baby movement at 23 and 3...

[glittercaz]

morning all,

just a teeny bit of reassurance would be hugely appreciated! has a scan a few weeks ago, all well etc...last week baby was bouncing around, moving and kicking like crazy through the day and evening. however, over the weekend he/she seemed a lot quieter...i was still getting odd bits of movement, but nothing on how it had been during the week. i have been told from friends who've had babies that this is normal - that babies have quieter days and more active ones, but i can't help but worry as it seems like such a change. (also some books seem to say if there is a change in movement to take action -- although i think this tends to be later on the pregnancy). i spoke to midwife earlier and she said it was nothing to worry about, but if i was worried to go into hosp and get rigged up to a monitor to put my mind at rest. i have so much on, and hospital a bit of a hike for me etc that i don't want to do this unless i get in a real panic...if anyone could reassure me that changes in movement at this stage is normal, or let me know their thoughts, that would be great...xxx

Babies do quieten down as the weeks go on-as they get bigger etc....

Not sure if they still do them but there used to be kick charts where you had to mark down the number of seperate movements you have in a day....if it was under by a certain time then they say to phone maternity to get monitored..can't remember how many movements in whatever time scale though-someone else might no that??

If you can do that though, it can put your mind at rest.......otherwise eat a good pile of chocolate to get the sugars running and wait for baby to thank-you for it...lol

thanks for this - I think kick charts (if they still do them) are for once you're over 30 weeks, so I've still got a while to go!

I've heard about the chocolate thing (and the cold water etc) to get the baby moving, but it's more the fact that it's moving a lot less (rather than not at all) that's bothering me...x

Im only almost 17 weeks but have felt movement for a couple of weeks now but nothing in the last 24 hours. I was worried but really do believe it's just normal and I too have read that its later that you need to monitor movement.

They tell you to do the ice cold test where you drink a glass of water with ice in and lie on your left side. If that doesn't get him/her moving then your GP will listen to the HB for you.

Sorry just seen you are worried about less movement. This is because the baby has less and less room.

But surely it's still pretty small at 23/24 weeks? I know things slow down towards the end of the last trimester but I don't think it can be that yet. Anyone else? xxx

Im 23+3 and am experiencing exactly what you have glitter. Some days he is really thumping around but others he seems to move very little.

I think a lot depends on what im doing and how busy I am. I was out in the garden all day yesterday and it dawned on me that I had not felt him all day. Try not to worry too much I think its normal

I had exactly this at the same time as you. I think it's a combination of things, but the baby is still small enough to wriggle round, change direction and hide low down in your pelvis so you wouldn't feel as much but big enough to stay in one position for a while. The baby may have just picked a position where you can't feel movements so easily. I had nights when I lay awake panicking that she wasn't moving enough compared to her antics around 21/22 weeks. I asked about it on here and so many people described the same thing. Once I then got to about 28 weeks the feelings were pretty regular and followed a pattern, now that she's running out of room (33.5 weeks), I can feel everything!

glittercaz, I'm 24 weeks now and tend to feel more "squirming" movements rather than kicking/turning ones - as Edie says, there is less room to move around now!

There are things you can do to monitor movements - drink something very cold (or sweet), that should get the baby moving. I find that if the baby has been very quiet all day then if I lie in a warm bath I can see every little squirm, which is reassuring. (Plus mine gets hiccups a lot, so I know everything is still fine!!)

Hope you feel reassured - it's good to know you can go up to the hospital if you are worried

With DS1 I only ever felt very small infrequent movements but as he was my first thought that it was normal. Did a kick test at 33 weeks and realised he wasn't moving enough so went in for monitoring and a scan and he was breech - wedged high up under my ribs. Went into spontaneous labour at 35 weeks, I think because he was getting quite squashed. My sister is 37 weeks pregnant with her first at moment and around teh 23 wk mark went into hospital a couple of times because she couldn't feel any movement but everything was fine.

Difficult to advise as would obviously hate for anything to be wrong but as long as you can feel some movement and you are feeling well I think that everything is probably OK. I guess most likely reason is that the baby is in a funny position but no medical treatment for that at this stage.

glittercaz- I am 25weeks.. and lo is more active somedays than others.. I can go nearly all day with out movement.. espeacially if I have been walking about alot and doing house work.. Once I sit and relax then lo tends to startt moving alittle..

Other days lo doesnt keep still...

Try not to worry too much... x

thanks ladies, this is all very reassuring....i'll see how it goes and if it seems to stop altogether i'll go in, but for the moment i'll try not to worry! thanks again xxx

glittercatz, do you know if you have an anterior placenta? I had a late scan recently and it turns out I do, which accounts for the fact that I didn't feel much strong movement until I was a lot further along than you are. Basically, when the placenta is at the front, it muffles a lot of the smaller movements and you really don't feel much at all. It was only when I got to 28 weeks that I started to feel strong kicks and wriggles.

I was also feeling less movement a few weeks after I'd begun to feel it a bit. It got down to feeling maybe just one definite movement a week. I've been told that I've got an anterior placenta which is why I'm not feeling it as much as many people do, and that the reason for feeling less for a while is that as well as the baby growing the placenta does too. I had a few extra fetal heart checks with the midwife/GP to reassure me, and now, 2 or 3 weeks further along still, am beginning to feel it more again - presumably as the baby is growing stonger still so that I can feel more movements even through the placenta. So I wouldn't worry too much (easy to say I know!). But do try your midwife/GP for quick checks if it helps.

btw I was told that they could do more monitoring at the hospital if I still wasn't feeling much, including checking "breathing" movements, blood flow and responses to stimuli etc. But that this couldn't be done until 28 weeks.