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Pregnant. Shaking Abdomen With Hands To Feel Fetal Movement. Will I Harm The Baby?

Posted on Fri, 26 Jul 2013

Question: I have a question about shaking my abdomen with my hands during pregnancy. When I was 24 weeks pregnant, I was frustrated that I had not really felt any fetal movement. I grabbed either side of my abdomen with my hands and shook my abdomen up and down rapidly for a few seconds. I did not feel any discomfort or pain, and I did not feel any fetal movement as a result either. I have felt some fetal movement since that time, but I am concerned that, by shaking my abdomen with my hands, I may have harmed the baby.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (21 minutes later)

Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
Shaking the abdomen like you described is not likely to cause any harm to the baby as baby is inside a bag of water which acts like a cushion and protects the baby from all such external blows.
Since you do not have any pain, bleeding, leaking of liquor or a decrease in the fetal movements, there is nothing to worry. Just be careful not to repeat such a thing in future.
To feel the fetal movements, you should lie on your left side after having a meal and then watch for the fetal movements.
In case you have any of the above said symptoms than do consult your obstetrician and get an ultrasound scan done to confirm the fetal well being.
Hope this answers your query. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have.
Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Rakhi Tayal.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (19 minutes later)

I had an ultrasound scan about four or five days after I shook my abdomen with my hands. I was too embarrassed to mention the shaking to the doctor, but the doctor seemed to think that the baby was fine.

Could shaking my abdomen with my hands have caused harm, if I was shaking it vigorously and rapidly? What could have happened to the baby as a result of the shaking?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (7 minutes later)

Hello.
Thanks for writing again.
Since you had an ultrasound scan and everything was normal, there is nothing to worry. Shaking like this cannot harm the baby. Rather it can cause a mild placental bleeding or uterine pains.
If there are no such symptoms, no need to worry.
Hope my answer is helpful.
Do accept my answer in case there are no further queries.
Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (17 minutes later)

Thank you! Just to clarify - even though I shook my abdomen rapidly and firmly with my hands, the fact that I felt no pain afterward, that I've had a normal ultrasound since then and have had no bleeding means that the baby was not harmed by the shaking?

I am not planning on ever shaking my abdomen with my hands again, but I just want to confirm whether there could be any side effects from the shaking.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (25 minutes later)

Yes. You understood me correctly. The shaking of abdomen rapidly and firmly with hands for 1-2 minutes has not harmed your baby as there are no suggestive symptoms and the ultrasound scan is also normal.
Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar