Baby movement and kick count worries.

[CAnn88]

I can't stop worrying about movements. An currently 24 weeks pregnant and am documenting every single movement I feel from the minute I wake up until I fall asleep. Sometimes this gets difficult, as if I'm busy/driving it is less reliable. Is this amount of tracking useful or should I just stick to the counting 10 movements in 2 hours twice a day? Or is 24 weeks too early for kick counts anyway? I freak out if I don't feel anything for 30-60 minutes.

ATM I'm on a music tour with my husband sleeping on a tour bus & I'm really worried about not being near my local maternity ward. Please help me, any answers would be much appreciated, I'm going insane with worry.

Relax. Be aware of what you're feeling, monitor it a couple of times a day if it makes you feel better, but don't drive yourself loopy with it.
I'm on pg 3 and have never counted kicks, just been aware that I can feel something and noticed if I haven't for a longer period of time.
If I don't feel anything for a while I have a cold drink/give my bump a prod and it has a wriggle and I forget about it for another couple of hours.

I recognise your anxiety but think that's excessive monitoring to be honest. At 24 wks the baby is little enough to move around or face your back so what you feel can vary a lot.

I have struggled with the 'are they moving enough' anxiety, particularly on holiday (same paranoia as you about being far from hospital) and I really do think there is such a thing as being too aware of baby's movements. I have had to accept that mine has a 'pattern' of quiet days and booting me around days. From what you are saying you are getting into a pattern of very anxious repetitive thinking - might be worth checking in with your midwife/GP to talk about your anxiety levels? CBT can help a lot.

(BTW I can also sympathise with the musician on the road thing - not the ideal situation for keeping anxiety levels low either perhaps?)

Thanks both! And no, this certainly isn't the most ideal situation for my high anxiety! I'm on a very very long waiting list for CBT. Have always struggled with anxiety, but at this moment in time it's our of control, I can't focus on anything except my concerns about the baby. I need to get a handle on it all or I really will be a terrible mother.

around that time i think i excessively monitored but i have been less obsessive as time has gone on.
i made more general notes such as active 30 minutes ish around 4pm or cluster of kicks at 12. after about 2 weeks of noting these down i had a good feel for normal active times (and there could be breaks of 2-3 hours in the afternoon) and didnt write down or panic as much.

now im 31 weeks and its rare that i think hes gone to long without movement like i was back at 24 weeks

Posted too soon!

24 weeks is too early to be kick counting. Kicks will still be irregular at that time and will just make you panic. Just try to notice when baby is moving. When you get into the third trimester, if you're still having these worries, I totally recommend a kick counter bracelet from countthekicks. Really puts my mind at ease and I use it alongside the countthekicks app so I know that the wee one is kicking enough.

I totally sympathise with you, it's so stressful.

ctk.thewebmb.com/mums/mobile-app/

kick count app

i also had lovely bracelets

went in three times with three pregnancies to get checked out

24 weeks not established pattern yet?

cold drinks chocolate juice laying down on coach

if you are busy he/she will be quieter

GOOD LUCK xx

You won't be a terrible mother. But you could make it easier on yourself. Sorry you are on a wait for CBT - I think in some places there's an antenatal fast-track for it so might be worth checking if you were referred for CBT before pregnancy. I also really recommend 'The Worry Cure' by Robert Leahy, which my CBT therapist recommended to me. Lots of insight into the thought patterns that are contributing to your anxiety cycles. Good luck!

I was just talking about this with my husband! I'm only 23 weeks but feel movement everyday, today I've felt the same amount of movement but not as strong, probably just because of the baby's position but its been freaking me out.

As I've gotten 'more pregnant' I've definatley worried more about something going wrong. An I right in thinking that doctors won't treat a baby born before 24 weeks? As I approach the 24 week mark that's been playing on my mind more and more, as traumatic as any miscarriage must be (not something I've experienced thankfully) the thought of giving birth to a baby you know can't survive is horrendous.

And since I've started typing this I've gotten some really strong kicks, bump knows I'm worrying about it obviously.

