- Can be felt by the mother beginning 18th to 20th weeks of pregnancy and reaches a peak at 29th to 38th weeks.
- Normally, 2 times every 10 minutes that it can be counted to move 10-12 times an hour.
- Any fetal movement fewer than 5 (half the normal number) in a chosen hour of observation should be reported.
- Cardiff's "count of ten" means that having less than 10 counts in 10 hours calls for further evaluation.
- Placental insufficiency will greatly decrease the fetal movement. Maternal intake of depressant drugs, alcohol and smoking can reduce its movement, too.
- Fetal movements are not usually present in sleeping fetus.
FETAL MOVEMENT
