About to start crying with worry, I don't know who to believe or what to do, IRT lack of and change in movement. Are there any MW's or anyone on here who can help?

[SchrodingersMew]

Okay, I posted a thread in AIBU the other day about something completely different but the conversation was mostly around this.

I had to go to Maternity Assesment a few days ago because my baby hadn't moved in 2 days. They put me on the monitor and were the MW's and a Doctor had said they wanted me on the monitor as long as possible as there were decels in his heart rate, but by this point he had started moving.

Another Doctor came in about a half an hour/hour later and quickly said that the trace was fine and to go home but he wanted me to go for a scan as he stops moving a lot (I have been in a few times for the same thing) then a MW said maybe he's getting bigger and it's getting harder for him to move.

Next day I had been posting on here and was convinced to go back as he hadn't moved at all again, I phoned the base where my consultant is and was told that they should be monitoring me and to phone them straight away.
Was on the monitor for 20 minutes, only seen a MW this time and she said it was fine and this time said he's probably too small too feel him. (after telling me he was probably too big to move easily a day earlier).

He moved a bit yesterday evening but the movements don't feel the same as they did, no where near as powerful, normally when he moves you can see it and feel it from the outside, it's just not the same at all now.
He hasn't moved at all today.

What do I do? Who do I believe?

when I mentioned scanning I meant a proper scan where they looked at blood flow etc etc, I hope you get your very soon.

I have found with my pregnancies that at 28 weeks was a really wierd time for movements the movements were not the bubbly rolling movements I had had I nearly pregnancy but they hadn't progressed to the huge kicks and headbuts of later pregnancy either so I found I hard to track movement at that stage at all!. In pregnancies 1,3 and 4 where there were no problems movements were on and off one day I may be having to poke them to get them to move at all at times and I must have made about 60 posts in my time called things like " no movement!" or " should I call the midwife?!".
In pregnancy 2 where there WAS a problem he was quiet not just not moving but the small movements he did make just felt pathetic somehow like he was half asleep almost and as soon as I went to be monitored they saw this straight away tbh as soon as they put the monitor on.
I ALWAYS go if I am worried don't get me wrong but just saying it is possible that your baby is fine just having a sleepy patch :)

They can't refuse to see you. Mostly we just turned up. Some midwives weren't happy but I didn't care. If I lost my baby that was it, it wouldn't effect them for the rest of their lives. What they thought didn't really matter to me.

Im in just now on my galaxy tab thing thing they are keeping me in just now as weren't happy with trace. They're doing another one tonight and tomorrow then scan on Monday. Might get to go home tonight though.

I hope everything is ok for you, well done for following your instincts :)

Thanks :-) Im sure it will be fine Im now very glad i posted on here and took everyone's advice!

I have replied to your PM.

Take care.

Is it possible that he has moved from a forward facing position to a backward facing position? When my baby did this the movements were a lot less intense.

x

I hope all is well, thinking of you x

Just wanted to add that I had this in my first pregnancy - went to be monitored 10 times at least - had 3 scan - nothing was wrong with ds but I just didn't feel a lot of movement. Hope this is the same for you. It was frustrating being monitored and being told all was ok when I still felt anxious but at least babu was ok. Ds2 moved a lot more. On dc3 now and she move a lot less - I was at the assessment unit on mon already for monitoring and I was only 29 weeks - hope I don't end up there 10 times again. I am trying
to count 10 moves a day even if small. I think I got freaked out with ds 1 as a lot of advice is to lie down and feel 10 moves in an hour -well that hardly ever happened - would be lucky to get 1 small move in 2 hours at some times of the day. Hope all goes well. Xm

Thank you everyone, the second trace was a bit better, I've to go back today for another one and see what happens there and they have brought my scan forward to tomorrow. They were going to keep me in last night but said I could go home. T'was a bit daunting being on a post natal ward!

He hasn't moved yet again today so we shall see what happens, they also said that my tummy should not be sore to touch but I don't have a UTI so don't know what is going on there.

Kitkey I hope all goes well for you too. It really is worrying when you don't feel them move. :(

Hi Schrodingers
Just popping in to say hope all is well tomorrow.

When I was pg with my twins, I hardly felt them moving at all and then one of them would change positions and I would feel them all the time!

Having said that, as others have said, if you feel something is wrong, follow your instincts and persist!

Hey South, thanks. :) I'm hoping it is just a change in positions but it's the trace I'm worried about now. :( That's 2 I have had with dips.

