Is counting movements a good idea? When do you call triage?

[tollyfeeder]

I’m 33 weeks pregnant with our first baby, I have an anterior placenta and movements is the most cause of anxiety throughout my pregnancy.

My baby doesn’t ever seem to have developed a specific pattern and so I’ve found it quite tricky to monitor her or recognise changes in movement.
I’ve been into triage a couple of times as I got myself quite worked up that I couldn’t feel baby and her movements felt softer than usual.
Thankfully all monitoring was okay and I was referred for some additional scans which both showed all was well.

Since the second time I was monitored I decided it was a good idea to try and keep a track of babies movements.

I literally tick on a sheet I have made, every single kick, roll / turn I feel throughout the day.

Whilst I’m doing it it makes me feel much more reassured as I can clearly see how active she is being.
However there have been a few days at work where I’m really busy and I haven’t fully monitored her, this is where I start to panic and become paranoid that I haven’t felt her enough.

Yesterday I counted throughout the day and she was very active.
I counted in the evening and she was very active until around 9pm.

However from 9pm - 12am I only felt 15 movements.
This sounds like a lot but I would usually get more than that in a two hour period and this was a three hour period.
I didn’t really get any big kicks either, just little shuffles or rolls.

I tried to keep myself calm and reassure myself how active she had been all day but an instant fear just took over me and I again ended up calling triage who advised me to go in.

I got incredibly upset whilst I was there as I’m genuinely worried that they will start to take me less seriously or think I’m wasting time.

I have read and heard so many horror stories about stillbirths and I’m absolutely gripped with fear and complete panic when I feel her movements have changed even slightly.

I just don’t know whether I did the right thing last night going In.
should I be counting the kicks and movements hourly and comparing her hourly movements or looking at it day by day and comparing how many times per day she moves rather than how many times per hour?
I tried so hard to keep myself calm and see how I got on last night but I was so incredibly frightened and just needed to know baby was ok.

Is counting movements a good idea? When do you call triage?

They generally say that if you feel 10 movements in 2 hours you're absolutely fine.

I know what it's like to have that kind of anxiety, I get so paranoid where I convince myself I haven't felt baby move but that's because I haven't been paying attention to it, but at any point if you're concerned call triage and they'll be more than happy to check you over.

I've seen it said many times on here that the midwives would rather give 1000 people good news than 1 person bad news, you'll never be made to feel silly to go in.

If you are fixating on the numbers too much would it be easier if you scrap your
monitoring system? Seems counter productive but as you say if you've been busy and not jotted it down you're likely to get into a bigger state. I used to use an app but it became all I could think about so I stopped and just made a conscious effort to think about anything I felt going on in my tummy and it's helped me relax a lot more.

OP I think you need to speak to your midwife/GP about your anxiety and how you can best manage it, alongside keeping an eye on movements. You sound very distressed and I think it's probably reached the stage where you need some support.

@shutupsteph I have considered not keeping a count but I’ve found that keeping a count did seem to be keeping me calmer.
It was just last night for those three hours when her kicks weren’t as strong, I didn’t get any big jabs, couldn’t see my tummy moving, I just felt very soft kicks and flutters and it frightened me.

I do feel bad for going to triage but at the same time I really could not have ignored how anxious and concerned I felt last night.

I just can’t really think of any way to over come this worry of movements.

@tollyfeeder if you feel that tracking movements helps then carry on with that but I do agree with PP, if you're struggling please ask your midwife or GP for some support! I'm sure everything will be absolutely fine for the remainder of your pregnancy 💓

I don't think what you are doing is a good idea.

Yes, generally moniter the baby's movements but no baby has a movement pattern that specific - the exact same number of every type of movement, every hour of the day. The baby also won't be equally active all day. It's a baby after all, it sleeps most of the day.

I've seen it said many times on here that the midwives would rather give 1000 people good news than 1 person bad news, you'll never be made to feel silly to go in.

Of course the midwives will say that, but you also have to use common sense. It's pointless going in repeatedly when nothing has happened. It seems like going to the triage is feeding your anxiety, as it's reassuring you while also making you feel like you only just escaped disaster by going in. In reality nothing was ever wrong.

I'm also not sure this is a great strategy . You seem to be using it as a crutch, which is manageable when having a normal day, but if you can't manage to keep up with it, it's making you feel panicky.

There's nothing wrong with getting checked out but this does sound like it may be becoming a mental health concern.

I began to monitor hourly so I could see if there was a pattern. ie does she go quiet at particular parts of the day or evening and I hoped this would help me to recognise her quiet or active times so that I wouldn’t worry if I noticed again she had gone quiet.

I appreciate what you are saying in terms of visiting triage, but when I’m genuinely worried I’d rather be seen than risk thinking “all was ok” and heaven forbid something was wrong.
That’s how I feel anyway.

@CalamityJune I agree. I do feel as if it’s having an impact on my mental health, I seek to be constantly worrying about my baby and her movements.
I’m seeing my midwife Thursday so I plan to talk to her and tell her how I feel.

