Did your movements get softer towards labour?

[FizzingWhizzbee123]

Just to start, I’m fully aware that change in movements need to be reported to the midwives.

Just wondering though if it’s normal for movements to get softer/less intense towards the end of the third trimester?

I’m coming up 35 weeks and for the last two weeks, I’ve been struggling to monitor baby’s movements a bit. I think it’s partly because of the position now he’s settled head down and I have an anterior placenta.

I don’t think the movements themselves are actually reduced, I just don’t think he’s kicking quite as hard so movements aren’t quite as obvious and I’m having to concentrate more at times to notice them.

I know movements don’t “slow down” towards the end, I’m just wondering if the frequency can stay the same but the kicks feel softer as there’s less space to move?

Please don’t reply with a flurry of “if you’re worried, call the hospital”. I really do know this and I will do if I’m worried. I was at triage last week for monitoring (of course, he kicked off moving as soon as I was hooked up.....!)

No, I didn’t experience that with either of my babies.

Not at all. I had an anterior placenta and movements were as frequent and strong towards the end and waking me up at night.

I could have wrote this , I'm 35 weeks and anterior placenta. I feel her move every day at the usual times but it's not as strong, feels more like rolls?!

@AlviesMam Yes, that’s sort of what I mean. It’s more like pokes and jabs than proper kicks, and lots more rolls and waves than before, where as it used to feel like thuds. Last growth scan put him on a very high percentile so I wonder if that’s impacting.

I’m 35 weeks and the frequency of movements has remained the same but the quality has changed. I can now feel ?elbows running across my uterus wall as she turns and part of my bump goes hard as she moves her bum from side to side. I have a posterior placenta and she is firmly head down. I’m convinced baby is facing my back so the actual kicking movements of legs are felt more inside me rather than on my hip, if that makes sense?

I was asked by my midwife at my 34(?) week appointment about how the movements were, said the same as you about them feeling less obvious but still there and her exact question after was "more like rolling than kicking then?" when I said yeah she said that was expected. They're getting squished in there now! The further on I've gotten the less I feel the movements but if it watch or put my hand on my belly I can tell I'm having them if that makes sense. Very strange haha.

At the end of the day you know to go get checked if you're worried and sometimes it's nice to just compare the changes as you get further into the pregnancy.

Towards the end she was running out of space so we had more rolling and bumping rather than forceful kicks. I could see some movements that I couldn't always feel too/see movements that I felt in a different place.

I'm the same as you 35 weeks this week, anterior placenta and it's more rolling and waves. I can certainly still feel it though. I'm also very high centile- off the chart in fact!