Reduced Movement 37 Weeks...waiting...

[MumApr18]

Hello,

Currently doing the "lay on my side for 2 hours" thing as advised by a midwife when I phoned up worried about reduced movement. I'm 37+3 and got the feeling they were super busy when I phoned :(

Half an hour in and haven't felt a thing and getting super super worried! I'm not sure if I've felt little flutters but they are just cushioned now due to the baby being so big?

Has anyone any experience of this?

Thanks!

Your baby your call op - get yourself to hospital.

I was induced at 37+5 because of too many instances of reduced movement. Every time I was told to go straight in, every time I was monitored and often scanned as well. Then the consultant recommended induction because something clearly just wasn’t right.

Turns out she was fine but it was taken seriously by everyone.

I’d be complaining about the midwife to be honest, advice like hers could end up costing someone very dearly.

Sorry you got someone rubbish on the phone! I'm 37 weeks and went in yesterday for reduced movements - all fine but they were very nice and said to come straight back if any more concerns. Absolutely don't allow them to fob you off - you know your baby's usual movements. Really hope all is well x

And just to add - I got urine, blood sugar and blood pressure checked, plus 45 mins on a trace. That's the minimum they should be doing at this gestation in my opinion.

Really hope all is well you are doing the right thing going in

Sorry I do have to disagree with saying that the midwife’s advice is wrong. What she has said is quite clearly what is stated in the RCOG guideline on reduced fetal movements.

Hope everything goes ok I'd go in too x

Hope you are ok

Go in. Don’t ring just go x

Hope all is okay

Please go straight in. I'm raging at that midwife. Half an hour on the trace and they can just see baby is okay.

Let us know.

Please go in! Your baby is more important than them being busy! They've got a duty of care x

Hope all is okay!

The RCOG guideline advises to ask a woman to lie on her side god 2 hours if she is unsure whether movements are reduced.

In my experience women who call maternity units with reduced movements are not unsure and have often worried for hours before calling. My advice would always be to come straight in, it’s just not worth taking the chance

@shakeyourcaboose thank you. It hasn’t been and continues to be the most devastating time. Changes to a baby’s movement is so important and I now always stress it to anyone who ever questions whether they should get checked out. I’ll never know if I could have done anything to prevent her death and that will always always haunt me.

Hope everything is ok OP xx

Hope you’re okay.

One of my twins stopped moving at 35+1 and I had no idea. I just felt weird and unwell and my midwife made me go and get checked out. I was in theatre within two hours of arriving.

I hope it’s nothing to worry about but you should always get this checked. Always.

@TheDinosaur

(He’s fine now, by the way!)

I’m a midwife and I’d get a bollocking and possibly managerial consequences if I told someone that

Me too, hope you're there already OP.

Again, thank you for all your advice. I'm still here waiting to be seen.

I advised them when I arrived that what I had been feeling was definitely "reduced" movement rather than no movement at all as I'm 80% I've felt some little flutters. Nothing like the big strong kicks and rolls and punches I can usually feel everyday though. Thinking that being honest has maybe made them take me less seriously and I will be here all night! Oh well, here now.

So sorry for your loss dinosaur

Also @thedinosaur - I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how that must have been. Thank you for the advice - really brings it home how fragile life is and how much of a miracle every baby really is.

I'm so so sorry @TheDinosaurRoars x

Good on you for going in.

My MW told me that I was having pain and bleeding because I had had sex with DH two days earlier, I was actually in premature labour and 8cm dilated when I went in, like you I'd ignored the advise and gone in (they were super busy that night and the unit closed shortly after I arrived, any later and I'd have given birth at the side of the motorway on the way to a different hospital!)