I began to monitor hourly so I could see if there was a pattern ie does she go quiet at particular parts of the day

The "pattern", if any, will be nowhere near this specific. You are looking for something you won't find.

when I’m genuinely worried I’d rather be seen than risk thinking “all was ok”

Thing is, your worries aren't related to anything you have observed about the babies movements. They are unrelated anxieties. Getting scans isn't treatment for anxiety, that won't help. Treatments would be things like- deep breathing exercises, doing an activity to distract yourself, talking with partner/friend. Talk to your midwife about things like this that may help you.

They generally say that if you feel 10 movements in 2 hours you're absolutely fine

No they don’t! This is such outdated advice! Every baby is different, and they have they own pattern of movements. There is no set number of normal movements.

@tollyfeeder from 16 – 24 weeks on you should feel the baby move more and more up until 32 weeks then stay roughly the same until you give birth.

www.kickscount.org.uk/your-babys-movements

You can buy a wrist band from the kicks count charity which you move when you feel your baby’s movements, this may help you to get to know your baby’s pattern. They also have a mobile phone app that you can download.

www.kickscount.org.uk/Pages/Shop/Default.aspx

I’d also speak to your GP/Midwife about your anxiety so that you can get some support. In the meantime you could try some mindfulness techniques headspace is a good app and has some free mindfulness techniques you could practice. Or have a look on the NHS every mind matters website

www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/your-mind-plan-quiz/?WT.tsrc=Search&WT.mc_id=Brand&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7eH_7ZKD5wIVhrHtCh0IbAbvEAAYASAAEgIfbPD_BwE

@blahblahblahnanana

"They generally say that if you feel 10 movements in 2 hours you're absolutely fine

No they don’t! This is such outdated advice! Every baby is different, and they have they own pattern of movements. There is no set number of normal movements."

Sorry, that's what the midwives told me when I went in for monitoring.

So I'm 38 weeks now and my baby has never had a pattern.. Some nights he doesn't stop moveing about some nights he's quiet.
Some days I have kicks/punches throughout the day, some days I have more rolls/pushing his bum out.
As pp has said they do sleep in there too so you will have quiet periods. They say if you have not felt movements for a while lie down on your side have a cold drink something sweet and monitor to see if baby moves. If baby doesn't move within so long then ring triage etc. Anything could be the reason as to why she hasn't kicked you at a specific time etc from her changing position/being asleep and as they get bigger the movements do slightly change asin you will get more rolls than kicks sometimes.(not a decrease in movements just they will change slightly)
I agree with other pp you need to speak with your midwife about this and possibly get some type of help/reassurance about what they mean by reduced movements. Hope you find some type of peace with it as you still have at least 7 weeks to go and it won't be healthy you being anxious constantly but I do Completly understand pregnancy can be very hard with not knowing what's best to do in certain situations.

Triage will never scold you for going in. Always better to be safe than sorry, but please do speak to your midwife about your anxiety.

Babies are not active all day - I am 32 weeks and get times when there are no real movements which I put down to sleep.

I and others in my antenatal group all said that we found when we were busier the baby didn't move as much, so that seems to be common.

You will never find a pattern that holds as they change, but for example I know that my baby is more active in the evening when I'm sat down. They recommend picking when baby is most active (for me in the evening), and then counting the number for 2 hours and keeping an eye on that. If you are anxious, you could pick a couple of active times during the day and use those.

As hard as it is, you have to look at the overall pattern, rather than worry about why in three hours baby did not do much. As long as baby is nice and active the rest of the time try not to panic (easier said than done).

They say if you have not felt movements for a while lie down on your side have a cold drink something sweet and monitor to see if baby moves. If baby doesn't move within so long then ring triage etc. Anything could be the reason as to why she hasn't kicked you at a specific time etc from her changing position/being asleep and as they get bigger the movements do slightly change asin you will get more rolls than kicks sometimes.(not a decrease in movements just they will change slightly)

Incorrect advice. Please refer to the kicks count or Tommy’s websites

www.kickscount.org.uk/your-babys-movements

www.tommys.org/pregnancy/symptom-checker/baby-fetal-movements

@1300cakes
My anxieties have ALWAYS been about my babies movements.
Every time I have been monitored it because I have had genuine concerns about her movements. Not just because I’m anxious.

That’s really unfair of you to assume that.

Last night her kicks and movements were completely different. Where I would usually get very strong kicks, the kind my husband could feel, instead I was only feeling light flutters and very soft movements!!!

@1300cakes Please read the info on the links I posted earlier, and trust your own instincts rather than take advice from an online forum. You absolutely did the right thing in getting checked out last night. I’d also suggest either downloading the kicks count app or the wristband that they sell, that might help alleviate some of your anxiety.

@shutupsteph that’s really worrying that you were told that advice. All babies are different, what’s normal movements for one baby isn’t necessarily the same for an others.

You call triage for any change in movements either more or less. They won’t mind, it’s a scary thing at times.