Baby Moving All The Time

[Anonymous]

This may seem like a silly question but I'm a first time mom and really curious about fetal movement. Is there a correlation between how much a baby moves in the womb and how active a child they become? If so, I think I'm going to have quite an energetic bundle. I'm 27 weeks now and I've noticed that my baby is kicking/punching/somersaulting/cartwheeling a good portion of the day and quite a bit at night too. Frankly I don't know when the little guy sleeps! I wanted to ask, from your experience, if the movement of your baby in the womb matched up with his/her activity when they were born or became a toddler?

[Anonymous]

it's a good question and one i've been wondering myself, baby #1 was so mellow in my belly, and came out as a very serene, kinda serious old soul as a baby...very observant, calm, easy to soothe..but now he's 3yo and literally jumping off the walls...i'm prego with #2 and this one moves all the time and with more force, so curious to see if this one is going to be more high energy baby? time will tell!

[Anonymous]

I have three kids (4, 2 and 2.5 months) and have not noticed a correlation between their in utero movements and how active they are now. Just my experience, though!

[Anonymous]

You are not alone! Mine has been active since about 16 weeks and now it is very similar to what you're describing. I asked my OB and she simply reassured me that it is a sign of health. One should be more concerned if there is minimal movement. I am a psychologist and work at hopkins; I had similar questions to you and did a search in our library to see if there was any research on ADHD and activity in the womb and found nothing. Not sure if that means it has not been looked at or just b.c. there is no correlation.

[Anonymous]

I have heard (anecdotally) there is no correlation except for perhaps early on after birth. Just be glad you have an active baby! That is one less anxiety to deal with during pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

My dd moved constantly from about 24 weeks, and she was a very alert, active baby who hit her physical milestones on the early side (rolled over at two months, crawled at 6 months, walked at 9). She also loved to be swaddled and was a great sleeper. At 3, she is still sensitive to activity levels in that if she doesn't get enough, she seems to feel uneasy.

[Anonymous]

My son was very active while I was pregnant. People were always commenting about seeing him kick through my shirt! He came out as an active baby and hasn't stopped moving since. He's now 20 months and probably the most active toddler I've come across. Now I'm prego with #2 and this one is active as well. I'm doomed!

[Anonymous]

Hi,
No correlation for my two kids. In fact, the slow one never stops moving now, and the active one is very mellow.

[Anonymous]

This is helpful...my little one has been moving VERY ACTIVELY since early on....I am now 37 weeks and she is just as active....I get anxious because I don't know if/how she sleeps...unless she is sleeping while she is moving all about....I thought she'd slow down because there isn't very much room in there, but she is still moving and shaking basically throughout the day/night.

[Anonymous]

I will also be interested to see how this turns out for my kid(s) ... my 9 mo DS was very active in utero and is now (has always been) a very active baby, not very cuddly, always on the move. My midwife said that very active fetuses tend to have higher IQs as children, don't know whether that is based on studies or just folk wisdom, or whether it is just correlated with good health (more active fetuses are very healthy, thus have higher IQs). In any case, there doesn't seem to be any indication that it's a bad sign.

[Anonymous]

I noticed that DD moved most when I didn't - like at night when I was resting. The doc. said that during the day when I'm moving around the movement lulls the baby to sleep.

It will be a whole new world for your baby once it is born - lights, different textures, mommy and daddy's smell, warmth, and comfort. The womb and the amniotic fluid will be only an after thought. It will be a clean slate.

[Anonymous]

My 2 yo DD moved all the time during my pregnancy. I was high risk and had utlrasounds every other week and every technician commented on how incredibly active she was. It started to frighten me, lol. However, like pp - my dd turned out to be very alert, hit milestones early, but is also such a great sleeper. She still has tons of energy, loves to play and socialize pretty much up for anything and loves to sleep - she goes goes goes while she is up, but still takes a 2.5/3 hr daily night and 12 hours at night. Love it. I'm now pregnant w/#2 and at our last ultrasound was told the same thing - this ones a mover and shaker too - I can only hope #2 will be as easy as #1 - we'll see!

Fun thread.

[Anonymous]

Our DD was VERY active during pregnancy (moved and squirmed during every u/s, every heartbeat check, and all throughout the day). It was reassuring most of the time, but also got me wondering whether she'd ever sleep once she was born. Well, as it turns out, she's a GREAT sleeper and has been since the very first week. If I were you, I'd just take it as a sign of a healthy baby (that's what the doctors always told me) and enjoy it. Your kiddo will be here before you know it!

[Anonymous]

im 35 wks pregnant and my baby does not stop kicking and moving all day and all not i hardly get any sleep is this normal and does it mean my baby is healthy and active

[Anonymous]

I have the same thing, I was so concerned that my baby wasn't even head down. Went to the dr yesterday and she is very far down already, shocking.