23 weeks and counting kicks question

[Hfarm1]

Hey this may be a stupid question 🙈 I'm 23 weeks and half the time I can feel kicks/swirls, the other half I only notice movement when I look down and see my belly moving (and don't actually feel them). Do I count these ones as kicks in terms of counting kicks? Similarly, I sometimes put my hand on my belly and can feel small kicks that I otherwise wouldn't have noticed (I know that I don't need to start counting kicks for a few more weeks yet but it's hard not to!)

You actually don’t need to count kicks at all - it used to be advised but actually is not particularly helpful. Baby will often establish some sort of typical movement pattern from around 28 weeks or so (ie, active in the mornings and evenings, etc). What’s important to keep an eye on is whether you are or aren’t feeling your baby, and if you have concerns that baby is not moving or is less active than usual then that’s a reason to check things out, regardless of how many kicks you count. It’s enough to just do a mental check in with yourself a few times a day (am I feeling baby today), you don’t have to sit and count.

I was told to just be 'aware' of movements up to 28 weeks (more so from 24 weeks+) and that it's really from 28 weeks onwards when you should start to see a proper pattern.
I started counting the kicks a few weeks ago but I'm nearly 31 weeks now and not bothering anymore as I know what to expect and when.

I should add that the being 'aware of movements' is all movements whether they're kicks and jabs or rolls and waves.

I'm keeping an eye on movement but not actively counting unless she has been quiet for a little while.

I get small movements during the day that I don't always notice if I'm busy. Usually she gets a bit livelier around 5 o clock then again after dinner and is most active when I'm going to sleep in the evening and when I am waking up. Prior to about 28 weeks she was active in the same rough pattern but not the same every day - e.g I might feel her at 5 but not after dinner but the next day it would be the opposite.

A couple of times I have doubted if I have felt her frequently enough so I count then and usually count lots of kicks when I actually sit and focus on them which I probably wasnt aware of when doing other things