Shaking/convulsing in the womb??

[beaver33]

Hello all

I'm 31+4 and over the past couple of weeks I've become more aware of my LO having what appears to be brief convulsions or shaking. It comes on without warning, usually when she's being fairly active anyway, and lasts only a couple of seconds before dying away.

It's definitely not hiccups and feels more like a tremor. But it's quite violent, although brief. My whole stomach shakes.

Has anyone else had this? It appears to be getting stronger and I just suddenly wondered whether it was unusual and whether I should be worried. It's my first pregnancy so have nothing to compare it with.

Am at work today and pretty busy so don't want to rush off to get it checked out if it's something that is fairly normal....

Thanks!

It probably is hiccoughs, they do rock my bump sometimes when baby has them!

I get this (currently 35 weeks) it's an odd feeling but it's never worried me.

I would get it checked out.

my dd used to do this regularly and i was told that it was the startle reflex that you see newborns doing when they think they are falling...

by the way she is perfectly healthy at 17 months!

Yes, as Bibs says, its the startle reflex.

I had it with DD2 and shes perfect :)

Yes I had this with dd. It wasn't hiccups and she is absolutely fine.

I didn't know they had startle reflex in the womb, every day is a school day eh?

Hi yes I had this. I gave birth on Monday to a healthy daughter but for 5 weeks or so before I gave birth the baby would sometimes shake vigorously. It wasn't hiccoughs. I did ask the midwife she said she'd heard of it before, but didn't know what it was, and as long as it wasn't followed by reduced movements (over a period of time) then it should be fine and that I should trust my instincts.

Thanks for the reassurance - that's really interesting re the startle reflex. What does that actually mean? That she's dreaming? She never does it when I'm moving around, always when I'm sitting or lying down.

Definitely no reduced movements. This little sausage can't stop wriggling so I'm not worried about her basic health....

just looked it up, and apparently it can be a symptom of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.... I def had one tequila binge when I must have been only a few days pregnant, but apart from that I've been completely off the vino apart from a couple of small sips of red wine....honest...

I didnt drink at all before or during the pregnancy so I wouldnt worry about the tequila :)

Stop panicking, I've had this for both pregnancies and all normal. Honestly, its just something that babies do in the womb.

If it feels like a vibration then yes! My fella has felt it do this as well and really panicked thinking it was having a fit of some kind, but to me it just feels like a gathering of momentum to move or roll.

I've had this shuddering/vibrating in all 5 pregnancies. All healthy babies born naturally at term. As far as I know, nothing to worry about.

I had this with my second, not my first. At 7 weeks she still has a tremble in her leg sometimes. The doc at her 6 week check said this was normal and she'll grow out of it.