Baby shaking/quivering/vibrating in the womb. Is it a seizure?

[AdaUserName92]

I'm 17 weeks and I think since 12 or 13 weeks I have felt the baby shaking really fast in my tummy. I usually notice it when I'm sleeping, as it wakes me up. It lasts about the 15-20 seconds. But today it lasted just over 30 seconds. This time around I also felt the baby getting hard.

When it happens I feel my belly vibrate and when I hold my belly or touch it, I feel the baby shaking/quivering/vibrating really fast. I dont feel it every day but when I do feel it, it can happens more than once in one night. And it can happen for a few days in a week.

It is definitely not the baby being overactive. I've felt this baby since 9 weeks and I am very familiar with its movements. It is not normal movement. It is not jerky or rhythmic. It's like you holding a viberator. I'm really worried and will be seeing my midwife soon. But was wondering if anyone has ever experienced this and what happened.

I had it lots at the early stages of feeling movements. It has now settled to normal baby movements and kicks and I’m currently 35 weeks. I was worried at the time but all scans normal and seen some really good purposeful movements on 4d scan. Lots of people I spoke to said they had felt the same and it was nothing to worry about 😊

I had the vibrating thing in my first pregnancy. It's not the baby. Best explanation I heard was that it's a nerve somewhere that gets a bit trapped and goes a bit odd

I had it with my son, it was only his leg as we found out in the weeks after he was born. He did it regularly until he was 3 months when he stopped it and hasn’t done it since and he’s almost a year old now.

I had this fairly frequently around 20 weeks, although not for such long time periods (probably lasted around 5-10 seconds). Now at 29 weeks it doesn't really happen anymore. Googled it lots when it started and appears to be fairly common - possibly baby practicing the startle reflex?

I think you’re doing the right thing seeing your midwife - current guidance is if you feel anything out of the ordinary you should get it checked out. Fingers crossed it’s just one of the explanations another poster has suggested

I had this at 18 weeks and thought it was my phone vibrating on my lap! Thought it was the baby having a seizure and was worried but all seems fine so far as now 31 weeks

Thanks ladies. I hope it is all okay. I'll be seeing my midwife on Friday. Will update then. I spoke to two other midwives last week and they hadn't heard of this. I find it weird because I have seen others explain similar experience. So maybe it is not reported. Hopefully it is nothing and I'm going to see if they can get me to see a specialist if appropriate.

I had this!! I went to the hospital crying and panicking. They scanned him, he was absolutely fine just moving about and this kept happening from 22 onwards, not all the time though

Hiccups.
My DC used to do this loads, and I thought it was rapid fidgeting, until it happened at s scan and the MW said, 'oh, the baby's got hiccups'.

I had a baby that was having seizures in the womb and it felt exactly like hiccups rather than anything else.

@2020BetterBeBetter sorry to hear that. Is your baby okay? How did the hiccups feel? Did they do anything?

If it's what I had it isn't hiccups. It really is a buzz/vibration, not a baby movement at all. It's way too fast for any baby movement. That's what the explanation I had of a nerve temporarily trapped made most sense.

@DappledThings when did you feel it? During the day or at night? Do you know what nerve it was?

When sitting at my desk usually. So I think it was just the bump.caising some odd pressure somewhere.

I never actually found out what ot was definitely but the nerve thing makes sense. Quite a few posts on Mumsnet of people describing it and being told it was hiccups or similar. I don't think when people haven't experienced it they really believe it is a vibration and not a rapid movement

bump.caising = bump causing. Really need to fix my cracked screen!

No, she died. It was only as part of the post mortem I was told what I had thought were hiccups weren’t. I had a pregnancy afterwards where the baby hiccuped (perfectly normal hiccups) and panicked but was fine. Apparently seizures are very rare and hiccups are very normal.

Hi OP,

I had this. Its really weird. Not the baby apparently, either a nerve or the placenta and you're feeling the blood flow/pulse.

Completely freaked me out and it was so rhythmic, didn't feel like hiccups so I was paranoid the the baby having a fit, but it wasnt, and she's 2.5 years now

If you're worried though speak to your MW x

@DappledThings mine comes on at night when I sleep. I sleep on my sides. It is possible. I also thought maybe the baby is not getting enough oxygen. But again I'm just guessing. Hopefully the appointment can help to find out.

@2020BetterBeBetter my heart broke. I'm so sorry you had to go through that :(

Thanks for the support ladies, and sharing your experiences. It is very insightful.

I had it too, very odd sensation. I thought the same thing but it was nothing to worry about! I think it's very common.

It's good you can get checked out and chat to midwife but please don't panic. xx

Just in case anyone looks this up, I spoke to my midwife today and she said it was nothing to worry about especially when everything else including the tests and the scans are all fine.