SCBIBS (Black Infants Better Survival)
Motion Matters
Congratulations on your pregnancy! While there are many things you can do to ensure a healthy baby, one of the most important is learning to count your unborn baby's movements…. Because healthy babies are active babies.
- When will I start to feel my baby move?
- Somewhere between 15-20 weeks or around the fourth month of your pregnancy, you will begin to feel your baby move.
- You will feel small flutters at first but as the baby continues to grow you will feel stronger movements.
- Where should I count my unborn baby's movements?
- You can count your baby's movements anywhere.
- There is no special place the test must be done.
- You will need a clock or watch to time the moves.
- How often should I count my unborn baby's movements?
- It is good to count your baby's movements once a day.
- Start counting once you reach 28 weeks of pregnancy or about 7 months.
- How to count your unborn baby's movements:
- Begin at 28 weeks.
- Count your baby's movements every day.
- Lie quietly on your side after a meal and begin to pay careful attention to your body's movements.
- It is best to lie on your side. If you cannot lie down than sit.
- Note the time you lie down.
- See how long it takes for you to count 10 baby movements.
- You may stop counting after your baby moves 10 times.
If your baby has not moved 10 times in 2 hours, call your health care provider, or go to the hospital and tell the nurse that the baby is not moving as often as it had been.