App recommendations for counting kicks

[PugPupsMum]

Anyone got any suggestions? I've had a look in the app store but none of them have great reviews.

Ideally want a free app.

If you have a non-app method, please share :)

Thanks!

Anybody?

...crickets...

Why do you need to count kicks? And why do it with an app?? I can't think of anything more likely to make me feel anxious than some piece of one-size-fits-all technology app that doesn't have any knowledge of me or my baby and has been designed by programmers (no doubt men, ffs).

You get to know what's normal for you. Any change speak to your midwife. An app is a terrible idea IMO. Designed to meet a need that's not even there, frankly. And could well promote anxiety or, worse, give a false sense of reassurance.

Hi!

I have the Ovia Pregnancy app and it has a kick counter part (if you click the ‘more’ tab you will see it there).
I’m not at the stage yet to count kicks but will use this when I do.

Good luck!

@codemonkey Because the NHS advises to start monitoring your baby's movement patterns from 28 weeks.

And I am seeking an app because counting by memory is not going to be half as accurate, plus I want to log each day so I can be aware of any changes.

The app doesn't promote anxiety or provide reassurance, its simply a practical means of counting and logging that will save me carrying a notepad & pen around with me.

Thanks for your helpful comments and good luck with your pregnancy.

@kittyz Thank you! I actually already use this app but didn't know it had this function

I don’t think that’s exactly what they mean by monitoring and I think carrying around a pen and paper is OTT. It’s a general pattern. Eg you might not feel the baby much in the mornings until after breakfast. Then you’d be used to feeling them on and off at work. Some babies get really active at the end of the day or at night.

Often you feel different amounts from day to day depending on what you’re doing so when you’re on your feet all day you may barely register any kicks because you’re busier than normal. On those days I’d have a long bath at home and wait for the baby to kick. I was aware of a very general pattern but never monitored hour by hour. I was also aware that kicks often depend on how sedentary you are that day and when and what you eat (sudden sugar hit to baby etc) so no two days were ever exactly the same.
I’m sorry but I do agree with the PP that an app would just be anxiety inducing.

I used the kicks count app. I think it's useful. I got to know my baby's general routine of kicks/movement but also if I got a feeling something was wrong, I was straight up the hospital to be checked. It says count sessions too so I did that rather than individual kicks 😊

@WeaselMcWeasel Thank you, I'll have a look at that one. That's what I'm planning to do, counting sessions. My baby is usually active about 20 mins after I eat so I'll monitor these times each day.

@Cookit I'm not looking to monitor hour by hour, and never said that I was. I'm just after some app recommendations - not criticism for my choices, thanks! :)

It appears those PPs that are anti-apps don't really understand what their objective is. Sorry if my OP was unclear.

I just want a handy, digital way of building up a rough idea of my baby's movements throughout the day, now that I have reached the 28 week mark. If I usually get 10 kicks in the hour after a meal, I'm not going to panic if some days I only get 8 or 9.

The kicks count app is supposed to be quite good. I agree with others though in that you’re not supposed to actually count the kicks or keep a record of how many you’ve felt. You’re just aiming to get to know the pattern and be on the look out for anything changing. For instance my baby normally kicks a lot when I first wake up, but then I might not feel it until dinner time as I’m usually busy all morning. That sort of thing rather than “oh I felt 12 yesterday morning but I’ve only felt 3 today”.

You’re also not aiming to have recorded a certain number as a result of certain things. Lots of American sites suggest you should feel 10 in an hour after a cold drink etc but that’s not always the case. It’s more about the pattern than trying to put a number on it.

I saw an advert for the kicks count app in my hospital and downloaded but I've never actually got round to using it (now 30 weeks). I know when my baby has quiet times - generally first thing and then after food much to my surprise - and the rest of the time there's pretty constant moving so I hadn't a clue what to log. I do think you get a sense for these things without needing an app pretty quickly.

Counting kicks is against nhs advice and can be dangerous.

