Any one else's baby movements driving them insane?

[ejmay90]

Exactly that really!
I'm 30+4 and my baby still doesn't have a pattern of movements. He is up and down with soft, hard movements and I've already been in 3 times with reduced movements. Last time they did send me for a growth scan as said i was measuring small but been told all is ok.

How do you cope if your baby never develops a pattern? previous miscarriage has made my anxiety worse.
I don't want to constantly be down triage throughout the last 10 weeks!

I had this with my last DC because I had two
missed miscarriages before the pregnancy so I was constantly paranoid something was amiss. I went to be monitored a couple of times, everything was always fine.

I know they’re considered a no-no but I had a home Doppler which helped, I think I’d have been at the hospital a lot more often without it!

Have you got an app to help you keep track of movements?

The movements dont have to be identical or at exactly the same time each day, more like a general pattern e.g. they are more active after lunch or they are not very active in the morning that sort of thing.

Whatever you do do not ever rely on a home Doppler for reassurance
You are not trained to interpret them or locate or distinguish between the baby’s heartbeat the pulse from the umbilical cord etc

I have had movement worries with all three of my babies and I never hesitated to go and be checked

If a baby is moving a lot more than usual it can also indicate distress or hypoxia which may be caused the the cord getting wound round their neck or being compressed

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

Is useful but at Th e end of the day trust to ur instinct

A midwife and a sonographer would rather see you and reassure you than deal with something more tragic

I felt the same throughout my pregnancy no pattern what so ever. I was monitored and scanned numerous times they didnt care in the end I opted to be induced as my gut just told me something wasnt right (all monitoring and scans were fine) she was born with sepsis. Sure your baby is ok but better to be safe than sorry, trust your gut x

Yes! I’m also 30 weeks pregnant and there’s no pattern to my baby’s movements whatsoever. Sometimes they will be active in the early morning, other times late morning or lunchtime and sometimes in the evening (like yesterday). It completely varies every day. Also, sometimes movements will be strong and other times weak. Other times I’ll feel nothing for a good few hours and be on the verge of calling the midwife/hospital, when there will be a sudden flurry of movements again. The only pattern is that there is no pattern!

I’ve honestly found it the most stressful thing about pregnancy so far.

Actually, I haven’t felt the baby for about three hours now and am starting to feel worried!

@Nowayorhighway it's awful isnt it. The anxiety these little ones cause!

@RhymingRabbit3 yes I use the kicks count app but it's sporadic when I enter information so dont think its showing any kind of pattern. They change to be honest it can be early morning, to late morning. Then early evening to late evening. Nothing seems to be the same.

@stophuggingme I wont be buying a home doppler dont worry. I would rather go get checked by a midwife every time.

@xjune88 ohh really! I'm way to early to be induced. When did you opt to be induced? Your gut was right then! I hope your little one is ok!

@wondering7777 ohhh it's a nightmare isnt it!! I'm exactly like you, they change day by day and I cant get my head around it! I had the same this morning, was about to call and he decided to move. Same, the only pattern with me is no pattern! It's a nightmare! Apart from my early miscarriage worries as I had one last june this has been my biggest pregnancy worry too!
I can have hours with no movement, I'm being told that's ok but to me it feels odd!
Hope you've felt some movements now? If not give them a call!

I had several episodes of reduced movements and my c-section was moved up to 39 weeks because of it. He was perfect but better safe than sorry. I was up every other day in the last week.

Hope you've felt some movements now? If not give them a call!

Not since about midday! Is that normal? The problem is I’d be in the hospital every day if i called them every time this happened. So stressed out about it.

Ok, am now feeling movements - but no massive kicks, just a bit of a squirming type sensation! I can’t wait until the baby’s out and I know they’re safe and ok

@wondering7777 I have no clue if it's normal but I'm in the same boat, hadn't felt him for hours!
So would i :(
I seem to be getting more squirming, roll type movements than kicks recently. Get the odd kick but not as much as I used too.
Same!! Once they're out it's a new kind of worry lol!

I also found this quite stressful, I have gone in a bit for reduced movements. I can't say I ever had a clear pattern, certainly not associated with time of day etc. If I had rung up or gone in every time I questioned whether movement had been a bit less that day, I would have been in every 2 or 3 days. Feasibly, I couldn't do that but I think it also would not have helped my anxiety about it. I think the way midwives talk about it (and I know it is their job) makes it sound simpler than it is. You have to do what is right for you, they will always be happier to see you than not - so if you want to go in, go in. However, for managing my own anxieties about it, I had some things I would do. For example, if I had a busy day on my feet and had been worrying about movement, I would go and sit or lie somewhere quietly and give myself time to feel the movement - usually it was there. I realised after a while that the days when I worried about movement also tended to be days where I was busy, therefore I decided to take that into account. I would also take note specifically of whether I felt movement after caffeine/sugar/food because I realised this did trigger some movement. I also learnt to feel where my baby's body was and learnt that this changed the feel of the movement. So I felt much more movement when baby was back to back and kicking my stomach wall than when it was the other way round and kicking my insides. As pregnancy progressed the movement did not stop but it did change how it feels. Less rolls and hard kicks, more squirming and wriggling which felt less strong. I went to hospital at one point due to that and everything was fine, and I accepted that this 'change' was a normal one. I think basically I am saying I found my own ways to judge what was normal and not normal, but even then sometimes I wasn't sure. I didn't ring up every time I had a slight worry about it, I did ring up if I had gone through my checklist (busy day? food/caffeine? sit quietly? baby's positioning?) and it still seemed quite different. Actually most of the time the checklist reassured me.

@Keha Thank you for your detailed response.
I don't seem to have a clear pattern either but i guess it is still early.
Yea it does sound simpler than it is from what they say.
That's what i did yesterday, i went downstairs at work and sat for a while but my baby doesn't move constantly and it took a good 45 minutes to feel one maybe 2 movements. I understand me being busy means i don't feel it as much as i've accepted that, once i've stopped i try to concentrate on them for a while. I know he is currently transverse not sure how to work out what's what when i feel lol. I'm guessing when he gets bigger i will be able to tell more.
When did your movements go from kicks to more squirming and wriggling? as i feel thats what mine are now and i'm 30+5.

Hi, I think the change in movements in terms of less kicking and more squirming was about 30 - 34 weeks, it was a gradual thing. I think it is just that baby has less space. Both of the articles below explain some research where they show how babys kick with less force towards the end of pregnancy as they get more squished. So, I think that is why it feels different. I still went in at one point though to get checked out!

www.mother.ly/news/its-science-those-baby-kicks-you-feel-during-pregnancy-are-strong-enough-to-kick-a-ball?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1

www.whattoexpect.com/news/pregnancy/science-finally-knows-how-hard-your-baby-kicks/

@Keha Thats great, i will take a read of those articles. I will still keep an eye on them and go in if i feel i need too.
thank you :)