Reduced fetal movements - anyone been for monitoring?

[natwebb79]

Baby really hasn't moved much at all today when usually he is really wriggly, especially after eating and drinking. He has made a few small wriggles and had one faint bout of hiccups but that's in stark contrast to most days when my whole belly is shifting all over the place. I've decided to phone the hospital who have agreed that I should go in for a bit of monitoring just in case (I'm 35 weeks).
Has anybody else been in for monitoring for the same reason? What do they njormally do? x

[hawthers]

haven't been in for reduced movement but have had monitoring to check how the baby is doing. I think they normally do a CTG (cardiotachiograph or something along those lines...) which is a pad on your tummy connected to a machine to trace the baby's heartbeat. By looking at this they can see how the baby is doing. The heartbeat should be within a certain range depending on the number of weeks pg you are and should also vary.

hope it goes ok x

[hawthers]

oh and might also do a scan to check the blood flow in various arteries (yours and the baby's)

[cravingcake]

Hi, not had monitoring for same reason but have been in for monitoring at 31 weeks. They put two small round discs on your bump, one monitors the baby's heartrate, the other monitors what the uterus is doing. I was on the monitor for about 40 minutes, and they did normal blood pressure and urine test. You just lie there and relax for a bit and watch the heartrate. Not sure what else they might do but hope that helps a bit. I'm sure all will be ok, I had reduced movement last week and after a few discussions with MW we decided I didnt need to go in (they were full until later in the day and as I was still having movement we werent too worried and about 2 hours before I was going in baby suddenly 'woke up' and went back into normal squirming, wriggling, kicking self).

[natwebb79]

Thanks everyone. Sure it'll be ok and that the little monkey will start as soon as I get there! Better safe than sorry though.

[lovinme]

The same thing happened to me when I was 36wks I went to the hospital and 1st they listened for a heartbeat which was fine thank God and then they put me on the monitor it turns out i was in labour they sent me home and she was born 9:15 the next morning

[ninedragons]

I went for a day-long session of monitoring (my hospital was VERY up on counting kicks and so forth). It was actually a really relaxing day - I just sat in one of those giant recliner chairs all day napping, reading magazines and having nice snacks brought to me by charming midwives who will throw on a how-to-breastfeed DVD if you're really bored.

Had all the monitors and the machines that go ping; baby was perfectly healthy and is now 6M old.

Good luck - I have no medical background but it does seem to be one of those things about which they'd really rather be safe than sorry, so nothing to fret about.

[cherryjellybelly]

I had monitoring just like craving cakes because I was worried about movement :) Good luck!! :)

[NorksandSpencer]

My little monkey started wriggling like mad every time I went in for monitoring in my last pg. Baby might just be running out of room . Good luck.

[Pastabee]

Sure it will all be fine. I had monitor as OPs have said but there was also a button to press if I felt any movement.

I was also given an ultrasound to make sure everything was fine and baby was just being cross / lazy that day.

They really were very kind to me and there was no sense I was wasting anyone's time.

Hope all goes well for you.

[natwebb79]

Thank you all so much for your feedback ladies. As suspected went along, got the machine rigged up and within a minute the little toe rag wriggled like he's never wriggled before, grrr! At least all is well :)

[hawthers]

so pleased to read all is well

[PotteringAlong]

So glad all is well. I went in for monitoring for reduced movement on Saturday (am 31 weeks) and although the baby stayed stock still for 20 mins it then made up for it (after I'd fainted on the midwife ) but they never made me feel like I was neurotic and shouldn't have gone.