Reduce movements please help

[Coxobaby]

Can anyone please explain what is exactly baby pattern of movements. I am 34 weeks pregnant today and lack of pattern driving me insane. Some days i see pattern and suddenly one day it change. I have been to hospital 8 times everything turned to be fine but last night sugar in urine which i am put on monitor. Can anyone explain what they actually mean by pattern? Baby move every hour or other? Somedays my baby makes very big movements and others days moving but not as energized as last day. I try sugar drink amd cold water sometimes it works and other times didn't. They told is baby sleeps for 20, 40 or 90 minutes. I am. Suppose to feel every 20 or 40 or 90 minutes? Please help and share your experience

I didn't notice a pattern with mine such as moving around a certain time. He moved a lot though, so if I felt like I hadn't noticed anything for more than an hour, I'd lie down, have some fizzy juice, put the cat on my belly (he always kicked at the vibrations from his purrs) or put a certain song on that he always seemed to react to. I ended up going in for reduced movements twice, both times he e started kicking as soon as I sat down in the hospital 🙄

The second time I was overdue and high risk as it was, so they didn't want me going far beyond my due date. They offered to induce me there and then, and my boy was born the following day.

The second time also wasn't reduced movements, more that his kicks weren't as strong as they normally are.

You can get a wrist strap (Count The Kicks do a good one) to monitor and know what to look for.

@ajahd when your baby react to juice or song. How much movements is enough? Moved for hours or 3-4 movements?

@ColourfulElmerElephant here in uk they don't recommend one. They ask to look for pattern.

I think it's quite hard to determine a pattern, for me I just make sure I notice when I feel them and I'm aware if it's been a while since I felt one so I focus on it a bit more and make sure I do feel the baby within the next hour or two. I had reduced movement in my last pregnancy and I'd go in if I hadn't felt the baby for a whole morning or if the movement I felt was much smaller/softer than usual. I'd also notice that usually baby would move after I ate etc so if I didn't feel them then I'd worry. Its really tricky though

[quote Coxobaby]@ColourfulElmerElephant here in uk they don't recommend one. They ask to look for pattern.[/quote]
Here in the U.K., I was given one by my consultant to monitor my baby’s movement.

@ColourfulElmerElephant how often you need to monitor? Every hour or at day and night?

@ColourfulElmerElephant

You can get a wrist strap (Count The Kicks do a good one) to monitor and know what to look for.

That isn’t currently recommended. It’s not advised to count kicks anymore, but to recognise a pattern of movements. @Coxobaby if you’re worried PLEASE PLEASE go to your maternity unit and get checked out. They don’t care how many times you go.

I got a heartbeat thing that meant I could hear the heartbeat whenever I wanted. My midwife said they aren't recommended but it relaxed me so much when I had days of reduced movement. I got it on eBay for about £10.

Orange juice and a Mars bars are apparently supposed to make them move like crazy, but I found a hot cup of tea and resting it on my bump between sips made movement happen. As did laying down completely flat and a warm bath.

Also I never really had a patten.

I never had a "pattern" with any of my 3 pregnancies. Just made sure I was feeling movements every day. Thankfully never had episodes of reduced movements.

My friend though, said that normal for her baby was to kick every morning as soon as she got up. About two weeks before birth, that stopped but she didn't think it meant pattern changed. She gave birth two weeks later- baby was born grey and not breathing. Apparently was a placenta problem. Baby was resuscitated and spend 2 weeks in NICU. Absolutely fine now two years later, but they explained that this is what they mean by a pattern. If you have something regular like this and it changes, you do need to check it out.

@MrsTumbletap

I got a heartbeat thing that meant I could hear the heartbeat whenever I wanted. My midwife said they aren't recommended but it relaxed me so much when I had days of reduced movement. I got it on eBay for about £10.

Orange juice and a Mars bars are apparently supposed to make them move like crazy, but I found a hot cup of tea and resting it on my bump between sips made movement happen. As did laying down completely flat and a warm bath.

Please don't use a doppler for reassurance when you are experiencing reduced movement, a baby can be unwell and still show a within normal range heart beat- and I say this as someone who literally uses a doppler every day to keep a track of what is normal for my baby's heartbeat. I would still go in for reduced movements even if the doppler is telling me that baby has their normal heart rate.

