It is quite natural for a pregnant woman to be full of curiosity regarding her soon-to-be-born baby. How will the baby look? Will it be a boy or a girl? Questions such as these can be answered sometimes with the help of an ultrasound. Yet, there are times when an expecting mother wishes to talk to the tiny little life inside her. But, wouldn’t it be nice if the baby could talk back as well? While that may not be possible until childbirth, what’s possible, though, is understanding your baby’s way of communicating with you – through kicks. These kicks are like a secret language which tell you how far you’ve achieved your pregnancy milestones. And once you learn what they mean, you will certainly enjoy ‘talking’ to your baby this way. Here are a few things your baby’s kicks say about your pregnancy:
1. THE BABY’S HEALTH
Haven’t you heard the old adage ‘alive and kicking’? That’s exactly what your baby’s kicks mean. If your baby is actively kicking around like a soccer player, it simply means that your baby is growing and is active, which is a sign of good health.
2. THE TASTE OF YOUR FOOD
How often have you felt a rude jerk from your baby every time you ate something spicy? This is because most babies generally dislike spicy food. However, if you were to eat something and your baby starts kicking around happily at that very moment, chances are that the food you just ate is awesome and yummy. Your baby simply wants more of it!
3. THE SIZE OF YOUR BABY
Before your baby started to kick, he/she was just a curled up bundle. This is why the doctors generally measured your baby from his/her head to rump. However, from now on, it only means that your baby will start growing in size and will be measured from head to toe.
4. YOUR BABY IS LISTENING TO YOU
And you thought you were talking to your belly all along! By week 18, a baby’s ears start standing out on the sides and .the hearing develops too. If you have been talking to your baby around this time and he/she kicks back in response, then it means that your baby can now actually listen to you.
5. ONSET OF YOUR SECOND TRIMESTER
Your baby should start kicking for the first somewhere between week 16 to week 25. This kick, which in fact feels more like a flutter, might even make you mistake it for gas. While it may take a few more weeks to transform into full-fledged kicks, these flutter-like kicks signal the start of your second trimester.
6. A DISTRESS CALL
Doctors generally ask expecting mothers to keep a count of their baby’s kicks. However, if these kicks drastically reduce, it is a way of the baby communicating to the mother that something is not right. Like a distress call. Time to see your doctor immediately.
7. THE THIRD TRIMESTER
While your baby’s kicks were regular but flutter-like during the second trimester, they become far more intense during the third trimester. They are also more frequent. This is the time your husband and relatives may also be able to sense your baby’s movements by placing a hand on your belly.
8. THE BABY CAN SEE
When you put a flashlight on your belly, your baby moves and kicks. By week 33, your baby’s pupils will change size in response to light. It means that your baby can now view the light as well.
9. AN AWAKE BABY
By week 25, your baby would have probably learned to sleep and starts spending more time in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. During this time, quite obviously, your baby will not kick. And whenever he/she does, it is a sign that your baby has woken up!
10. IT IS NOT ALWAYS A KICK
Yes, not all movements are kicks. If you feel slow and rhythmic kicks lasting for more than 30 seconds, in all probability your baby might be experiencing hiccups. Likewise, when babies are still small and have enough room inside the amniotic sac, they may even rotate or do somersaults.