Does Baby Move During Contractions?

Does Baby Move During Contractions?

Contractions are the ticking of the clock which means the baby will be here any time soon. You might have a lot of questions about the movement of the baby during contractions such as does baby move during contractions. Here are the answers to those questions. 

Do Babies Move During Contractions?

Contractions can be either the real deal, or they also can be false alarms. False contractions are normally known as Braxton hicks contractions. These contractions may seem like the real deal but they are usually a false alarm and they occur quite early before the due date. So the real question is that does your baby move during contractions?

A lot of research has been done on this particular topic and the bottom line is that yes, your baby does move during contractions. The baby is usually positioning itself for a smooth delivery, but sometimes it can also be a hard time for you because the baby can be positioned head up rather than head down, which makes for a painful and difficult delivery. 

What Are Contractions?

Contractions, as the name suggests, is your uterus contracting and expanding from time to time. This causes your opening to widen even more, up to 10 inches, so that the baby can be popped out easily. It is a natural process of birth, otherwise, you will not be dilated enough to deliver. It can be a painful process for a few hours, anything from 6 to 12 hours, but it is quite necessary to do so, and there are pain-relieving medications that will help you get comfortable with the birthing process. 

Can Babies Kick During Contractions?

We have already established that the movement of the baby can also heighten the feel of your contractions, so yes, every little movement by the baby will contribute to contractions.

Although this must be established that contractions don’t occur because of the movement of the baby, or in simple words, the baby doesn’t cause contractions. It’s your body getting ready to pop the baby out. Your body is just very sensitive to feeling everything, so you will feel kicks and bumps in your belly too. 

Is The Baby Awake During Labor?

Yes, the baby is awake during labor. Their heart is working just fine and it becomes a priority for the doctors to get the baby out as soon as possible. Your baby is very much breathing inside you when you start to go into labor, so it becomes a race against time to get the baby out of the body before anything major occurs.

The reason why is because the baby is literally trapped inside a sack of fluid and anything can happen if the delivery doesn’t take place immediately, as long as your body cooperates, making deliveries an emergency procedure. 

Conclusion

There you have it! Now you know does baby move during contractions and what exactly happens during contractions and if it has to do anything with the movement of the baby at all. 

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References:

1. pubmed
2. webmd
3. romper