Definitely have a look at the Count the Kicks website.
I know the person who set up the charity and she is passionate about empowering Mums to Be. They may help to alleviate your anxieties a lot.
Good luck. I worried like crazy all the way through my pregnancy, including change in movement patterns and all was fine in the end.

Am back - sorry, homework, nappies, ebf, all came a calling.
Bracelet from count the kicks

org countthekicks.org.uk/shop/

but there are also countless beaded ones out there, just google kick counting bracelet.

I don't think doctors advise counting kicks anymore, do they? I think what you're meant to do now is notice your baby's patterns - for example, whether it kicks a lot at night or in the morning, and if anything differs call your midwife.

I've been advised to kick count because periods of reduced movement is an ongoing thing for me. It's incredibly helpful.

I have an anterior placenta making movements harder to detect,
so I was really freaking out. From around 22 weeks+ I started to feel definite movement but a whole day would almost pass without it. There are some who freak out and say get checked ASAP but then id be calling my midwife every other day! I'm now 29 + 5 and to relax I started a general movement diary at work, where I monitor exact times and types of movements during the day. I can go for a few hours without anything, then all of a sudden they appear again. Looking back at the times really helps looks at the pattern that’s formed of busier periods of activity and the movements usually come at same times of day.

They say only from 28 weeks to start really monitoring as movements become much more regular then so you sound fine. If I went for a full day- from waking up- night time to not feeling anything, that's the point id probably call my hospital (because of my anterior placenta I can't panic as much as women without it who may panic after a few hours of nothing. Its tricky keeping calm I know but so lovely when the movements come! X

I know it's easy to say but try to calm down!
I do know how you feel (I have lost 2 babies and am a bag of worry myself at 27 weeks now), but I find it more useful to keep an eye on periods of movement rather than individual kicks iyswim. I know that if I am busy, the baby doesn't move so much (or I just don't notice), so if I start to feel worried, I sit down, eat something and that usually brings about a spate of movement.

Remember, they do rest from time to time, so a short period of being relatively still is normal, especially when you are moving about (MW said something about the baby being rocked to sleep by my movements). But if it's been a while, try resting and if there's still nothing happening then call your MW/antenatal department and they can check you out.

At the moment, this one doesn't stop moving which probably doesn't bode well for the likelihood of having a good sleeper!

I've been told to monitor patterns of movement, not kicks. There are two periods of the day when my baby is particularly active and I make sure I sit quietly (when possible) and just 'check in'.

Please try and relax. I'm also 24 weeks and understand your anxiety - plus struggle with general anxiety myself.
1 - ask your midwife to refer you to perinatal mental health. I am doing nhs cbt at the moment,its ok,but I've been dropped midway as needed an evening appt. They have told me the wait wil be 8 weeks - perinatal depts are focused on preg women and waiting is less time. This should be your priority.
2 - has your midwife advised you to feel that much movement? I have been told to watch for 10 movements per day. I have not been counting as seem to be feeling baby more and more these days. I notice if she's quiet during an active period eg not headbutting me in the bladder as I try to go to sleep
3 - I find my baby slows down when I am stressed/tired/run down.

Please try and help yourself emotionally,its much too much to bear alone and there are lots of services out there to help you.seek help! You will NOT be a terrible mother, this just shows how much you care.

Thank you all for your kind words and advice, I wish you all the very best with your pregnancies/babies etc! I will try and take your advice to calm down and just be aware of my baby's movements rather than obsessively noting them all down! Can anyone tell me how long it is acceptable to not feel any movement before calling midwife/getting checked out? Thank you.

think that depends on the patterns you have noticed.. IF baby usually active 2 hrs before bed, for example, and you feel nothing, note it and maybe prod your tummy a little, drink a cold drink etc.
IF you genuinely feel worried it is always better to go to the hospital to be checked. i did this the other day and they really didnt mind and said well done, this is the right thing to do.
suppose this is also why it's important to try and keep perspective with it, as if you are always on high alert you might not notice a change in pattern as much as if you were just generally aware if you see what i mean?

For me, baby usually has a good old kick about from about 7-10ish. Yesterday I felt nothing at all, and I called at eleven and they wanted to see me. There's no normal, just what's normal for you.