Find out exactly when will come natural birthimpossible in advance. However, a woman who is looking forward to the baby is still trying to predict when the contractions begin, and it is time to go to the hospital. That is why in recent weeks, she gives maximum attention to the so-called precursors of childbirth. Among those signs by which it is possible to assess when the birth will come - the activity of the baby.
Behavior of the child before childbirth
Many expectant mothers know that before giving birth, the baby should calm down, as if preparing for the difficult test that nature had prepared for him. However, if you ask your mothers who know whether the baby is quiet before childbirth, it turns out that the picture is far from straightforward. Some mothers claim that their children seemed to feel that childbirth would soon begin, and subsided in their stomachs a couple of days before the onset of labor. Others felt active movements even during childbirth between contractions. Based on this, some begin to think that it is not worth paying attention to how the baby behaves in the stomach.
Activity of the child before childbirth
Meanwhile, it is necessary to monitor the activity of the baby, just like the position of the fetus before childbirth, which ideally should be the head one. If the child is too quiet and does not move for 12-16 hours, you need to see a doctor in order to assess his condition, because hypoxia and oxygen starvation are possible, then you will urgently need to stimulate the birth or even do cesarean section. Too high activity can also indicate that not everything is in order with the baby. Therefore, try to monitor the condition of the child and, at the slightest suspicion, consult a doctor.
However, the fact that the child is quiet before childbirth is actually caused physiological reasons - he becomes cramped and uncomfortable in his mother’s stomach, and therefore active movements are becoming increasingly rare. Therefore, if you just noticed that a child moves less actively for a week from a week, and doctors do not diagnose any problems, there is nothing to worry about.
Almost all women say that before childbirth, the child calms down. He used to move very actively, but now it’s not. If it were, for example, in the middle of pregnancy, then it would certainly have to alert the woman. Therefore, in order to properly navigate the situation, you need to know how long before the birth the baby calms down and what this calming is manifested in.
Causes of reduced motor activity of the baby before childbirth
To reduce the motor activity of your baby, there are several reasons that closer to the full term of pregnancy affect the baby.
- Firstly, this is a decrease in free space in the uterus. This is because the baby has already grown up (the weight of the full-term newborn baby ranges from 2500 g to 3999 g), as well as the fact that the bottom of the uterus sinks closer to the date of delivery.
- The second reason is that the nature of the movement itself changes. The fetal head is installed in the entrance of the pelvis, so the child is located strictly along the vertical axis. Therefore, the blows with the legs that he makes are clearly directed towards the bottom of the uterus, where there are fewer sensitive nerve receptors. Therefore, such movements are felt very weakly, which against the general background creates the illusion of quiet movements.
- The third reason is a decrease in the amount of amniotic fluid by the end of pregnancy. Closer to the 40th week, physiological oligohydramnios develops.
Usually, a change in the motor activity of the baby occurs 2-3 weeks before birth. This time coincides with the beginning of the biological preparation of the pregnant woman's body for childbirth, when the lower segment unfolds. Such changes lead to the fact that the fetal head with a small segment is fixed in the inlet of the small pelvis. All this somewhat restricts the baby's movement.
Anxiety symptoms
Is it true that a child always calms down before childbirth? Of course not. And to regard this as a sign of some kind of trouble is not worth it. However, against the background of a general change in the nature of the movements, it is difficult to notice alarming symptoms.
These include the following:
- the number of movements during the day becomes less than three;
- the child becomes very restless, that is, he kind of says: “Mom, I feel bad”;
- baby's movements become painful, causing significant discomfort.
What to do
What to do if the nature of the baby's movements changes? There are 2 possible scenarios. If there are no alarming symptoms (see above), then there is no cause for concern either.
If there is at least one of the warning signs, then you must urgently seek help from a doctor.
In this case, it may be necessary to appoint additional examination methods that will clarify the reason for the change in the movements of the baby. This may be a lack of oxygen, nutrients, and more.
