Can baby be too tired to kick?!

[user1471855186]

Hi everyone, hope you're all well. Grateful for any advice!

1st baby, been very active since 17 weeks kicking very vigorously and I know baby's patterns. Very active early evening through to midnight. Lovely to feel such obvious kicks so I know baby is alright.

Busy weekend, realised at 5pm yesterday no movement.
Drank ice cold water, ate sweet things, slammed doors, lay on side for two hours - followed all advice before I rang midwife as baby still not responding more than one little kick and we know you're meant to have ten within two hours after doing all these things. I still didn't want to waste their time but rang, and she said come in.

She advised that baby was fine - phew - and that even if I'm not tired if I've had a very busy day it can totally wipe out the baby and leave baby too tired to kick. Baby making up for it today luckily!

She was a little off the wall and was slightly annoying my husband and I, talking more about the women who had come to triage than just cracking on and giving me a scan, so we could find out all was well and leave and not stay longer than we had to!

Has anyone heard this before or share similar experiences so I don't get too relaxed about not feeling kicks, but that I don't end up going back every two minutes and wasting time?!?!

Thanks!

Sorry I should have said I do get a few kicks throughout day so 5pm is early for baby's usual full on kicking routine to start, but it was unusual to have had no kicks by that time.

I have never heard this before. How many weeks are you?
I have always been told that any reduction in movements should be checked out.

Midwife just wrong. Wrong. Wrong. How far along are you?

Hmmm well I'm a midwife and I've never heard that before! How many weeks are you?

You should always go in if baby's movements have been reduced like yours were. If it happens again, do the same as what you did i.e. drinking cold water, laying on your side etc. and then go in. You're not wasting any one's time, that's what the triage midwives are there for! We'd far rather you went in and everything turned out to be fine than for you to come in having ignored it and something has happened to the baby. If that means you have to go in every day, then so be it. That said, if you're term and this has happened 2-3 times you may be offered induction.

I'm no midwife but i'm sorry, that sounds like a lot of rubbish and quite bad advice to be handing out to pregnant women. I went to hospital several times with reduced movement for DS and had an extra scan and was never told anything like this. They did say that if you were very active you may not notice the kicks so much but not that the baby would be 'too tired' to kick. I can't see how that's physiologically even possible - even if you have run a marathon the baby hasn't!

As I say, i had reduced movemtn on several occasions and was always told to go streight in, the midwives are very very cautious about this in my experience. You are never wasting anybody's time either, they told me that going in for reduced movement can save babies lives.

She was talking utter rubbish and if I were you I'd be tempted to make sure she isn't giving that advice to other mums to be. She could say it to someone who will take it at face value and they could lose their child.

Thank you all so much.

I'm 21 weeks, and everything every one of you has said makes me feel justified in writing this post! I thought it was a lot of crap but wanted to throw it out there as it's all a learning curve.

I am very relaxed about the pregnancy and baby is so active I know what to be worried about. She was busy telling my husband like I wasn't in the room, that I was clearly panicking because we're having an IVF baby and I mustn't let the baby 'rule me'. She went on and ON for about twenty minutes before she did anything and she kept asking me if I was relaxed and I actually said to her, if you listened to me properly so you can fully understand the situation and stop interrupting (which she did CONSTANTLY) if you also stop psycho-analysing me, you'll just do a scan and we can be out of here - as it is you're keeping me in here longer than need be, making other pregnant women wait in triage and making me very UNrelaxed!

Your comments are much appreciated - I will definitely go back in if this happens again, and hopefully get a different midwife!

Thank you so much. New user to mumsnet and this is fantastic!

Good to know for further down the line re induction, thank you very much! :-)

@GoldenWorld
Good to know for further down the line re induction, thank you very much! :-)

I went in once for reduced movement, told mw I had googled advice on what to do and had seen re drinking cold drink, lying on side etc. and she looked at my husband and said 'oh you really need to keep her off google' as if I was a child. I was fucking furious.

OMG @KayTee87 yes that's just what you need, to be patronised! And you did the right thing because that's what the advice IS! I get not googling vague symptoms that could be a sign of anything, but "what do I do to get my baby moving?" is a pretty good search term!!

I do feel like if you shout the loudest it's alright but what about the people who never push anything and just accept their lot. Like you say, someone else could believe her nonsense and it could have a devastating effect.

I know, she was a twat. Its not like I was googling random things. I'm pretty sure I typed in 'reduced fetal movement' and read the nhs or world health organisation advice, would take medical advice from any other websites tbh. Turns out baby was thankfully fine and is now a lovely 5 week old.
Hope the rest of your pregnancy runs smoothly op

I know, she was a twat. Its not like I was googling random things. I'm pretty sure I typed in 'reduced fetal movement' and read the nhs or world health organisation advice, would take medical advice from any other websites tbh. Turns out baby was thankfully fine and is now a lovely 5 week old.
Hope the rest of your pregnancy runs smoothly op

Thanks KayTee87 - and enjoy your gorgeous 5 week old! Exciting times! :-) but occasionally full of twats, yes!

What a stupid thing for the MW to say. That goes against every piece of advice I've heard.

Glad you went in, and don't be afraid to go in again if you have similar. It's not worth risking or even worrying about what she said.

To be honest I'd be inclined to mention that to another midwife at an appointment because if she's saying things that would encourage people
To stay at home rather than be checked when they have reduced movements then she needs to stop!

Pa glad all is okay x

Please complain about the midwife!! Awful advice and awful to tell your dh your being precious over baby's reduced movements because of ivf!? Dreadful and she could cause a lot of damage going around giving that advice to pregnant woman.

Very glad everything is ok though, you did the right thing.

@newmummyagain and @Bumpmadethemjump - thank you both! The more I read all your advice, I think yes I'll mention it. We really shouldn't have to look out for people who are slightly less confident but yes I think there's a real risk that someone won't want to question medical advice and it could have a pretty awful outcome.

Thank you!

Yep, I think you should complain too!
Congrats on your pregnancy OP!

Always go in if you're concerned about movement, what the midwife said doesn't sound right to me!

However what I will say is that in 34 weeks with my first, active since 18 weeks and developed a pattern however, his pattern has changed multiple times as I've progressed in pregnancy and so it may be that you find LO ends up in a new kicking routine! From what I've heard it's not uncommon that they only completely settle into one routine of movement later on and plateau until birth but every woman is different!

What you're doing when worried is good what with the ice water etc! If baby ever doesn't respond to stimulants like that or you feel in yourself that something is wrong, pop down and get checked. Worst case scenario, you sit around for a while and get to hear baby's heartbeat!

That midwife sounds like a disrespectful twat, in addition to giving wrong m, irresponsible advice about reduced movement, and I definitely think you should complain about her.

@Becciilouisex3 thank you that's really good to know, I did wonder if bubs might do that so I'll be conscious of that now.
Yes - agree with you ALL - I called my husband for a chit chat (he loves it when I ring him in the middle of the day for no reason when he's at work!!!) and told him about what you all were saying, as well as the lovely midwife who commented with that amazing advice, and we both think we'll say something next time I'm in. Public service!
Thank you all so much!

@Tinklypoo wow, yes absolutely! Make sure you go and get checked if your girly slows down, and enjoy being kicked!! I'm so happy every time I get a kick today - all the sweeter after yesterday. It's a relief. Good luck to you too!

I suggest contacting PALS with your feedback rather than mentioning it next time you go in. They are better placed to deal with it. If you just tell one of her colleagues they might feel awkward about passing it on and might not have the authority to do anything about it.