Early Movement - is it normal to have quiet days?

[MintGreenLife]

I’m 17+5 and I’ve been feeling movement for about a week and a half now. I had a scan on Monday and found out we are having a baby boy, was also told my placenta is anterior. I suppose because of my anterior placenta I seem to have skipped the ‘flutters’ and went straight to feeling little pops/kicks. Felt him Monday-Tuesday, Wednesday he was really active and I even felt a few of his kicks with my hand. Yesterday I didn’t feel much at all. I should note at the moment I only really feel movement when I’m chilling out and can focus on it. Is it normal to have days early on where they are quite active, and then days where you hardly feel anything at all?

If it makes you feel better, contact your midwife.
However, in the earlier stages of feeling movement, I felt them every day sometimes and then not at all for 3 or 4 days and then would feel them again

@SnooperTrooper12345 thanks for your reply ☺️ What I’m feeling sounds quite normal then. I think also with my placenta being anterior I don’t feel the little movements, only the big kicks. My midwife is on annual leave this week, but maybe I’ll contact her Monday if still quiet over the weekend x

Disclaimer - you should ALWAYS get reassurance from your MW before dismissing it if you’re feeling anxious but

I’m 21w with my third, posterior placenta and I have hours still where I don’t feel anything. At your stage I was only feeling flutters very slightly and very sporadically. My first was an anterior placenta and I didn’t feel her at all until I was 23w!

So whilst I personally wouldn’t worry there’s no harm to give your MW or DAU a quick call

I definitely did. I still have "quiet" days at 34 weeks - but now baby is bigger I can always feel them, the movements just change if he gets in a different position. He usually chills out with his back to my left side and I feel moderate movements but if he's back to back I'm visibly being kicked all day and don't have to think about it, back to front and it's smaller wriggles that I might have to concentrate to feel and it's easy to start feeling a bit nervous. A back to back day followed by a back to front day feels very very different... The problem was from about 18 - 30 weeks on those quiet days I couldn't feel him at all because he was too small and he had loads of space to move about and worry me. I've been in for reduced movements several times now.

If you are worried you should call your midwife. They always tell you to call about movements. They might ask you to go in for some kind of check but be aware that at 17 weeks it is mainly for your reassurance (which is still worthwhile!)

@WalkingMeAway thank you, you’re totally right. I guess as my midwife is on annual leave maybe if by tomorrow morn I still haven’t felt much I will call triage and see what they think. I do feel very lucky that I started feeling movement so early, especially with an anterior placenta, but now am constantly wanting to feel something for a bit of reassurance!

@BlueberryPancake21 I have wondered if I only feel him when he’s in certain positions - at my scan on Monday he was very wriggly and I couldn’t feel that at all, and didn’t feel him that day until later in the afternoon. That’s good advice, hoping he gives me a little boot this afternoon/evening and then I can relax a bit. I’m in no way panicking, but would love to feel a bit of movement for reassurance after a quiet day yesterday. It’s my first so am still working out what’s normal! X

I have the same experience as @BlueberryPancake21
35 weeks and still have the quiet days depending on whether she faces my front or back.
Except my hospital isn't interested in seeing me for reduced movements until 36 weeks (not in UK!)

I'm 19 weeks and same as you. Didn't feel much the last couple of days and I started to worry but today she's been rolling about it feels like! Apparently they don't have an established pattern at this point (according to midwife)

@SunnySideUp2020 ah that sucks you can’t get seen until so late in your pregnancy x

@Alicespring to be fair I didn’t feel him much at all over the weekend, and then scan on Monday went great, he has three active day’s and then quiet again. Seems quite normal. I’m fairly certain I did feel him yesterday, but it was just a few gentle pops so then I find myself questioning whether that’s what I really felt! Feel much more confident when he gives me a good 5 strong boots in a row! X

@MintGreenLife

I know what you mean....sometimes I question if it's gas or wee kicks 🤣🤣

@Alicespring I spent the first week of little movements trying to workout if it was gas 😂 mine started at 15 + 4 and so I was sure it was too early, but then developed into the little pops/kicks so knew then it was movement I had been feeling ☺️

I too have an anterior placenta and didn't start feeling movements until bang on 18 weeks.
There were definitely days where I didn't feel anything and then days where I could feel lots going on. The baby is still only very small at that stage of pregnancy.
I'm 34 weeks on Tuesday and like you, also having a little boy and now he DOES NOT STOP moving all day!! And when he does stop, he has the hiccups 😂

I think there's a point where you should definitely be able to feel movements (even with anterior placenta) and that's when you/midwives should start to monitor movements more closely. I can't exactly remember how many weeks I was when my midwife gave me the leaflet about movements and said I should be monitoring them more closely and advised what to do if there were any changes.

