Feeling your baby move inside the womb is a very surreal experience. In fact, most mothers say that this is one thing they miss most about their pregnancies, long after the children are born. In addition to feeling surreal, the movements are also big reassurance during your pregnancy that your child is safe (literally, alive and kicking) inside. What if the baby is not moving as usual? How can you make the baby move in the womb?
In fact, during your last trimester, your gynecologist might also ask you to keep a watch on your baby’s movements. And in the last weeks, you will even be counting the number of kicks your baby does. Read on to understand some tips to make your baby move in your womb.
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5 Tips To Make Baby Move In The Womb
So, it is sufficient to say that if your baby has not moved in a while, you would start getting a slight sense of panic. Of course, the inactivity could be because the baby is sleeping. But if only he/she moved a little, then you could breathe a sigh of relief and relax. We hear your concern! Here are some tips to wake the little one and urge him/her to move a bit.
1. Relax and Lie down
Did you know that when you walk around, the slight and constant sway of your pregnant belly puts the baby inside to sleep? It works in the same principle as rocking a cradle. So what do you do to wake the baby? You lie down! You switch positions and stay calm.
You take a position on the left side so as to increase the blood flow to the baby and in response, she moves. That’s right. Lie down for a couple of hours and chances are the little one will wake up and punish you with some kicks!
2. Have Something Cold
A cold and refreshing drink like chilled fruit juice or even cold milk is known to wake the little sleepers inside. The cold drink will give a refreshing start to your digestive system which in turn will make the baby alert. The natural sugar in the fruit will also help in making the baby alert.
Please try to avoid canned juices that have a high concentration of both natural and added sugar. Also, avoid caffeinated drinks like cold coffee. If you do not want to have fruit juice, even icy cold water will do the trick
3. Have Something Sweet
Many moms swear that the baby responds to them eating something sweet. Although you should ideally keep your diet clean, reach out for a cupcake or a laddu to bribe your baby to move a little. Have your sweet snack, and like we suggested earlier, lie down for some time. You will soon feel the baby somersaulting inside
4. Listen to Music
Music is another stimuli babies inside the womb respond very well to. Babies are generally lulled to sleep by monotonous sounds, like mother’s heart beating or her voice when she talks. However, more complicated and louder sounds like music can make the baby more active, and result in you sensing some movements inside
5. Gently Press the Baby
Yes, we are asking you to literally nudge the baby to move. Gently, press the sides of your belly and see if he/she responds to your pressing. Poking your belly may also make the baby move.
Fetal movement is important, but you should remember every baby is different and has different patterns of activity. Though the fetal movement is an indicator of fetal health, it cannot be ruled out that some babies though healthy are plain lazy.
So do not panic if one of these tricks does not work for you. The baby is still small and has enough room to move around without bothering you much. In the later stages of pregnancy, no matter how the baby tries, she is so cramped up that every time she moves something comes in her way. To know when to worry, you need to clearly understand how often babies need to move in the womb.
How Often Should The Baby Move In The Womb?
Most women start feeling baby kicks somewhere along the second trimester. If you are not one of them, be patient. Many women do not feel the kick for up to 25 weeks. It is only at the beginning of the third trimester that they start sensing movements inside. Once you reach the third trimester, it is a good idea to start counting your baby’s movements and it is generally recommended by doctors as well.
On average, you should feel around 10 kicks in a span of 2 hours. Please remember that there is no cause to worry if your child kicks only 7 or 8 times during 2 hours. What you need to watch out for are significant deviations. To understand how much your baby is deviating, it is a good idea to record the baby’s movement patterns over a course of 2 days.
That will give you an idea of when he/she is likely to move less or move more. Once you have recorded this, you can use this as a benchmark to compare your feature readings. If you do not feel any movement for a long time, and you are worried, please go to your doctor. Find out why people like to touch the belly of a pregnant woman.
All the best!
