Baby Making

Your baby is a little mover, even though he or she is still in the womb. Those kicks and punches that you feel are an important way to tell that your baby is doing well and that everything in your pregnancy is going swimmingly. Once you reach the 28th week of your pregnancy your doctor will probably have you start counting how many times your baby moves, whether it be a punch, a kick, a twist, a turn, a flip, or a flop. The more times your baby moves around inside your uterus the healthier he or she is.

It is recommended that you count your baby’s movements at least twice a day, once in the morning and once again in the evening. You will want to do your kick counts at the same time each day or as close as you possibly can to the same time each day; try and choose a time that you’ve noticed that your baby is the most active at; this will make it easier getting that count. Lie down to do your kick count, if you can’t lie down, try and get as comfortable as you possibly can, your baby is more likely to become active when you are in a relaxed position, something that you will have to get used to once your baby is actually here. Be sure to write down the date that you are counting for and write down the time that you started to try and count your baby’s movements. Your goal is to count at least 10 kicks or movements in an hour’s time period or less. For every kick or movement that you feel make a tally mark on your sheet of paper. When you feel that 10th kick or movement write down the time that you felt it, that way you can gauge how long it takes for your baby to move 10 times.

If after an hour you have not felt 10 or more kicks or movements, don’t worry, your baby may be taking a nap. To get your baby moving again you may want to try having something to eat or try getting something cold to drink. Eating will boost your blood sugar which will travel through your body to your baby and get that baby more apt to move around and the cold drink will get into your stomach which is right against your uterus, also prompting that baby of your to get moving again. If eating or drinking doesn’t work, try going for a walk, the movement from you walking might help to get your baby going; getting up and walking around will also get your heart pumping, which is also a good way to wake your baby up from their nap. Once you’ve tried at least one of these methods to get your baby going again, relax, lay down, then try counting again following the same method, write down the time you started, make a tally mark for every kick or movement you feel, and when you feel that 10th kick or movement write down the time that you felt it.

If after two hours, you still haven’t felt at least 10 kicks or movements, call your doctor. The same goes if you notice a drop or cessation of kicks or movement from your baby, the chances that something is serious wrong with your baby are slim, but it’s still better to alert your doctor, rather than waiting until your next appointment or not getting checked at all, and risk something really happening to your baby.