Signs that the fetus is developing well

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Tran Thi Phuong Loan - Obstetrician and Gynecologist - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital
To know if the fetus is developing well based on signs of weight, fetal movement, length and size of the fetus through each week of age. In which, fetal weight and movement are the two most obvious signs.

1. Signs of weight and size

The fetal weight chart by week of age is a measure of whether the fetus is developing well or not. Fetal weight monitoring table helps to accurately monitor fetal growth in terms of weight and size through each week of age.
By regular check-ups, pregnant mothers will compare the data with the fetal weight monitoring table to know if their baby is developing well, whether the fetus is small or larger than the standard weight. From there, the doctor will make a change in diet, nutrition, exercise so that it is reasonable.
If the baby's weight has a big difference from the standard table of fetal weight, the pregnant mother should pay attention because this can be a warning sign of a number of health problems, specifically: It can make labor and delivery difficult. Moreover, when the baby's size is about 3cm larger than the standard table, the fetus will be at risk of diabetes, obesity,... right from the womb. If the fetus grows much lower than the fetal weight chart, the pregnant mother needs to quickly conduct an examination to determine the cause. A baby with too little weight can be malnourished in the womb, prone to lung diseases, have poor resistance, and even affect the child's brain development later in life.

2. Signs of fetal movement

Fetal movements, also known as fetal movements, are movements of the fetus in the womb such as turning, moving limbs or the whole body that the mother can feel.

Fetal movement is one of the signs showing the health of the fetus. A decrease in the number of pregnancy cycles can be an indicator of poor fetal health. When the fetus is not mechanical or the fetus is weak, it may be due to fetal failure or fetal death.
To monitor fetal movements, the mother must pay attention and have the sensitivity to recognize the mechanical fetus. These are movements that are like tapping sounds against the abdominal wall that is deflected or distorted to one side. It is not easy to realize this but mothers must learn to recognize, count and track fetal movements every day.
Fetal health is reflected in fetal movements as follows:
When there are more than 4 movements in 30 minutes, 3 times in a day - this is a sign of good fetal development If the fetus moves less than 4 times, Pregnant women need to lie down and count fetal movements for one hour, or 2-4 hours. If there are more than 4 fetal movements in 1 hour, the fetus is healthy. If there are more than 10 fetal movements in 4 hours, continue counting 3 times in a day (fetus is healthy). If in 4 hours there are less than 10 fetal movements, or all fetal movements are weak, the mother needs to be hospitalized for further fetal monitoring by other methods. Pregnant women need to be equipped with knowledge about monitoring signs that the fetus is developing well or having problems in order to promptly solve and intervene, combined with periodic antenatal check-ups to have evaluations about pregnancy. development status of the fetus in the most comprehensive and accurate way.
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Doctor Tran Thi Phuong Loan is former Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, An Giang Central General Hospital; Doctor treated at Hoang Anh Gia Lai University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital before working as an Obstetrician and Gynecologist at Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital as it is now.
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