Have you been noticing a kind of vibration from your belly? – a vibrating Feeling in the stomach while pregnant? This may come as a surprise for a first-time Mom. There are so many theories everywhere regarding why this occurs. Some are just weird and frightening.
The vibrating feeling in the stomach while pregnant is a very normal occurrence. It happens to every pregnant woman and it’s a sign that you and your baby are healthy. But, don’t just get off now. You need to know about the different kinds of vibrations and their causes. Fortunately, that’s all this article is about!
Causes Of Vibrating Feeling In The Stomach While Pregnant
What Causes Baby To Vibrate or Shake In The Stomach During Pregnancy?
Your baby is supposed to shake in the womb. That’s how you know everything is okay. The sensation is very much like twitching or constant pulsing. So, why is this happening?
You are feeling those movements in your belly because your baby is moving. Yes, your little one is starting to move backward and turn around. Some of the movements occur as a result of hiccups. Tiny hiccups from your baby’s developing gut. It’s something to be excited about.
These movements may not be continuous as your baby will be taking naps at intervals. Most babies at this phase sleep for about 40 minutes to one hour several times within the day. The sensations will continue when your baby wakes up and resumes its routine.
Other things that could cause movement is response to stimuli, your emotions, and the food you eat.
Mothers start to experience this feeling from as early as sixteen to twenty-four weeks. On average, the baby’s movements get noticed between eighteen and twenty weeks.
This is a great opportunity for the parents to bond with the baby, especially the mother. The baby feels through the mother at this point. Whatever craving that is gotten, is something the baby wants to eat. This is the right moment to start spoiling your baby.
Fathers find this stage of the pregnancy exhilarating. Talking to the baby can be exciting, and the child tends to react by making certain movements. As the pregnancy progresses into the 32nd week, the baby’s movement becomes stable and responses to conversations get stronger.
Also Read: Why Your Baby Shake When Excited
What Does Baby Vibrating Say About The Baby’s Health?
Those vibrations are sign of good health. It means your baby is growing older and stronger. Towards the end of the last trimester, most doctors will ask you to describe what you are feeling. They take note of everything you describe to determine if the baby is making all the movement expected of it at that stage.
For example, the stretching movement feels like twitching. It can be slightly painful at times. Most babies when they are born, stretch their arms and legs very often, especially after waking up. They all learned this by means of practice inside the womb. It helps strengthen the muscles and bones of their arms and legs.
Twitching or shivers occur when your baby has a hiccup. A similar sensation is sent when your baby coughs or sneezes. As the baby matures, it gains the ability to do virtually everything old humans do. The coughing and sneezing may be a result of an increased drop in temperature. While hiccups may be due to the mother’s diet. Moreover, you should not be worried as these reactions are normal.
Your baby can sometimes make involuntary movements just like muscle spasms. The body including the brain is still delicate and developing. From time to time, these movements can occur. You are likely to interpret it as a sudden jerk. Just like all the other movements, this is also normal.
Some sensations will be difficult to explain. It occurs when your baby is suspended by the cord. As your baby grows stronger, its strength and activity increases. Many babies try to break free of their cord while in the womb. The sensation is often not directional. The thought of your baby trying to break free from what protects it may scare you but nothing serious really happens. All that should be noted is that your baby is starting to display multiple emotions, feelings, and behaviors. In this case, it’s hastiness as your baby feels it may have outgrown the small walls of the uterus.
Another kind of movement happens in a rush like a quick slight punch. This occurs when there is a sudden high pitch sound in the environment. The way you would jerk in shock as a reaction to loud noise is the same way your baby behaves. Sounds beautiful right? Your baby’s ears can now pick sound signals. And no, the multiple layers of skin between the womb and the outside world cannot prevent this from happening.
Mealtime is one moment where your baby kicks and punches repeatedly especially when energy-rich foods are consumed. Your baby’s energy level rises, and they become hyperactive. The kicking and punching is a way of showing off their strength and skills.
It is also essential to note that not all vibrations are due to your baby’s movements. The muscular walls of the uterus can move involuntarily if you are suffering from a condition known as irritable uterus. It doesn’t in any way affect your baby, but if you cannot contain your concerns, seeing a doctor will help.
All the movements made by your baby is a sign of happy growth and good health. Be attentive, and take note of how you sense each movement or vibrating feeling in the stomach while pregnant. It would help you have an idea of what your baby is doing.
Also Read: How to Increase Breast Milk Supply After Giving Birth
Should I Worry When My Baby Vibrates Or Shakes?
The vibrating feeling in the stomach while pregnant or the vibrations you get are result of the movements your baby is making within the uterus. This is a direct sign of how healthy and energetic your baby is. If your baby is unhealthy or growing slowly, it would have difficulty moving, stretching or turning. So, this is not something you should be worried about, but rather something to be pleased with.
Pay a close attention to the kinds of movements your baby is making. The most common movements and the sensations it sends have been discussed in this article. Whenever you notice your baby is moving in an unusual way, you should see your doctor for a scan and to have the baby examined.
