Reduced movements - long sorry

[GKite]

Hi all, new here.
I'm 33w & 6d pregnant with my third. Since Thursday I've had reduced movement, to the point I can count on one hand how many movements I've felt.
I got checked over on Friday, booked in for an emergency growth scan which showed everything was fine (cord/placenta working beautifully the lady said, lots of fluid around baby, baby swallowing and doing lots of deep breaths in) and was checked over (by this I mean put on those monitors) again yesterday (Mon) which showed baby heart rate fine but a very sleepy baby - was on monitor from 12.15 to 2.30 and had 7 movements. In that time I started contracting so was given steriod injection as precaution but I'm so worried about not feeling anything, even now the last movement I remember feeling was about 5ish. I've tried laying on my side, going for a walk, having cold drinks and ice poles, eating something sweet, eating anything, rubbing my belly, talking to belly, poking belly. Do I just now suddenly have a sleepy baby? Is this at all normal? I'm back to hospital tomorrow for another monitoring & steriod injection but I've never experienced this before, has anybody?
V stressed

OP can you ask them what is it that makes them say “nice happy baby.” And what would indicate that the baby wasnt happy?
Apart from raised or no heart beat?

It’s just that you are getting no information so if you ask those specific questions you can at least get more information.

Good luck with the ward rounds today. X

I've been told lots of movements and a good heartbeat is a sign of a happy baby. But that may just be what the midwives say at the obstetric assesment unit where I'm currently holed up?

I hope you get some decent answers today. You must be out of your mind with worry

Well that’s the thing. That sounds like perfectly reasonable advice.
Except the OP doesn’t have that, yet they keep telling the OP that the baby is happy and lovely. I just wondered, apart from the HB what makes them believe the baby is happy?

Really hope you get some reassurance today

You need to put your big girl pants on, and demand that they either induce labour or c-section to get baby out. Your baby can’t communicate and if you feel like there is something wrong you have to put aside feeling awkward and nice and be their voice.

I had something similar with dD, had 6 instances of reduced movement from about 35 weeks onwards. After 5 I saw a consultant, at the 7th they booked me in for an induction the next day because in his words, after 37 weeks and a baby who isn’t doing quite as well as expected is better off outside than in.

I feel for you op, it’s rubbish and scary. DD is absolutely fine now so it all worked out okay but I’m very conscious that something serious could have been wrong.

I agree with pp's that you need to put pressure on them to come up with a general plan other than sticking you on a monitor for a few hours and then sending you home again.

The only real indicator a mum has that baby is ok is fetal movement. If you're not feeling that, how are you expected to monitor any changes in baby at home where you don't have monitors etc? I would ask them why they are happy that baby is not really moving spontaneously, and only with stimulation? Perhaps point out that you have had 2 DC previously and KNOW that something different is going on this time. Ask about the risks of early c-section vs watch and wait. Ask to speak to PALS and/or the lead midwife. At the very least I would insist they keep you in to be monitored if they won't do a section yet.

Do not worry about being awkward. You are looking after the wellbeing of your child and you are doing amazingly well to cope with all this

Oh goodness. Was hoping you might have been seen by now and have some answers and a plan. Thinking of you.

Do they think that it's a possibility that the cord is round baby's neck? I'm not sure that they can see that on the scan. Best of luck, I hope that they take action soon.

Well that was a massive fail, just seen the Dr. I'm to stay in until I'm happy with movements. Another ctg monitoring tonight.
Looks like I'm staying in until c section at 39w 🤷

Gkite in sorry they aren't taking you seriously. Could you tell them you really feel baby needs to come now as it is making you very anxious for their well being and maybe ask why they feel all is fine and explain to doctor that to get any movements on the trace the nurses have been giving you freezing water turning over etc etc.. Could you also ask for a scan? So they can show you movements of baby is making them and you just aren't feeling them?

They won't do another growth scan as it hasn't been more than 2 weeks since my last one, I had a doppler one yesterday and was scanned for more than 15 minutes and baby didn't move. Even the lady doing the scanning was surprised by that because (she was the same sonographer) at the growth scan baby was slow to move but did eventually shift a bit. And the only thing she had to report on was that baby had shallow breathing

@GKite I haven't RTFT but completely trust your instincts here. This is your third baby, you're not a "paranoid first time mum" as doctors sometimes like to claim; your babies movements are causing you concern so until you are happy and have some answers I would stay put.