Also, I remember at my 20 week scan that I could see him wriggling around and moving quite a lot but I only felt 1 kick. It was reassuring to see what I couldn't feel though.

But obviously if you are worried then I would get checked over for peace of mind.

@Nazz10 thanks so much for replying ☺️ It’s good to hear from someone who’s been in a similar position. I’m fairly certain I felt a few kicks and wriggles last night, so not too worried, but know as the day goes on today I’ll be willing him to give me some big kicks. I had the same with my scan on Monday - I could see him moving lots, but couldn’t feel it, so just goes to show I’m not feeling all of his movement yet anyway.

Haha reading what you said about the fact that he’s always moving now made me think ‘I can’t wait for mine to always be on the move’ but bet that’s not so fun when you’re trying to sleep 😅 x

@MintGreenLife yeah my midwife told me to expect to feel movements around 18-22 weeks and if I feel anything earlier is a bonus so the fact that you're feeling him now is great!

Haha to be honest he doesn't move much at night. I feel him getting himself comfy when I lie down and then he settles within a few minutes and then I don't feel anything through the night at all (maybe when I get up to go to the toilet). I'm hoping this means he will be a good sleeper 🙏🏼😂

@MintGreenLife wait I think I recognise your name from the TTC threads. Were you TTC after stopping the pill? Last time I was on those threads were like May/June time. Sorry if I've got the wrong person, your name just seems very familiar

The advice I was given was that movements can be sporadic until 24+ wks. Baby is still small and has more room to move about and hide before then. My maternity notes said to be aware of movements from 24 weeks and if any change to regular pattern then to contact the day service at my hospital. I went in for reduced movements the day after my due date and they were great about it and monitored me and everything was fine.

@Nazz10 oh bless him, that’s great he’s not keeping you up at night! Yes that’s right 😀 now you say it I remember you too! Great to hear you’re getting on well, I do remember you getting your BFP actually xx

Same as MrsL, I was told the regularity of the movements is more important after 24 weeks. Cold drinks and sugar seem to get mine moving. How I sit and my concentration levels do affect what I feel.

I'm 36 weeks and baby has quiet days (or is lazy and has the odd hyperactive day at least!). Provided I feel something often enough then I don't stress.
MW is always there for reassurance and advice.

@MrsL2016 thanks so much for your reply. It’s so funny once you feel movements, you go all that time feeling nothing, and then as soon as it starts you want to feel it everyday for reassurance, despite going 16 weeks feeling nothing! I had heard the same thing - that movement can be inconsistent until 24 weeks, but wasn’t sure if days where you feel nothing/very little was normal, but that makes a lot of sense, probably especially for me with having an anterior placenta x

@Thack thanks 😊 actually on Thursday evening I hadn’t felt much all day, then ate some chocolate and had a few kicks 🥰 don’t think I can use that as an excuse to eat loads of chocolate though 😂

@MintGreenLife ahh I thought so but wasn't sure! I remember you having a little trouble to begin with. Huge congratulations to you! So glad everything turned out fine 😊

@Nazz10 thanks so much 🥰 my cycles were all over the place up until we conceived, but was worth the wait! Only 6 weeks to go for you, exciting!!

At this stage, absolutely normal. You can only feel the movement if they're in the right place and direction.

Once you get past 24 weeks it's important to keep track of movements and they should follow a consistent pattern :)

@BertieBotts thanks so much ☺️ Everyone’s replies will hopefully make me worry less on the quiet days! Not like I’m freaking out or anything, but by the evening am thinking ‘please kick’. I’ve had some gentle pops this morn so that’s nice, after not feeling anything until late evening the last few days x

Evenings were always a more active time for my baby. But then perhaps that is just because I was relaxing and sitting still. I understand the worry though, especially in the second trimester when you start to feel less morning sickness etc and more normal. Some days I didn't even feel pregnant. Once you start to show and have consistent movement it makes a big difference.

I'm nearly 30 weeks and still have quiet days. Baby also has no pattern at all. One day wont stop moving and the next I have to really concentrate to feel anything.