OP, for me, baby's movement pattern is this: Baby sleeps, there's no movement then, then when baby wakes, he or she will usually do a couple of lazy feeling movements, then get hiccups, then will move a lot more, as they wake up properly. There will be a period of fairly vigorous movement, then baby chills out and sleeps again. Not every baby is going to have the same patterns though, just wanted to give you the example of what mine does. I'm 35 weeks and I'm noticing baby is sleeping for longer periods, and also that the vigorous movement times are getting longer.

OP, this is such a difficult topic because every single baby is different. Only you know your baby's movements, the way they move, kick etc. That IS the pattern! As unhelpful as it is. And you just need to trust your instincts and be seen whenever you feel you need to be. Every day if it has to be. Even if it's just for peace of mind.

My midwife used to drive me crazy saying "is baby moving lots?" He really wasn't! Or if he was, I really couldn't feel him much. And then she'd just say "ok, well if that's normal for you then it's fine." Not much help as I was really stressing about it! So I made my pattern to be time of day rather than amount of kicks. He'd always have a wriggle when I first got up in the morning (never ever disturbed me at night!!), then around lunch time and after dinner when relaxing on the sofa. They were never kicks though, not once!! He was a wriggler, and towards the end he'd move his whole body to the point my stomach would change shape. But not sharp kicks etc.

So whenever my morning or my evening wriggle was missing, I went to be seen. This was 3 times but honestly OP, I could easily have gone every single day!!! It was the worst part for me, it was always on my mind and I was really stressing about it. Thinking back, I can't believe I was only seen 3 times. Mind you, I was being monitored for something else so I could see him on ultrasound every 2/3 weeks 💙 Definitely think that saved my sanity!

Hope the sugar turns out to be nothing serious OP and wishing you a smooth rest of pregnancy!

My baby changing pattern gives me so much anxiety. Not able to sleep since ages thinking weather he moves enough or not. Everytime i see oh okay that's the time he most active and suddenly he change his peak activity time. I wish i can live a day without worry and can sleep on peace. Life have become so much difficult.

@eensyweensySpider your words made me bit calm. I don't know if I am only one who feels this way. Doctors and midwife don't seem to answer me very well. They are always like know your pattern and my baby don't have one.

@ThisMammaCat yes you are right. Never use doppler it's very dangerous. They can't tell us if baby is alright. Having a heart beat doesn't mean baby is fine.

The wristband ColourfulElmerElephant refers to is from the Kicks Count charity.

www.kickscount.org.uk/kicks-count-wristbands

They are UK based, endorsed by midwives and consultants. Their ethos is on recognising a general pattern not "x movements per hour" which is outdated advice.

There is so much information on their website and social media channels
www.kickscount.org.uk/your-babys-movements
www.kickscount.org.uk/Pages/Category/why-movement-matters

If you think movements have changed E.g are softer /less often than normal then go get checked out every time and shout out from the rooftops that it is still not baby's normal if you aren't happy!
With my last pregnancy with ds I went from seeing him kick on the outside of my stomach to only feeling very occasional movements and having to really concentrate to feel them. I went in a few times and always felt guilty when they could see him moving in scan but I couldn't feel them. I'd had 3 mc before and let myself be talked into just being over anxious. I went in again at 36 weeks and saw a different consultant who told me that the scans and all monitors looked fine but that her gut was ds would be better off out than I and that I was clearly worried. I was induced 2 days later. Ds was born weighing only 5lbs - 2nd percentile with loose baggy skin, the cord was round his neck, he was rushed to nicu and spent a week there. He had a pneumothorax and needed a blood transfusion and antibiotics though other than telling me that the placenta was very calcified more so than they thought from any scans they never found any other explanations for ds believe me they tried - genetic tests, brain scans the lot all came back clear thankfully.
Ds is now a Bright healthy 3 year old and well and truly caught up in size but I honestly can't bear to think of how the outcome may well have been different if I hadn't met that one Dr who listened to my concerns. I'm currently 23 weeks and this time I know I will push if I notice the change in movements. I can't say I had a pattern with ds but I knew I was feeling forceful movements at often intervals throughout the day until one day I wasn't.
I suppose my point is only you can know what the movements feel like but if they are weaker or not as often or just different from before then tell them and keep telling them until they listen. Go in each and every single time. For your own peace of mind its better to be seen than sit at home and worry!
 hope your OK @Coxobaby chances are everything is fine but the drs and midwives are there to help and reassure you. I'm sure they would prefer to see you then have you worry.