Weaker sensation of fetal movements

Weaker sensation of fetal movements-what does it mean?

The baby’s movements, which take place in the uterus, indicate the well-being of the fetus and can provide valuable information during the diagnosis of possible abnormalities. Interestingly, the baby’s activity changes over the course of the day, so you can notice periods of sleep and wakefulness. It is considered that the fetus becomes more active after the pregnant woman has eaten a meal or when she is lying down and resting. The baby’s sleep period, on the other hand, usually coincides with a period of increased physical activity for the woman. Weaker sensation of fetal movements can have various causes. Among them are both harmless situations, such as the sleep of the baby or the location of the placenta on the anterior wall of the uterus, but also serious ones such as the inhibition of intrauterine growth, or those associated with the risk of fetal death. Weaker baby movements may also be felt by women struggling with obesity.

Weaker sensation of fetal movements- management

If the mother-to-be notices a change in the baby’s daily activities and a decrease in the amount of movement, she should go to the hospital or to see the attending physician. There, an ultrasound will be performed and, in most cases, also an OCT. In such a situation, the mother-to-be may be hospitalized in a pregnancy pathology unit to monitor the condition of the fetus and rule out any possible threat to its health or life. Measurements of vascular flows are also taken, so the doctor can confirm or rule out placental insufficiency, for example.

No fetal movements

If the mother-to-be does not feel fetal movements, she should immediately go to the emergency room of gynecology and obstetrics to confirm the baby’s heart function. Most often, for pregnancies under 24 weeks, the heart rate is auscultated or assessed by ultrasound, and for older pregnancies, an OCT recording is made. These measurements are extremely important, as a pregnant woman’s reported lack of baby movement may be associated with intrauterine fetal demise.

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Pregnancy pathology