Babies tend to reduce their movements when they are sick. You would notice that the frequency of vibrations you feel drops drastically. When such a situation arises, consult your doctor and explain the situation. If something serious is wrong with your baby, the doctor will tell you what you need to do. Although, most of the time, your health affects your baby’s health, so it’s very possible that’s the problem. To be sure your baby’s condition is not linked to yours, treat yourself quickly and give your baby some time to adjust. If the frequency of its movement does not return back to the usual, then make your doctor to be aware of your concerns.
Another time to be very attentive to your baby’s movement is towards the end of the last trimester. Your baby is expected to be more energetic as the gestation period comes to a close. If your baby starts moving less, do not hesitate to see a doctor. In most cases where babies are born dead, there was a serious decline in movement that nobody noticed. The baby struggles alone, fighting for its life, before giving up.
However, an inability to feel your baby move may not be because something is wrong with your baby, but rather the problem lies with you.
Women who have their placenta in front of the uterus find it hard to feel their babies. This arrangement deviates from the usual and it affects how the mother receives sensations from her baby. You could suggest to your doctor that you want to go for a scan. A clean ultrasound scan should help detect if this is the case.
Then, the position of your baby affects the kinds of vibrations you get. If your baby is lying in the wrong direction, that is their back is aligned with the front of the uterus while their face is aligned to the back, movement can be slow as well as ability to sense the baby’s movement. A good scan should identify if this is the issue. The normal position your baby should be in has their back aligning with your back and their face aligning with yours.
Sometimes, babies roll around and they temporarily stay in the wrong positions. After a while your baby should return to the normal position. If you discover your baby is unable to do so, complain to your doctor. They could manually help move your baby back to the way it should be.
The bottom line is to never assume. Disturb your doctor whenever you need to. Some movements may be too faint and difficult to detect – no doubt, but the vibrations can as well be faint if there is a problem with you.
Never try to make your baby move when you are worried. This could lead to more complications. You may end up pushing the baby in the wrong direction that could bring about serious health issues. Also, do not try to listen to your baby’s heartbeat by yourself. It is very likely that you would be hearing yours and believing all is fine. This is your doctor’s responsibility, so allow them play their part. If something is wrong with your baby’s heartbeat, only the doctor can know that.
Also Read: All You Need to Know About When Baby Sits Up, Crawl And Roll Over
Is It Normal For Baby To Vibrate In The Stomach During Pregnancy
The only time you should be panicking is when you are not feeling any vibrations in your stomach. It is very normal for your baby to vibrate or shake, and you experience those vibrating feeling in the stomach while pregnant. Your baby is getting used to the new world and preparing for the one it is going to get introduced to.
It can do simple things like pushing through the walls of the uterus with it’s arms and legs. Usually, this can be noticeable if the parent pays attention. Your baby can now sneeze, cough, have a hiccup, and do so many other things. So while your little one is busy down there, you will be getting vibrations.
Some mothers have asked how they can differentiate between regular foetal movements and foetal seizures. Foetal seizures are not very common. In fact, cases where the foetus suffers from a seizure is quite rare. It is also believed that if a baby suffers from a seizure in the womb, they would still have seizures after birth. So, what can a worried mother do?
The major way to communicate with your baby is to understand your baby’s movement. Some babies are sluggish while others are highly energetic. Hence there is no clear cut evidence for how much a baby should be moving. If you notice your baby’s movement decreased or increased greatly over a short space of time, it’s a sign something may be wrong. Some doctors can be quick to dismiss some of your complaints thinking it’s just your baby adapting but trust your intuition and resist whatever response you are not comfortable with.
You can make suggestions to your doctor like going for an ultrasound or monitoring the baby’s heartbeat consistently. Just let your doctor know you wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. And, your resistance is fine. Keep resisting till you feel like your baby is alright.
There are drugs to help manage foetal seizures and any abnormal condition your baby may be having. Identifying the situation early enough helps the doctors to combat it and reduce the chances of reoccurrence.
Belly Vibration During Pregnancy Third Trimester
Belly vibration or movement in the belly is one occurrence associated with pregnancy. This vibrating movement is simply an indication that your baby is moving around in the belly, and this is just normal. Thus, it is normal to observe belly vibration during pregnancy third trimester as this tells you that your baby is active.
Remember, pregnancy third trimester is the last stage of the three pregnancy trimesters. Thus, at this third trimester, your baby will start kicking and moving more often and you will observe these movement and vibration go on in your belly.
There is no need to worry about anything as belly vibration during pregnancy third trimester is normal. But like we always advise, when you feel something completely unusual do consult your doctor, and this includes lack of baby kicking or even some other kind of unusual movement.
Conclusion On Vibrating Feeling In The Stomach While Pregnant
Vibrations in the stomach during pregnancy are normal. All babies are expected to be making detectable movements by the 24th week. The movements your baby makes serves as the first line of communication between you and your baby. If you listen well, you can play a major role in keeping your baby healthy and also eliminating the possibility of complications that may come after delivery.