Summing up everything that we examined above, we note once again that the motor activity of the baby before childbirth is slightly reduced, as well as the nature of the movements that it produces.
As a result, a subjectively pregnant woman perceives this as a child's calm. But is the baby always quiet before birth? But this does not happen in all cases, and there is nothing surprising or terrible in this. These are just such features of the course of your pregnancy.
Belly before birth change
pulls discomfort level
pregnant dress
dream nature observation
They say that before childbirth, the baby calms down. In fact this is not true. The complete lack of movement is a serious reason to immediately go for an inspection, but too much activity worries expectant mother.
Manifestations of normal activity
At 24 weeks, the fetus has already developed extremities. The shocks are strong, confident. In addition, the space and amount of amniotic fluid inside the mother is still quite enough for free turns, coups, somersaults. In a completely different situation, the child falls before childbirth.
When they have about 14 days left, the position of the fetus stabilizes. Due to the preparation of the mother’s body for birth, the amount of amniotic fluid decreases, the uterus lowers. It is as if the baby is “fixed” between the pelvic bones, so before birth it is more difficult for him to change position. And for the same reasons, it’s more difficult to move as actively as before.
A pregnant woman may not feel tremors, but small cramps. This is how hiccups manifest in a baby. This is a good sign indicating the absence of CNS pathologies. Hiccups last no longer than 20 minutes, can occur several times a day.
Active stirring
Doctors take into account the activity of the baby, starting from 28 weeks. This is an important indicator that provides some information about development. Foal presentation can change even before the birth, sometimes the baby is turned by the obstetrician already in the delivery room. On different terms the position of the fetus is evaluated previously:
- up to 37-38 weeks it happens to be any and still does not say anything;
- at 33 put a preliminary presentation on ultrasound;
- prenatal examination is carried out as close to the end of the term as possible, at 37-38, when most of the babies have already turned upside down.
The change in the behavior of a child before birth is explained by its position, size, and also the physiology of the mother’s body.
- Turning his head down, the baby most often strikes with the legs on the bottom of the uterus. In this place, sensitivity is reduced due to the small number of nerve cells. Therefore, it seems to mother that the baby is quiet before the birth.
- The baby's dimensions are already large, and there is not enough space, and amniotic fluid is also smaller. Because pushing as actively as before, it becomes difficult.
Of course, the baby does not have to move constantly. By the third trimester, he appears periods of wakefulness and rest. It is noted that increased activity of the child before childbirth is observed after the mother eats or an example of an uncomfortable position. Most often - lying on the left side.
Each woman feels different fetal movements. There are more active kids, there are less. Different methods are used to determine the number of movements.
Methods for determining movement
There is an indicator indicating how the baby should move before the birth. On average, it is two movements per hour. The minimum allowable amount is three to six facts of motor activity per day.
Everything goes according to plan
An easy way to make sure everything is going according to plan is to do a Pearson test, or “count to ten.” It will clearly show whether the active child is quiet or on the eve of childbirth.
You will need to draw a table with 24 columns. They put down the time every half hour, from morning to evening. Get 12 hours. The rows in the table are dates.
Starting from week 28 or before giving birth, having felt how the baby is moving, this fact should be noted in the column with the corresponding time. Several movements in a row are considered for one movement. When 10 marks are typed in one day, the counting for this date can be completed. The next day, start over.
Such a calendar will clearly show when the baby is most active, and when he is resting. Any changes will be immediately noticeable. He can be taken to a gynecologist, for which the doctor will only praise.
If the baby is too active before birth, this is not a cause for concern. Perhaps he is just playing. It happens that in this way the baby reports a lack of oxygen, nutrients in the blood. Then mom can do the following:
- walk for half an hour in the fresh air;
- lie down to rest, so blood circulation is restored;
- or, conversely, to move, if before that the pregnant woman was lying, sleeping.
Yet, before childbirth, many women note that the baby is quiet. For the above reasons, this feeling is largely subjective. But it says that before the birth of the baby just a little bit, about two weeks. You need to get together in the hospital, now it’s better not to leave home alone.