When I was expecting, I just put the time in the note section of my phone.
Terrible memory, and it helped to be able to glance at it and think ‘oh yeah, I last felt her at 10am’.

@MyDcAreMarvel FFS. Where is danger? When I have already explained I’m not going to panic if I don’t get the exact number of kicks every time? I just want to monitor my baby movements, as per NHS guidelines. Getting a bit tired to justifying myself now!

You can get a kick counting wristband off Amazon. It's very low tech but I know people who say it's given them peace of mind.

I had a leaflet for kicks count in my pack at my booking appointment. I have checked out the website and it mentions an app and the bracelet the previous poster mentions!
The website is www.kickscount.org.uk
I see my MW fortnightly and have done since around 18weeks, she talks about counting kicks EVERY SINGLE TIME I see her! She originally said I should feel 10 kicks in 2 hours (I felt my baby very early on) now I’m in my third trimester she talks more about the patterns, but she does say baby should move to stimuli! I am still in 2 minds as to getting an app as I don’t know whether it might cause my anxiety to go sky high and send me into a panic if I think I haven’t felt anything! I did have 2 slow days last week and was fretting but I think lo had moved positions completely and I was used to such massive kicks that the little ones were understated! Before phoning the hospital I laid down & ate a bowl of ice cream and low and behold the movements came back straight away!
I think getting an app/bracelet is a personal decision, so don’t let the negatives sway you - if you feel it’s right for you then go for it, t the end of the day you can always delete it again if it’s not what you change your mind!

I might add that my MW specifically gets people from my area to count kicks because we are so far from the hospital if there is any doubt she doesn’t want us to delay getting help!

The Kicks Count app as some other posters suggested is a good one (pink background with feet on the logo). You don't actually count the number of kicks, you record the sessions of kicking. So when my baby was having an active period after breakfast, I'd tap the screen once in the app to record. He might have kicked ten times in a couple of minutes but I still recorded it as one session of kicks. If, say I got another set of kicks ten minutes later, I'd record it as a separate session. It was a great app and allows you to see the times of day when baby is quiet/active.

Op it could be dangerous because you can count the kicks and serve you had 20 that day or whatever and relax. When in fact that twenty were all lumped together, or maybe they weren’t but it’s not the normal pattern of movement for your baby.
Counting kicks is not recommend as it gives false sense of security. This is research to prevent still births, not my personal opinion but don’t let that stop you mocking.

www.leicestermaternity.nhs.uk/antenatal/check-ups/movements-less-active-kicks/

@MyDcAreMarvel Ok, but how will I know the normal pattern of movements for my baby without monitoring them?

As a lot of PPs have said, it’s just to get an idea of baby’s daily routine.

At the moment I have no idea of a pattern, other than I feel some movements shortly after eating.

I’d like something to help me gauge a pattern in periods of activity and periods of inactivity.

It’s not about me counting a specific number of kicks per hour each day and going into panic mode if there is a slight decrease in kicks or variants in time (for me anyway, maybe this would concern some people and perhaps it’s a genuine reason for concern that being aware of could prevent the unthinkable.

That’s the last I’m going to say on it because (as title suggests) I’m here for app recommendations not a debate on whether we should or shouldn’t be monitoring our baby’s movements throughout the day

From personal experience as well, be prepared for having a baby that has no pattern at all. DS never had a pattern, and this baby doesn't seem to have one either. The only way I could tell something may have been up was when I had barely felt movements for 3 days and went in. Turns out everything was fine with baby but I was dehydrated. For me everything is hit and miss, regardless of counting kicks. I can't always feel them on a monitor either.

The advice given by midwives is to start being aware of movement and get to know when your baby is active so that you can gauge if there are any potential issues due lack of movement. Yes, they don't tell you to count the number of kicks anymore but they do tell you to keep track of the sessions of kicks. For some, that may mean using an app, others not. I was consultant led for all my antenatal appointments and she was happy with me using the Kicks Count app.