What is the fetal shaking doing? Is the fetal shaking due to lack of oxygen?

During pregnancy, when the fetus is fully formed, fetal movement will begin to occur. Different pregnant mothers have different perceptions of fetal movement. So what is it doing if you feel the fetus shaking in your stomach? Could it be lack of oxygen?

What is the fetal shaking?

If the expectant mother feels the fetus shaking, it is actually the fetus hiccups, which is different from fetal movement.

Fetal hiccups usually occur around 24 weeks of pregnancy. The specific manifestation of hiccups is beating and skipping, just like our heartbeat. Pregnant mothers can use their hands to feel or their eyes to watch and see that the belly is shaking regularly, which usually lasts for 1-2 minutes with a frequency of 1 time/2-3 seconds.

The fetus will swallow amniotic fluid in the mother's womb, just like an adult eats food. When the amount of food eaten reaches a certain amount, it stimulates the diaphragm muscles, causing contraction, which is hiccups.

When the fetus hiccups, it is actually exercising its lungs. Continuous swallowing helps the alveoli grow. When the lungs are fully developed, the fetus will be able to breathe independently when it is born.

Is fetal shaking due to lack of oxygen?

Different fetuses have different motor abilities. Generally speaking, the movements of quiet fetuses are gentle and less frequent, while the movements of excited fetuses are large and frequent. If an originally active fetus suddenly becomes quiet, or a quiet fetus suddenly becomes restless, and the fetal movements are less than 10 times/12 hours or more than 40 times/12 hours, the fetus may be suffering from hypoxia.

Fetal movement is a normal physiological activity of the fetus. Pregnant women between 18 and 20 weeks of pregnancy can feel it. Pregnant women should sit or lie down to count fetal movements, count for one hour at a fixed time in the morning, noon and evening, add up the three times and multiply by 4, which is the number of fetal movements in 12 hours.

How to avoid fetal hypoxia during pregnancy

Prenatal check-up

Pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes and high blood pressure can easily cause fetal hypoxia. If the fetus is hypoxic, most of them can be detected during prenatal examinations. The earlier the baby's hypoxia is discovered, the more conducive it is for pregnant mothers to take positive measures.

Sleep on your left side

Generally, pregnant mothers can choose any sleeping position in the early stage of pregnancy, but after 28 weeks, pregnant mothers are better to sleep on the left side, because this helps increase the oxygen supply to the placenta, so that the baby can absorb more oxygen. You can also change other positions, but it is best not to sleep on your back, because long-term sleeping on your back can easily cause fetal hypoxia.

Timely oxygen inhalation

If the baby shows signs of hypoxia during pregnancy, the pregnant mother must follow the doctor's advice and breathe oxygen in time, otherwise it will affect the baby's brain development.

Counting fetal movements and fetal heart rate monitoring

Usually, fetal movement can start after 7 months of pregnancy, but you can observe the fetal movement more often. If the fetal movement is suddenly very strong one day, it is very likely that there is something wrong with the fetus in the uterus. You can listen to the fetal heart rate to confirm or go to the hospital for examination.