When the child’s behavior before childbirth makes the woman very anxious, it is better to visit a doctor. He will evaluate the condition of the fetus in the following ways:
- listens to the heartbeat;
- if this is not enough, will send to an ultrasound;
- can use fetal doppler - a device capable of detecting movements even at 12 weeks;
- another way is cardiotocography.
If all is well, then before giving birth for complacency a woman herself can cause the baby to move. To do this, you need to eat something sweet, drink milk or tea, lie down on your left side. Usually the reaction is not long in coming.
Health Hazards
There are signs that appear for some (usually 10-14) days before childbirth and indicate that the baby is quiet.
- A decrease in intensity, the number of movements per day.
- Relief of breathing due to prolapse of the uterus.
- Sensation of pressure in the pelvic area, difficulty walking, increased urination due to pressure of the fetal head on the bottom of the uterus.
Medical supervision
The child of the front of the family does not always calm down, and all these signs of danger do not carry. But there are more serious situations that require you to immediately go to the gynecologist.
- No more than three movements per day occur.
- The kid has become too active.
- The pregnant woman feels pain from tremors.
Sometimes soreness from the fact that the baby is moving appears before the onset of childbirth due to the incorrect posture of the pregnant woman. There are pathologies of the internal organs in which fetal tremors cause pain.
- Right under the ribs - indicates possible problems with gall bladder.
- Behind the sternum, there may be a diaphragmatic hernia.
- Around the scar on the uterus, if there was once a cesarean section, it is necessary to prevent the possibility of a discrepancy during labor.
Sometimes a child begins to move very much before being born, and walking, gymnastics, good nutrition do not help. After the doctor confirms that everything is fine with the baby, you just need to calm down. If there is a lack of nutrients, oxygen, then you need to strictly follow the recommendations. Find out .
If they invented a safe device that allows them to see what the baby is doing inside the womb, anxious moms would probably watch him non-stop. In the meantime, they have to be content with the results of medical research - ultrasound and cardiotocography, allowing to assess the condition of the fetus. The only, but extremely important sign by which a mother can independently monitor the baby inside herself is his movements. How does the baby behave before childbirth, and can it be assumed from his movements that the hour X will come soon?
The intensity of fetal movements must be observed starting from the 28th week of pregnancy - that is, from the time when the baby can be born. The nature of his movements, their frequency and intensity for doctors is very important, as they talk a lot about how the fetus feels.
Do not forget that the child is growing all the time, so the nature of his movements is directly related to how much free space is left around him. He will frolic most fun at the beginning of the third trimester: there is still enough space around, and the crumbs' arms and legs are already quite strong so that mommy can fully feel his jerks and kicks.
The child has already grown up before childbirth and will not be able to roll over, so doctors will tell you how he is lying in the uterus, head up or down, and you can assume what awaits you in childbirth. In his cozy home, the baby becomes cramped, and he reacts to it in his own way: he pushes if his mother is uncomfortable for him to sit down or lie down. At this time, the woman has a very difficult time - it’s not so easy to find a suitable posture for relaxing or sleeping, and it’s generally impossible to fall asleep when a violent protest occurs inside. Special pillows for sleeping will come to the rescue, which can be placed under the stomach, softening the pressure.
The problem shortly before birth can be heartburn and shortness of breath in a pregnant woman. But when the baby before the birth takes the right position, there will be relief: the stomach will lower, it will become much easier to breathe. But walking is the other way around. So conceived by nature.
Does the baby stop before childbirth?
The main question is what should the baby do shortly before the onset of labor? To move actively or, on the contrary, to quiet down? And what to do if the movements have disappeared altogether? These are the right questions, since control over the movements should be carried out right up to the birth.
The opinions of puerperas differ - one of them says that the baby is very active before giving birth, someone, on the contrary, notes that tremors were observed less often. In fact, these feelings largely depend on how long the baby was born: after all, not everyone is born at exactly 40 weeks. As a rule, increased activity is observed until the 37th week, and then the child begins to move less, the nature of his movements changes: they become rotational-translational. Directly before childbirth, in most cases, the child calms down: if this suddenly happened, a woman should prepare all the things and documents for a trip to the hospital. This is not an accurate indicator: there may still be a whole week before the birth, but there is a chance that the birth will begin very soon.
