31+5 weeks baby very quiet/not moving

[Zara1984]

Hello all

Baby is normally very active, and I have noticed he has been very quiet today - only 1-2 very light movements since I woke up. I had antenatal appointment with my GP today and the heartbeat was all fine (but he wasn't trying to kick the doppler like he normally does). However he didn't move much in response to her checking his position (ie poking his head), and he unusually didn't move much after that. No response to me eating lots of food, sitting still and quiet at work, big glasses of cold water, hot drinks, lying on my side, lying on my back. Previously when I've been worried about baby not moving much I find lying on my back after eating really works - he starts thrashing away! But not today. :(

Just now I called the community midwife team at my hospital, they said they want to see 10 movements in 12 hours. They said if I haven't had up to 10 movements by 5pm I should come in to the hospital for a check/scan. She said she will call me later on to check how I'm going too.

What else can I do at my desk at work to get baby to wake up?!?! Anything else?? They haven't been telling me to count the kicks previously, and I am sure baby is probably fine but today he has just been too quiet for it to be normal. Midwife said he may be slowing down movements because he's running out of room, which also makes me confused .

I have read on Mumsnet about counting movements but I'm still confused. Is one little poke a movement, or should I count a series of movements as one movement (ie poke-poke-shake/poke-poke-roll is one movement?)

I don't want to worry because I'm sure everything is fine and he's just sleeping a lot today... but as I sit here and he still is not moving I just keep worrying :( I would've thought the call to the midwife would've been Murphy's Law enough to get him really moving.

As you can tell I'm fretting a bit here....

Ok feeling a bit better about the jerky/spasmy movements. Yes, feels like a dog scratching itself or shaking water off. Or like eg when you are falling asleep but then suddenly wake up and your arms and legs shake/you give yourself a fright. Had a big series of them in the past few days!

Coke and mars baby well and truly digested. Waiting waiting.

"2) As babies grow they eventually find that your womb is not as roomy as it used to be, and it can become difficult for them to move much."

This is bollocks. Baby does not stop moving as much because there is less room. They still need to move and you have to keep an eye on the movements. I am sad at how many times people post that baby is going to move less because they are bigger as that makes mums think all is okay when it might not be.

Waiting until 2.40 I mean. Not going to wait until 5pm.

London Yes, if associated with reduced movements it can be a sign of fetal distress. If movements are otherwise fine then it probably isn't a problem. DD1 used to hiccup a lot, but her movements were fine (though I did go in once when she'd stopped for a while).

Before a baby stops moving finally it can 'quiver', if it is in distress. I'm hoping & praying that Zara's baby is fine, but the facts are that reduced fetal movement, and 'quivering' are warning signs.

Zara I hope you do go soon. Babies that are stillborn do move normally the night before - they stop at some point though, and usually slow down before hand. Usually reduced fetal movements are fine, but for some babies it means they are in serious trouble.

Just go. Now.

I would just go, it's ten mins away, they will bob you on the monitor and if you are wrong it just means you spent the afternoon at the hospital when you did not need to, and that really doesn't matter.

Mothers instincts are important, if you feel something is wrong it may well be.

Just go already!

www.midwiferytoday.com/enews/enews0910.asp

If you read down the warning signs, you will see it mentions fetal quivering, along with too many hiccups.

My baby was moving totally fine all day Saturday. No problems, all happy.

Sunday, hardy moved, wouldn't move when I did the normal things that would normally get him going. Went to hospital. Midwife was crap and sent me home after listening to heartbeat for about 6 seconds.

Monday, emergency section, baby born flat. He is okay now.

I don't want to scare you but baby's die. It does happen. Your baby needs checking and it needs checking now. My instincts told me my baby was in trouble but the midwife dismissed my worries because "you are rather upset, aren't you" .

She knew she did wrong as she managed to lose my trace.

Please. Go and get checked NOW. You need to go with your gut, and your gut is worried. Please don't wait. If your office is 10 minutes from the hospital, you can be back in no time. Go.

Do you have a Day Assessment Unit at the hospital? If anything like mine they are used to panicking women turning up not feeling movements, and are absolutely lovely. They'll do a trace (band around your tummy) and give you a clicker to press every time you feel something so they (and you) can see how it lines up with the trace.

I went in twice with DD in circumstances much like yours - once at 32+6, when sod's law dictated that she started doing the can can. I was so apologetic, midwives could not have been nicer and stressed you must NEVER feel you are wasting their time, you are living with the baby inside you and know what's normal and best to get checked out. Second time I was 33+4 and went in thoroughly convinced the same thing would happen and I could relax and enjoy the weekend (part of the reason I was happy to go in was because the midwives had been so nice). That time it wasn't so normal and I was in theatre before I knew what had happened. DD is about to start school, she's right as rain, but I saved her life that day by going in. Please do go if you're worried.

Off on school run now but will check back as soon as I am back.

PLEASE JUST GO NOW.

Ok I am going to go now. Will come back and update.

With regard to babies moving less as they get bigger - I am 34 weeks and baby has not stopped moving all day. This is normal for me.

If it lessened I would make the awful trek to the antenatal unit. Suffer the SPD agony of walking across hospital, just to be sure.

Please go

Best of luck Zara. x

OP, please go to the hospital. Better safe than sorry.

Aaah... you're going

Oh thank god! Good luck Zara!

Hope all is well

Good luck Zara1984.

Good luck Zara :) Hope you come back to update, saying the baby didn't stop as soon as the monitor went on xx

Fingers crossed

Hope all is well Zara

Glad you're going in. Hope all is well.