Carrying a baby to term in your belly is one of the most blessed experiences of being a mother. The first three months are filled with delight along with the usual symptoms of pregnancy like nausea, exhaustion, and so on.
However, the first kick by the baby is one of the most defining moments of any pregnancy. While some mothers feel the first kick as early as the 13th week, some other mommies do not experience it till the 26th week. The kick will feel like a tiny tickle inside your belly. As time goes by, the kicks get stronger and even allow you to communicate with your baby before it is born.
One of the clearest indications that your baby is not in distress and is doing fine is its kicks. As the pregnancy progresses, the kicks and movements become slightly stronger and usually tend to follow a pattern. For example, many mommies observe that their babies seem to be most active between 9 pm to 1 am. This is due to the change in the mommies’ blood sugar levels. The babies tend to quiet down when they are asleep. However, if you notice a prolonged period with no movement, it is a good idea to call your doctor.
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According to recent studies, babies map their own bodies to help them explore their surroundings. This is when the mother experiences the kicks. These kicks help the baby to grow different regions of their brain that deal with sensory input. Spontaneous movement is linked to brain mapping in babies.
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Observing your baby’s kicks and noting them down in your journal is a great way to keep track of your baby’s movements. Although the movements may carry over the day, you will be able to notice a pattern when the baby is awake and when it is asleep. In fact, many mothers use this to their advantage and change their schedule to get some sleep while the baby sleeps as well. After all, sleeping with a kicking baby in the womb is not exactly an easy task.
New mothers often look forward to the first kick of their babies. However, this might occur anywhere from the 13th week to the 26th week. While some mothers experience their first baby kick early in the pregnancy, other mothers experience a delay. Since there is no hard and fast rule for this, you just need to keep a lookout. The initial baby kicks are often small and can be mistaken for gas trouble. You will soon experience the tiny flutter of your lovely baby’s first kicks. According to medical professionals, the first kick is often felt between 16 to 25 weeks of pregnancy. Although first-time moms tend to experience it closer to the 25-week mark.
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It is interesting to note many mothers experience their babies kick more often during the night. As the pregnancy progresses, this causes the baby to apply pressure on the mother’s bladder, leading to frequent trips to the washroom. One of the main reasons why babies are more active during the night is because it prefers to be more alert and active when you are in a state of rest. This allows the baby to move more freely, resulting in plenty more kicks for mommy dearest.
Baby movements become more prominent after you have a meal. This is because of the sudden energy from the food, making your baby excited. If you are having caffeinated beverages, you will certainly notice a spike in the baby’s movements once you have your drink. An active baby prevents mothers from getting the rest they very much need during this period. If you feel that your baby is kicking too often, you might want to consider cutting down on the consumption of caffeine and sugary drinks during the rest of the pregnancy period.
Mothers who are pregnant again after their firstborn, tend to experience the baby kicks a lot earlier the second time around. This is because they are able to identify it better due to their first experience as a mother. It is also interesting to note that mothers who are having multiple pregnancies with twins, triplets, etc. can also identify the different babies based on their movements.
Many mothers make the mistake of assuming that their child will turn out to be hyperactive because they are constantly kicking and moving about in the womb. However, this is rarely the case. The baby kicks and the movements are a sure indication that the baby is healthy and active.
While mommies enjoy the baby kicks from the 16th week, daddies have to wait till the third trimester to be able to feel anything. As the pregnancy progresses, the movement becomes more pronounced, allowing your partner to feel it when they place their hand on your tummy. This is often a bonding experience between the father and the baby and is another defining moment during pregnancy.
According to several studies, babies inside the womb can hear sounds and will even respond to these sounds. This is why it is a good idea to listen to calming sounds and stay away from loud sounds while you are pregnant. You and your partner can read books to your baby while it is still in your womb. This helps babies react positively to their parents’ voices.
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As you approach the thirty-second week, the baby would have grown considerably larger, leaving it little space in the womb to move around as freely as before. This is why most mothers experience a slowdown in the baby’s kicks and movements as they approach week 32. Enjoy these little kicks while you can, after the delivery although you will have an adorable baby in your arms, you might just miss those special kicks meant only for mommy dearest.
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Most women start feeling their babies kick between the 16th and 25th week, around the 5th month, which is the second trimester. Some women can start feeling it earlier, especially if it is not their first pregnancy. Many women may not know for sure, as the baby’s kicks can be very feeble and easily missed.
Normal kicking is nothing but the fetal movement women feel during pregnancy. The baby will move, roll around, and kick throughout the pregnancy. Most women will start feeling small movements around the 5th month of pregnancy, when the baby is big enough to make an impact with their limbs. In the last trimester, around 10 movements within a 2-hour window are considered normal.
It can be very difficult to sleep if the baby is kicking. You can try lying on the opposite side of the baby’s kicks. Gently stroking your tummy where the baby is kicking and talking to your baby in a soothing tone can help calm them down. Start following a calming bedtime routine and avoid any stimulating activity or eating very close to bedtime. It can help calm both you and the baby and help you sleep better.
Kicking means the baby is “moving”. If you can feel the kicks stronger and more frequent than before, it is an indication that the baby is growing in size and getting stronger. Baby’s kicking is a sign of growth and development, but it cannot tell you the rate of growth. When you stop feeling the kicks or movements, you need to go to the hospital and check if everything is fine with the baby.