They are definitely taking me seriously now, I had 3 Doctors and a Registrar come to see me last night.

Your case does sound similar to me, including the painful stomach, so please please keep an eye on everything.

I will, when we went in yesterday the Doctor went through everything that had been happening and for how long.

SchrodingersMew
I don't know whether to be pleased for you (that you're feeling as though you're being listened to) or concerned (that they feel the need to investigate further). Either way I've got my fingers crossed you come out of this feeling as though you can communicate with them, and hopefully being reassured that there aren't any problems.

HardertoKidnap
If part of what I wrote was inapropriate I apologise. As a member of the public its hard to know exactly what the options are and all we can do is try and get the best care we can for ourselves and our babies. I do believe that most MW's will do everything in their power to do the best that they can do given the circumstances they are in - but I also believe that MW's are, at times, incredibly overworked such that the best that they can do in that particular circumstance may not be to deliver the best possible care to any particular woman at any particular time.

To me, a fundamental part of a MW's job is to reassure the woman in front of her. If a woman has been into hospital twice in the last 48 hours, has been given contradictory information and is feeling as though her concerns aren't being taken seriously then, to me, that means to me that the MWs aren't doing enough. If a woman is left feeling as though she'll be a nuisance if she goes back, that means to me that the MWs haven't done their job as well as they should have done.

I appreciate a mobile scanner won't be able to look at everything a full blown scan with a fully trained sonographer can assess - but it would be able to rule out some suggestions that have been mentioned here, such as the position of baby/placenta.

From my personal perspective, I'm living with the consequence of not having acted when my baby's movements changed. I didn't register there was a problem (completely different circumstance - I was 36 weeks, very ill and put DD's change of movements down to a protest about me having had D&V for 4 hours, which also meant I wasn't really thinking as much as I could/should have done). By the time we wound up in hospital (due to my condition) DD had already died. I realise this experience may make me prone to being slightly on the paranoid side - but it will also mean that if I am ever in the circumstance of SchrodingersMew I will play every card I have to get as many checks as possible to try and make sure the same thing doesn't happen again, even if that means using some tricks that might be considered a bit below the belt.

Re. CTG, I've read too many stories (both from MW's here and summaries of research in the wider press) that indicate the analysis of CTG data is still far from clear cut - and as such if I was aware of anything suspicious on the trace or was still feeling concerned for whatever reason then I would push as hard as possible to ensure that trace was looked at by as many experienced bodies as possible, even if that means offending an individual MW.

OP hope you are ok. Tangle, I'm so sorry for what happened to you and DD.

Thinking of you again today, I am so glad that you had the confidence to go back and they now have enough evidence to see that they need to investigate thoroughly.

I am very fortunate to have had only 4 pregnancies and had 4 healthy term babies, I am so very aware that I am in the minority.

My very best wishes to you.

Thank you again everyone, I am back home just now.

I was on the monitor today for about 3 hours as everytime they were about to let me home there was a change on the trace. Found out he sleeps an awful lot but they said that the trace was OK and I have to go back again tomorrow for the scan.

I also apparently have a sensitive uterus? And that is probably why I am in so much pain with cramps.

Tangle I am so very sorry for what happened to you. :( Thank you for taking the time to reply to me.
Everyone's advice on here is very much appreciated.

It's times like this when you realise just how good MN is and how valuable!

Hi Schrodingers, just wanted to say I had a sensitive uterus and for me it meant non stop braxtons for whole pregnancy but baby was fine. Best of luck tomorrow.

Rolling I have been getting Braxton hicks as well, they are so irritating. :(

They are, and for me the irony was I eventually had to be induced and EMCS as despite having thousands of contractions over the course of my pregnancy they were useless in actual labour!

Awww! God I hope that doesn't happen to me. I am terrified of having surgery.

Oh no, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to scare you. My CS was not because of the BHs, just funny positioning of a large baby. What I meant was the sensitive uterus thing was just worrying, unsettling and uncomfortable but actually turned out to have no bearing on my labour or health of my baby.

and although I'd have preferred a natural birth and was very scared of surgery too it was actually completely fine (but I'm sure you don't even need to worry about this).

No, I know what you meant. :)

I'm hoping I don't need a Cx but I know that it might be neccessary and I will just have to put up with it. :)

The constant braxton hicks really are a pain though!! I've had them for about an hour and a half solid now! :(