In the 8th week of pregnancy, the fetus in the mother\’s body has begun to take on a human shape, and its limbs have been formed, but it is not yet able to move. At the end of the 12th week of pregnancy, the limbs are basically fully developed and begin to move, but the activity at this time is very weak and difficult for the expectant mother to detect.
Until the 1620th week of pregnancy, the mobility of the fetus\’s limbs gradually increases, and sooner or later, all pregnant women can feel the movement of the fetus in their abdomen. Although the movement may be very light at first, the special feeling of fetal movement can bring a lot of shock and joy to expectant mothers: the baby can move in the womb!
Although the fetal movements are not very graceful, they are in various forms: raising hands, kicking feet, stretching legs, twisting hips, swinging up and down, swinging left and right, etc.
As the fetus grows, the intensity of the fetus\’ activity gradually increases, and the number of activities per day also varies. Scientists can use special instruments to accurately monitor any fetal movement. According to reports, at 18 weeks, the fetus moves an average of 206 times a day, reaching a peak between 28 and 32 weeks, up to 570 times a day. In the early stages of delivery, when the fetal head descends to the pelvis, the frequency decreases to about 280 times a day. However, the mother cannot feel every movement of the fetus, not even the slightest movement. Therefore, in fact, within 12 hours a day, mothers usually only feel it 30-50 times, or a little more.
The activity of the fetus in the womb is an objective manifestation that reflects the gradual maturation of the fetus, fetal nutritional status and fetal health. Therefore, it can be said that normal fetal movement means that the fetus is reporting safety to the mother: the placenta is functioning well, the oxygen delivered to the fetus is sufficient, and the fetus is growing and developing normally. Likewise, the fetus sends dangerous messages to the mother through abnormal fetal movements. Therefore, pregnant women should count the number of fetal movements every day and feel their intensity to judge the condition of the fetus.
The method for pregnant women to count fetal movements is to count continuously for one hour every morning, noon and night before going to bed. Pregnant women lie quietly on the bed, concentrate on feeling the movements of the fetus in their abdomen, and record the number of fetal movements at any time. Add the number of fetal movements in the above 3 hours and multiply by 4 to estimate the number of fetal movements in 12 hours. Generally speaking, normal and obvious fetal movements should not be less than 35 times per hour, and obvious fetal movements are about 3040 times in 12 hours, up to about 100 times. Different fetuses are different. Some fetuses are more lively, while others appear quieter. As long as a pregnant woman masters the pattern of her child\’s fetal movements, she can estimate whether the fetal movements are normal.
Fetal movements are generally regular, but can also be affected by some factors. In addition to the different levels of fetal movement activity mentioned above in different months, there are also differences in measurements at different times of the day. Some people have noticed that fetal movement has two peak periods a day: one is from 7:00 to 9:00 pm; the other is from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. The other one is from 11:00pm to 1:00am. If pregnant women take sedative-hypnotics or smoke, the number of fetal movements will be reduced; on the contrary, emotional excitement, bright lights, loud noises, or touching the abdominal wall of pregnant women will stimulate the fetus., leading to an increase in the frequency and intensity of fetal movements.
When the fetus is hypoxic in the womb, such as post-term pregnancy, placental aging, placental vascular embolism or calcification, etc., it will affect the placental blood supply; or the umbilical cord is compressed, the umbilical cord is wrapped around the fetal neck or body, the umbilical cord is knotted, etc., causing fetal ischemia. lack of oxygen. When the fetus in the womb begins to lack oxygen, it will become restless and send a distress signal to the mother through violent fetal movements. At this time, violent fetal movements often make pregnant women feel uncomfortable and even unbearable. If the hypoxia continues to be unrelieved and the situation continues to worsen, the fetus will be exhausted, the number of fetal movements will gradually decrease, the intensity will gradually weaken, and finally disappear completely. If the number of fetal movements is less than 3 times in 1 hour, or the total number of fetal movements in 12 hours is less than 10 times, these are very critical signals sent by the fetus to the mother, indicating severe hypoxia, and expectant mothers should pay special attention.
Usually, the fetus dies within 12 to 24 hours after fetal movement stops. Therefore, if pregnant women can carefully count fetal movements every day, they can detect the risk of fetal hypoxia in time and find a doctor in time to take effective rescue measures. For viable fetuses, the pregnancy should be terminated promptly and the fetus should be removed by cesarean section to prevent the fetus from suffocating due to intrauterine hypoxia.