance for this important event.

Shock count

It is not so important whether the child is active or quiet before the birth. A much more pressing task is to count shocks. Such a calculation gives information about the time it takes the baby before going out into the world. In the case when at least six movements are carried out per day, there is no point in worrying. In the last week, babies move 48 times a day.

Thus, when answering the question whether the child is active or calm before birth, it would be a mistake to say that he behaves much calmer than usual. It just changes the frequency and increases the pressure.

Hyperactivity is also not a healthy sign. 60 movements, as well as too few of them, is a sign of a shortage of life-supporting substances. Just some children, as they say, fold their hands and do nothing, while others actively declare their needs. Observing how the child behaves before childbirth, and noticing excessive activity, we can talk about oxygen starvation.

Why count pushes

The number of movements carried out by the fetus is counted in order to understand when the child is about to be born. It becomes clear how the little man feels, whether certain factors will complicate the birth. It becomes possible to control its state.

It should be noted that only extreme situations are critical, when children move less than 6 or more than 60 times a day. The normal number of shocks is about 45-50. They must be periodic. Mothers count their number every hour.

It is useful to keep a table with observations of the movements of the fetus. This is a tool for visually demonstrating changes in a child's condition. Calm is not always a sign of imminent birth. The fruit must turn.

By stirring is meant any tangible movement or push in a couple of seconds. In order to activate the firstborn, you can eat something from fast carbohydrates, such as chocolate. So he will receive new energy and vitality. After a snack, it is better to lie on the left side.

Children should not calm down earlier than two weeks before birth. If the calculated terms are not approaching yet, and the activity has decreased, it is worth consulting with your doctor. Observing the child's movements relieve mothers from the pangs of ignorance, help them keep the situation under control, be confident in the well-being of the baby, relying not only on subconscious sensations, but also on their own analysis and calculations.