Patient's question:
NoDoctor's answer:
Mothers-to-be usually start to feel fetal movement around weeks 18 to 20 of pregnancy. At this stage, the movements are very faint and sometimes difficult to distinguish from intestinal movements. In fact, during the embryonic period, the fetus is already active, but the movements are too weak to be detected. Between weeks 29 and 38, fetal movement is most active, and it slightly decreases as the due date approaches.The fetus also has a "biological clock" habit, with different patterns of movement between day and night. Generally, activity is least in the morning and gradually increases after noon. From 6 to 10 p.m., fetal movement is most active. Fetal movement alternates between active (awake-sleep) cycles. During active periods, there is fetal movement, and the fetal heart rate accelerates. In resting periods, there is no fetal movement, and the fetal heart rate slows down. Active and resting periods typically last about 20 minutes but can extend to 40 minutes. If the resting period lasts more than an hour, it may indicate that the fetus is in distress. Therefore, monitoring fetal movement should be done for at least one hour.
In the later stages of pregnancy, the fetus has its own wake-sleep patterns, and the frequency and intensity of movement also follow certain rhythms throughout the day and night.