Monitoring baby movement patterns

[Lemondrop99]

Is anyone else having a really hard time with this?!

I'm 29 weeks and trying to keep a rough eye on my baby's movement patterns. Problem is, it seems to change all the time!

Firstly, he just doesn't seem to like to move during the day. I can go hours and hours without feeling him. Now I'm WAH full time, sitting at a desk, so it's not that I'm rushing around and not noticing or that I'm rocking him to sleep with movements. I'm sitting quietly most of the day. Even when he does move, I often only get a few seconds of movement or just one kick.

He generally wakes up more in the evening. Maybe this is his normal pattern, but it's a bit disconcerting. Just to say, he's been like this for a while and my 28 week check up was fine.

Second he seems to have peaks and troughs of movements. A few days in a row where he's quite active, followed by a few quieter days, then repeat. On quiet days, even drinking cold drinks/eating sugar/poking bump, it's still hard to provoke a response if he doesn't want to move. I don't know how I'm supposed to know if it's reduced movements or just a quiet day

Am I the only one struggling with this?! I don't want to miss a problem but I don't want to be paranoid either.

Hi @Lemondrop99 I feel like I'm in the same situation. However I'm over 38 weeks now but this has been the same for the whole time. I find the more I concentrate on it the less I notice it and also since I've been sitting around more she isn't as active at the times she was before. However if I have a period of being active myself then stop she seems to be alert. My placenta is also at the front which makes it hard to feel sometimes so I often watch my belly as can see it move rather than feel! Having said that the hospital would rather you call and everything be fine then nothing be done at all. Horrible being paranoid isn't it!

I found it so hard to understand my baby's patterns ...I'm 36 weeks now and have been the hospital twice for it. No doubt I had a few more visits left in me yet too. If you have precious babies try not to compare this Ines movements (I did with my first) all babies are different. Does your baby react to anything? Like cold water? Music? Baths? If so, that may ease your worry. I have to literally lie down to feel my baby, and similar to yours it's in the evening I notice her (9.30pm) to be precise. Sorry I don't have much advice but one thing I would say is if you are concerned go your L&D ward, lack of movement is something they take seriously and will never make you feel silly xx

Thanks both. No, he's quite hard to get to react when he doesn't want to. Sometimes music, cold sugary drinks etc work, other times not. There's nothing consistent about him! I'm not worried enough to contact the ward, gut feeling is that things are ok and this is probably his normal pattern (or lack there of). I do worry about perhaps being too blasé about it though and not taking a 'quiet day' seriously at one point. It's a hard balance to strike

I have been in previously for refunded movements, and they were absolutely lovely and totally supportive of going back if I was worried. So while I know they'll be great, I still don't want to be a nuisance/plonker!

*reduced not refunded. Stupid autocorrect

I know they send you for a scan sometimes and I have heard that if you have three or more occasions of reduced movement they will refer you to see a consultant? Not sure how true this is! I guess if it puts your mind at rest then a consultant may only be a good thing! I'm under consultant anyway - but it's always worth considering they could investigate more if baby's pattern is worrying you. Perhaps make a note too if when you feel baby - gives you a record on paper to compare. Ice, music etc doesn't work with mine either!! Such a stressful time x

I find this so stressful this time around. He can be moving for hours and hours in the morning but if I sit down at teatime and he's quiet I go into a blind panic. Sometimes, like you say, not even ice cold water etc, has an effect. I hardly slept the other night because I was constantly moving position to see if I could provoke a response.

For what it's worth I have the same issue. I'm 34 weeks now and couldn't tell you any kind of pattern. Sometimes it's going nuts in there, other days it's not up for dancing.
Went to be monitored at 26 weeks as could not get baby to move no matter what and my mother got concerned, as soon as I was there, baby had a disco. Very reassuring and I've chilled out about it since then and don't panic if I've not felt or noticed it move.
But I would definitely go to be monitored again if I was concerned.

I had this when i was pregnant and went in for reduced movement 3 times. I had a 'kicks count' bracelet so i could monitor movement. With our dd, she was very active mornings and evenings, so if i hadn't got to 5 episodes of movement during the morning, then I would worry. Same in the evening. It certainly helped me to see a pattern.
Now she's here, she'a almost following the same pattern of active dampening and evening, and sometimes she is on such a deep sleep, nothing will wake her.
If you're concerned though, ring the unit. They were always lovely with me.

Thanks all. I think he flips himself around which makes a difference. At my last midwife appointment, I mentioned he was having a quiet spell and she said he felt like his spine was out, so kicks were toward my spine and wouldn't be so obvious. I think it must have something to do which direction he's kicking in, and maybe when I can feel him more, it's because he's turned and is kicking outwards again? When he's being 'quiet', I've noticed that if I focus on my stomach, I can actually see movements that I wouldn't notice from feeling alone, if I wasn't concentrating. Since figuring this out, it's a bit easier to reassure myself in the quiet times as long as I can see movements.