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Reduction in Foetal Movement
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What is Reduction in Foetal Movement?

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Foetal movement is one of the first signs of life in the baby. It is not usually felt by the mother before 18 weeks under normal circumstances. Every foetus moves differently, with a different intensity and rhythm. Each baby has its patterns and the mother is the one who has to notice the movements to recognise and monitor them. The important thing is for the level of activity not to change too much so the mother knows everything is going well.

Women with a previous pregnancy may begin to notice movement earlier (around 16 weeks). However, pregnant women with obesity will usually notice them a little later (from 24 weeks).

Characteristics of foetal movement

After 20 weeks of gestation, all foetal movements will normally have appeared (e.g. movements of the trunk, extremities and breathing movements). The intensity of the movements is maximum around 28 weeks. However, due to increased periods of foetal sleep throughout the third trimester, the number of movements in late pregnancy may seem to decrease, although both their force and duration increase.

However, the mother may experience different situations that decrease perception of foetal movements, without there being any problem with the baby. The most frequent are smoking, drinking alcohol, taking sedative or antidepressant medication; or experiencing stress, long periods of time standing, significant physical activity or prolonged fasting.

Every baby moves differently and there is no ideal movement pattern. The important thing is for the level of activity not to change too much so the mother knows everything is going well.

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The donations that can be done through this webpage are exclusively for the benefit of Hospital Clínic of Barcelona through Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica and not for BBVA Foundation, entity that collaborates with the project of PortalClínic.

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