How should the baby move?
What is the rate of stirring for periods of 38-39 weeks? If the number of movements is less than three times a day, a doctor should be consulted immediately. In general, you need to focus on the following indicators:
- 10 movements in 6 hours;
- 24 movements in 12 hours;
- 1-2 times per hour.
In fact, calculating the exact number of movements is not so simple: for example, at some specific hour, the baby will decide to rest and sleep, so it won’t move. But waking up, he will show himself in all its glory. Any, even minor shocks are taken for stirring.
Is it good if the baby is very active before giving birth? Unfortunately, this may be a sign. oxygen starvation the fetus, as well as a decrease in the number of movements. If it seems to you that there is little movement, try to take some food or drink a glass of liquid and lie down on your left side: this position for the child is the most uncomfortable, and he will prove himself.
By the end of pregnancy, the expectant mother, as a rule, already knows what her baby is responding to: he may be too active or fall silent in certain situations - walking, traveling in a car, physical activitystress. Therefore, if the activity suddenly and sharply changed (increased or decreased), it is worth telling the doctor about this. If necessary, he will immediately send you to an ultrasound and CT scan, where it can be accurately determined whether the baby has hypoxia.
Do not panic if the baby behaves in an unusual way before giving birth: he will certainly feel your excitement and stress, and the nature of the movements can change even more.
Text: Olga Pankratieva
5 5 out of 5 (2 votes)
The child’s activity before childbirth is his life. He grows in the womb, develops, eats and sleeps, and his movements are an integral part of life. In the middle of the term, the fetus is just beginning to show itself, with small and insignificant tremors, and by the end of the term, the fetal movements before delivery are significantly increased.
Every pregnant woman listens to her baby and tries to understand whether everything is normal. Before the birth itself, questions related to movements begin to worry. For example, how will the baby behave before childbirth?
Is the baby moving before birth
It is impossible to unequivocally state what should be the movement of the child before childbirth. After all, his movements and their pace primarily depend on the character, and only then on the space inside the mom. You should learn to understand your baby and monitor the number of movements during the day.
In antenatal clinics, pregnant women after 26 weeks are given a special test, which determines the daily rate of fetal movements. For 6 hours, the baby must make at least 10 movements, given that he can sleep.
How a baby should behave before childbirth
Before childbirth, the child can both calm down, and, conversely, actively move. The activity of the baby before the upcoming birth necessarily changes. He feels that it will soon be time to be born and is showing his character. It is possible to determine whether a baby is moving before childbirth, according to her own feelings and according to the testimony of CTG.
Usually calm babies fulfill the norm of movements, and fidgets even overfulfill. However, in connection with the approach of childbirth, the space in the tummy becomes smaller, and the child who is active before childbirth calms down in order to gain strength before being born. At this moment, the expectant mother begins to torment the question, and whether the child is quiet before childbirth, it may be time to put things in the hospital.
Sometimes, pregnant women, on the contrary, feel that the baby is active before giving birth. It becomes like a yule, constantly spinning and pushing. This behavior is also the norm. Just the baby is tuned in for the upcoming path and chooses the most convenient and correct posture for birth.
Some women may feel the baby moving during childbirth itself. He is determined and helps himself get out to his beloved mom faster, while he kicks and spins. And if the baby is moving a lot before giving birth, and these movements worry the woman, then you need to contact the hospital for advice. The fetus may lack oxygen, so its movements are so frequent.
A woman during pregnancy instinctively begins to feel whether everything is in order with the baby. And if there is any concern, you do not need to sit at home and wonder if this is normal or not. There are women's consultations in which they will tell mothers everything, conduct an examination and take necessary analyzes. And in order to learn how to care for the future baby, you can go to the courses of the future mother.