Is fetal movement normal at four and a half months?

Many new mothers find the movements of the fetus in the abdomen very mysterious. The movement of the fetus is what we usually call fetal movement. They can't help but guess what the fetus is doing in the belly. So, when can mothers feel the fetal movement, and how does it move in the womb? Now let me tell you a little bit about this to young new mothers.

When the pregnant mother is in the 18th week of pregnancy, she can put her hand on her belly and touch it gently, and she may suddenly feel a slight tremor, as if her lower abdomen is hit, or something is moving on the wall of the uterus. Yes, that's the baby moving.

For expectant mothers, this is a moment worth remembering forever. It also shows that the baby has actually started moving for a period of time, but the amplitude is too slight and the expectant mother hardly notices it.

During the fourth week of pregnancy, the baby is still an embryo, measuring only 8 millimeters in total. Even so, its tiny muscles already have strength and begin to move. By the 8th week, the fetus can be distinguished into a head, face, muscles, torso and limbs.

At this time, the baby begins to switch from whole-body exercise to single-limb exercise. Each time he exercises, he may only move one arm or one leg, and the movements of the right arm and calf are often more frequent than the left.

This actually shows that the baby's spinal nerves are developed long enough, the information sent by the brain can be transmitted to the muscles, and can command the muscles to relax or contract. It marks a major step forward in the baby's healthy development.

During the 10th week of pregnancy, the baby has more refined limb movements. At this time, the baby can not only move his fingers but also move his fingers to his face and touch it. By 5 months old, your baby can still play by sucking his thumb.

After reading this, do pregnant mothers feel it is magical and surprising? In fact, the baby's abilities in the mother's womb are more than just these little movements. The baby can also clench his fist, swallow, suck his fingers, open and close his eyes, yawn, turn around, somersault, and stretch his limbs. The number of movements he can make is beyond our expectations. It can even be said that before the pregnant mother can feel the fetus's movements, the baby can already do "exercises" frequently, actively preparing for the days after birth.

The baby's movements will reach their peak around the middle of pregnancy. At this time, the baby grows very fast as if it had eaten magic beans, making the space in the uterus very crowded. Then the baby's movements are restricted and have to stop. However, the baby's higher brain centers can already control some involuntary movements.

In the later stages of pregnancy, the fetus's movements become more refined, and some movements are necessary for the baby to survive after birth. For example, at around 27 weeks of pregnancy, the baby can already "breathe" continuously, and at 28 weeks the sucking and swallowing functions are more coordinated, and at 33 weeks the three movements of sucking, swallowing and breathing can be combined together. Therefore, premature babies generally do not suck from bottles before 33 weeks of gestation, probably because they come into this world in a hurry without completing a full set of exercises in the womb.

Pregnant mothers should not think that the baby’s frequent fetal movements mean that they are “idling away their time”. In fact, the baby needs to constantly strengthen its muscles so that it will have a strong body to adapt to life in the outside world. Therefore, if you start pushing from the baby's fetal movement, although the baby can do nothing when it is just born, it has already practiced exercises in the womb for seven or eight months.

By understanding the baby's fetal movements, we can feel that the tenacity of a new life also requires hard work. It is worth reminding that pregnant mothers do not need to worry too much about the condition of the fetus, because each mother's physique is different, so the time to feel fetal movement also varies. Moms need to relax.