How to Get Baby to Move

So far this baby has been incredibly active in utero. Even to the point where people across the room have seen him jumping around in my belly. Not really the attention you want during business meetings, but there is not much you can do to settle a baby when he wants to be active. The other problem with an active baby is that when he decides not to be active it definitely starts one worrying. That is what happened over the last couple of days. From a logical point of view I am pretty sure he has shifted positions and is now kicking toward my back which I can not feel as much as when he was kicking directly into my stomach. From a worrying mother's perspective movement slow down means that something is wrong. I still feel him moving but just not as strong and definitely in a different position than he was before. I am sure in the next day or so he will shift again to some new and interesting position with new challenges and discomforts.

This is why I decided to find ways to reassure myself that my baby was doing well. I definitely don't want to interrupt his sleep cycle or to disturb him while he grows big and strong in my tummy, but once in a while when the worrying gets to me there are ways to make sure that he is still doing well. My favorite discovery (just found out tonight) is the use of a flash light placed on my stomach. He definitely starts moving after the flashlight. That is one that I reserve if everything else doesn't work. The other baby moving techniques that I have found are eating dried apricots, drinking a large glass of water, or simply relaxing (he tends to sleep more the more active I am and will move more if I am lying on the couch or in bed). He also seems to know when I have a full bladder and its exact location and will start kicking there just to keep me on my toes. But for tonight I am reassured that my baby is happy and healthy and definitely growing as my belly button is progressing towards an outie more and more. That is all I can hope for as I have 3 more months of pregnancy before I get to meet my little man.