My baby is not moving in my belly, should I worry?

One of the most exciting moments for every mother after learning of the existence of a new life inside her womb, is when we feel for the first time the movement of our little one. This will occur between the 16th and 24th week of pregnancy, and will eventually become a daily occurrence, but what happens when a day comes when we do not feel our little one move?

It is normal for them to have moments of rest, but it is also usually an alarm signal, below, we will help you identify when it is necessary to go to the doctor if you have not felt movement in your belly.

Why is it important to know your baby's movements?

From the first moment you feel your little one move, you will begin to identify patterns in his activity inside the uterus. He may have moments of activity right after you wake up, after feeding, or before going to sleep. There is no specific number of movements per day; each pregnancy, mother and baby are unique.

For this reason, it is crucial that you know what is normal for your baby; this information can save your baby's life in an emergency.

Is it normal for him not to move?

As mentioned earlier, every baby has a different pattern of movement, some are very active while others spend more time at rest. It is normal for a few hours to pass without movement especially when a baby is sleeping or in the last weeks of gestation when space becomes limited due to the size of your little one.

 

 

When should I worry?

On many occasions we have heard that a worried mother runs to the hospital because she notices that her little one has not moved, panic takes over us because we do not know the reasons for this, when we arrive at the emergency room and perform a checkup it turns out that everything is normal.

 

 

But how can we know when it is normal and when it is an emergency?

Before going to the emergency room, if you have noticed that your baby has not been moving for some time, you can use some external stimuli such as changing position, taking deep breaths, ingesting some food, talking or singing to him/her. If after several attempts you have received no response, it is ideal to call your doctor or go to the emergency room.

Whenever you feel that your baby has changed his movement patterns, has made fewer movements than normal, or there is a change in them, call your doctor immediately for guidance on the decision you should make, whether to go to the office or follow any other indication. When you feel that something is not going well with your baby, it is crucial that you contact your health care provider, do not leave the matter for the next day because time can be a determining factor in preventing a loss. 

Although it sounds a little trite, in situations like this the best thing you can do is follow your intuition, if it tells you that something is not right be sure to ask your doctor's opinion. Better to take extra precautions and not regret ignoring what your heart was telling you. Ask your health care provider for phone numbers where you can call even in the middle of the night to answer your questions.