When should I start monitoring the baby's movement?

Doctors recommend starting the process in your third trimester (28 weeks). However, you may start feeling gentle earlier.

How can I monitor my baby’s movement at home?

You can follow these steps – Choose a time when you feel relaxed. Lie down. Turn left and keep your hands on your womb. Get a stopwatch and wait until 10 kicks. Count how many minutes it took.

How to Track Baby Kicks: Tips for Monitoring Fetal Movements at Home

Pregnancy is an overwhelming journey. You will experience multiple ups and downs during this period. However, you forget every discomfort you have come across the moment you feel the growth in the womb. Most of the time, you feel worried about the baby’s condition inside the womb, as they are invisible. But once you enter the third trimester, you can easily spot the baby’s movements and monitor its well-being. This happens because you can easily track the baby's kicks during this time. This vital phase makes you ready for the ultimate countdown. That is why it is important to count baby kicks and movements at home.

What Are Kick Counts?

Foetal kick counting helps you track your baby’s movements in the final stage of pregnancy. Feeling ten kicks in two hours is a good sign that your baby is active and healthy. It’s a simple yet powerful way to monitor your baby’s well-being from home.

The kick counts help you understand that everything is fine with the baby. Knowing the right counting pattern can help you detect if there is a problem. There are two ways to monitor this:

Calculating the frequency of kicks.
Focusing on the interval it takes to kick ten times.

You can easily follow these two methods at home to check if everything is fine. But the exact time of noticing these movements may vary. You may feel these movements later if it is your first pregnancy, as compared to a second pregnancy. If it’s your first pregnancy, there is a chance that you will feel these baby movements a little later. However, you start feeling them a little sooner if it's your second pregnancy. You should always discuss these movements with your doctor to get a better suggestion on the baby’s health and development.

Best Tips For Tracking Baby Kicks

Sometimes it is hard to recognise and monitor your baby's activities and movements. You may get confused by the sudden movements occurring in your womb. However, a few simple ways exist to understand and track your baby’s movements.

Understand how it feels

Kicks from inside the womb feel like a gentle touch initially. In most cases, you fail to understand that it’s nothing but your baby’s movements. Since the foetus is small, its activities and kicks are difficult to detect. You may notice sensations like butterflies, flutters, rolls, jabs, and swishes in your abdomen. These movements vary depending on your phases. However, they get stronger during the third trimester. Sometimes, it gets confusing to understand exactly how you are feeling. Consider seeking medical help to understand them better.

2. Start the counting

Counting involves the understanding of what is normal and when you should consult the doctor. If it’s your first pregnancy, it is usual to get confused about the procedure. Consider seeking a physician's help to clear your doubts. You can always count the baby's kicks either by monitoring the kick counts or by measuring the time.

Counting the number of movements is as important as counting the time. Generally, you might feel 10 kicks within 30 minutes. However, in some cases, you may notice a delay, and that’s normal. Tracking the movements needs extreme focus. Since you cannot always feel the gentle touch of the tiny feet, your concentration can help you understand them.

Choose a time when your mind is fully relaxed.
Count the kicks in any relaxed position. Lying down can make this process a lot better.
Lie down on your west side. Try putting your hands on your womb. This surges blood flow and supports your foetus’s movement.
Take the first 30 minutes to count the frequency of the baby's movements.

3. Understand the perfect timing

In your first pregnancy, it gets difficult to understand the initial movements. However, the kicks become more recognisable and stronger at the end of 27 weeks. Be more focused on your womb’s activity during this period. As your pregnancy progresses, you may notice an increase in kick counts. Babies are often more active at night, especially between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. This is partly due to shifts in your blood sugar levels during that time, which can make fetal movements feel more noticeable when you’re trying to rest.

Following these tips can help you understand normal conditions. You can always consult with the doctor in case of any confusion.

Importance Of Counting Baby Kicks

Pregnancy brings a lot of new experiences. Focusing on practices that support the baby’s health are important, counting kicks being one such practice.

Understanding the foetus's normal movements helps detect if something is wrong. Changes in the foetus movement are not normal. It sometimes indicates complications related to pregnancy. You should always consult with the doctor if you observe any changes in the kick counts or movements.

Tracking your baby’s movement is as important as caring for yourself in pregnancy. Initially, getting used to the whole process feels a little difficult. However, more attention to the baby's kicks helps you recognise the movements. After a few days, you start understanding the patterns easily. Since it is difficult to visit the hospital every time you feel something new, these tips and information can help you detect your baby’s health at home.

FAQS on Best Tips For Tracking Baby Kicks And Movements At Home

When should I start monitoring the baby's movement?
Doctors recommend starting the process in your third trimester (28 weeks). However, you may start feeling gentle earlier.
How can I monitor my baby’s movement at home?
You can follow these steps –
- Choose a time when you feel relaxed.
- Lie down.
- Turn left and keep your hands on your womb.
- Get a stopwatch and wait until 10 kicks.
- Count how many minutes it took.