OP I would start forcing the consultant to answer questions;

• why has my baby's movements reduced?
• could my baby be poorly inside me?
• why is his breathing now shallow?
• why are you happy to leave me wait till 39 weeks for a csection based on reduced movements and shallow breathing?

Good luck op

Op what area of the uk are you in? Do you have one to one midwives in your area?

Do you have the funds to book a private growth scan?

Are the midwives dopplering the umbilical cord?

Oh and start note taking in front of them.

Doctor ‘name’ said on ‘date’ and ‘time’ they wouldn’t perform another growth scan

Etc

The shallow breathing is a red herring. The baby isn’t breathing at all.

The movement is the issue.

Someone asked if you can see the cord round the neck in the scan and the answer is yes - usually you can. The reason I know this is because I asked my sonographer (also a MW) last week because I have the same issues with past births and I will be getting a 39-40 week scan to check if my baby had the cord round their neck.

I'm in the highlands,
I have a community midwife but not due to see her again. I have a consultant who I won't see until Friday and then won't see her again after that.
They did do a doppler of the cord/placenta, only for seconds but said it there was good blood flow.
One of the Dr's yesterday asked if I ever felt hiccups, and when I said yes she said "excellent, hiccups are a very reliable way of feeling movement" but I thought that wasn't true?
There's been days where I haven't felt any movement but haven't bothered phoning because they don't do anything, it's absolutely shocking that I or any pregnant lady should be made to feel like that.
They put a cannula in yesterday due to potential section, I asked one of the midwifes with the Dr's to take it out.. Still waiting, went to find somebody and was told "the lady doing that is on her break" so of all the highly trained midwifes, nurses, Dr's floating about not one of them can take it out thinking of ripping it out myself and walking out. I'm not getting any less stressed in here

I did wonder if there was cord around the neck, although I forgot to ask at the scan but I'm sure they'd have noticed... Surely?
I've lost all trust in this hospital now

Gkite sorry you are gong through this.
The cord was wrapped twice round my sons neck. It was never picked up on scans. We were scans every two weeks from 30 weeks and from 35 weeks I was in for reduced movements 4 times in addition to 3 consultant visits. Eventually induced at 37 weeks. Consultant was determined we got to 37 weeks. (Was booked for c section at 39 weeks) Dopplers etc all seemed fine. My son ended up in nicu for a week. He is doing really well now but I truly believe he needed to come out before he did. I wonder if he might not have needed intensive care if I'd been induced at 35 weeks.
It could be worth asking about cord - maybe it might push them to scan and check.

@GKite there is no way on earth I would be leaving that hospital. Unless I could go to another hospital and be assured baby would be delivered ASAP.
I can't believe how flippant they are being with you. Crazy.
Are Tommy's midwives available on the phone today? I phoned them to chat through our situation previously and they gave me all the right words to say to medical people. You basically need this escalated quickly. Or do kicks count have any form of helpline.
Really fucking pisses me off when they don't listen to the mom's, yet hit you with all the 'how have their movements been' shit at the same time.
I know someone who managed to get her induction moved up due to her mental health as she was sure that something was wrong. It was the hospital psychiatrist that backed her up in the end.

Is there another hospital you could present at to their emergency department? You may have answered that already, sorry if I missed it. It really sounds like they're not taking your concerns seriously.
Do they have a continuous trace on the baby to check heartbeat?

GKite sorry you are having to put up with this and feeling minimised.

I read this thread yesterday but didn't want to scare you, having read your updates today I just want to say please, please stay in the hospital and insist on monitoring continuosly as horrible as it is being strapped to a machine. Don't worry about pestering and making things difficult for medical staff in fact I would encourage you to kick up as much fuss as possible. Google the supervisor of midwives and your hospital name and ask to speak to them.

Can anyone come and help you advocate for yourself and baby, partner, family, friend etc?

I was where you are 4 years ago and didn't have a happy ending, as I said I really don't want to scare you I just wish someone had told me the same when I was going through this.

Info from Tommy's re baby movements

They don't want to continuesly monitor me though, they said a ctg every 6 hours was too much so even being in here they still aren't doing enough