No movements - should I be worried?

[Writerwannabe83]

Morning everyone, I'm currently 18wks+5 days so I know movements aren't necessarily regular at this stage anyway but my lack of movements is playing on my mind.

I had a scan at 16+1 and I asked the midwife about movements and she said that due to where my placenta was lying the baby's legs were kicking that as opposed to me so I probably wasn't like to feel anything for a while.

However, at 18wks I started having these really strange sensations that occurred on and off that I'm 95% were baby related. However, for the last 4 days there has been absolutely nothing. I have tried the cold drinks, lying on my left side, wiggling my bump around etc etc but nothing.

Various people have said not to worry because I'm still only 18wks but I'm worried that after 2 days of movements they have now just stopped.

Is it something I need to be worried about?

I wouldn't worry. It could be the placenta getting the kicks. However you may not feel anything again for a few weeks, as it's still very early for 1st baby movements.

Go back to your midwife writer and explain your quickly growing bump and reduction in fetal movements. She could measure you, listen in, and palpate your uterus to see whether anything is up.

Agree with the above. In the meantime, have you tried eating something really sugary?

The advice from the Royal College of OBGYN is not to start monitoring movements until after 24 weeks. I'm assuming until then baby is too small to always make a regular impact. Your uterus doesn't actually have any pressure nerve endings (I think) so it's only baby squishing muscle/organs that we feel. Plus if you've got an anterior placenta movements will be muffled.

I had days of no movement until around 23 weeks and I have a posterior placenta!

But if you are worried speak to your midwife, better to be reassured than stressed out.

writer I have an anterior placenta too and didn't start feeling regular kicks until about 21 weeks or so.
I am now 29 weeks and feel it a lot more but much less than others without AP.
I was told not to worry at all so early on as a lot of people don't feel anything until over 20 weeks and at 18 weeks your baby still has a hell of a lot of space in there so will be moving around loads, you just can't feel it.
As baby grows bigger and has less space the kicks and bumps will really start.

But if you are concerned just give your midwife a ring and they can offer reassurance. Its what they are there for.

Thanks everyone - as Sods Laws would have it, about a few hours ago I got the same weird sensations that I had the other day!

Thankfully Bloodyaxe my bump size appears to have stabilised

My bump still feels different some days though - usually it is nice and soft but last night it felt quite tight and solid again. Yawning was quite uncomfortable when my arms went up in the air but I assumed this was normal due to our skin being much more taut?

I'm glad you are feeling reassured now Writerwannabe but my advice would be to always visit your ADAU (or equivalent) unit at the hospital or phone your midwife if you are worried. I had a similar worry but slightly later (around 25 weeks) and I went to ADAU - even after doing the sugary drink test and feeling movements. The midwives there had a feel and a listen to the heart beat and confirmed everything was OK. I (typically Britishly) apologised for being a pain over nothing and they were very firm and said not to worry at all that it is always better to go in and find nothing is wrong than to possibly ignore something because you are worried about being a nuisance.