Stupid question re reduced movements

[Mybobowler]

You wouldn't know that this is my second baby, I feel so daft.

What counts as reduced movements, and where is the line between being neurotic and being sensibly cautious?

26+5 with a low anterior placenta, but I've been feeling strong movements since around 19 weeks. He's definitely in a pattern now - lots of movement mid-morning, after lunch and then he has an after-dinner disco before I go to bed. In between, I'll have gentle kicks through the day. He has had a few quieter days over the last couple of months but just as I start to worry, he wakes up and starts wriggling again.

Since yesterday mid-afternoon, I've felt very little and nothing like his normal movements. A few gentle nudges and rolls, but not much more. I was fretting last night but talked myself out of calling triage, felt nothing overnight (I was awake for an hour or so at around 3am), and very little again this morning. I just called triage and the midwife was a bit dismissive - told me to have a cold drink and lie down and then call back if no change. I've obviously done that, but still not really getting anything more than a few flutters and very light kicks.

Should I call them back, or are they only really interested if you have no movement at this relatively early stage??

I’m really angry about this. This is not ok!! I’m glad you’re being assertive and speaking up for yourself and your baby.

I'm so sorry the midwives have treated you so badly, but pleased to hear the reg is listening to you. And typical that you can feel kicking now, that's normally the way! Hope you get some reassurance soon.

that it may feel a bit irritating to busy midwives
A dead baby is worse, what an area hole she was.
So glad you’ve gone back in! Well done.

I still haven't been seen but he's suddenly, for the first time in about 36 hours, started giving me proper, strong kicks. And now I feel like a right wally. Wondering if I should just apologise and leave, but leaning towards waiting here to be properly checked. If he slows down again tomorrow, I'd kick myself for going home.

Stay there and get scanned. You’d never forgive yourself if something happened

@AngelDelightUk no, you're totally right. Now is not the time to be British about it. I'll stay put.

And this is his usual disco time - every night for at least the last four weeks my bump has been jumping around like there's a sack of frogs in there. This is still, comparatively, not his usual pattern.

Always best to get checked.
Mine were the same, always started hiccuping or going crazy with movements once the Doppler was on! Made me look like a liar!!

You’re absolutely doing the right thing advocating for yourself and your baby OP!

Stay put until you feel totally reassured. Hopefully the scan will do that and you can get home!

I just wanted to add that with my first he would occasionally move into a position where it was quite difficult to feel the movements as much - my midwife explained it like he’d turned facing into my tummy but laid transverse / sideways, so his usual kicks and punches were almost “muffled” if that makes sense…

So whilst it’s absolutely the right thing to do to get checked anytime you feel there is a change to your usual movements, it’s not unusual for there to be changes which are nothing to worry about.
There’s still quite a bit of room in there for him at the moment, that’s essentially what I was told.

Always check but don’t panic as such.

Glad to hear his movements have picked up OP 😍.

I really feel for you. I went in the other week at 27+1. I was waiting for hours. They listened with a Doppler for like 30 seconds and sent me away. Complete waste of time and I didn’t feel reassured at all. I think in a lot of trusts if you are not 28 weeks they just check the baby isn’t dead already and that’s it. I don’t know why they badger pregnant women about reduced movements before 28 weeks if that’s all they are going to do , it just makes us anxious!!

Please stay and get checked.

I've know it's not nice going through this with their unpleasant attitude. But remember; this is for your baby as much as for you. You don't need these people to like you, but you do need the situation checking out properly.

I had a similar situation to you. They wouldn't listen. So I became a firm but ever so polite broken record and just wouldn't stop repeating what I wanted until it was done. Good job I did as the scan I fought for revealed problems with the cord which required very close monitoring. Fortunately it all turned out OK, as once the cord deteriorated too much he was whipped out.

It's better to regret wasting someone's time than it is to regret not having got the help your baby needed.

You're doing brilliantly to persevere x

Hi OP, I’m on baby2 and about 24 weeks too. I’ve had reduced movements the last 2 days, same as you - as soon as I go ‘huh that’s weird I’ve not felt him kick all day’ I’ll get the tiniest flutter and I’ll put it to the back of my mind. I really want to call up and ask if this is right, because until 2 days ago he was kicking me all over the place. I also have a high anterior placenta.

But I remember what it was like from the first one - the sense of ‘you don’t belong here’ from the staff in triage. They peg you as a hypochondriac and the last thing I want to do is waste anyone’s time.

So between the memories of my first pregnant and your post, I have to admit I’ve been royally put off doing anything. I’ll see what happens by my next community appointment end of next week.

Really sad it’s like this, it doesn’t have to be. I wonder how many issues would be prevented if midwives were more approachable and sympathetic (not casting aspersions here and I’m being too general I know, 98% of midwives are angels on earth)

Good luck x

Oh gosh @Bizawit I'm so sorry you've experienced this too, it's awful. I completely agree - the attitude I've had today has basically been "if the baby is moving a little bit and I can find his heartbeat then he isn't dead so please go away". I feel like I'm being gaslighted - our maternity notes are full of warnings to go to triage immediately in cases of decreased movements, so we did and we get treated like an idiot/a neurotic hypochondriac.

Still no scan but a shift change, and the lead midwife is the one who looked after me when my waters dramatically broke at 34 weeks with my first baby. She was an angel three years ago and if the reassurance I just heard her give another lady is anything to go by, she still is!

Hope everything goes ok and you have better luck with this midwife and the scan. You've absolutely done the right thing. What a farce. You've done everything that you should be doing.

@LadyHalesBroach argh, I completely understand how you're feeling! Obviously I've not been great at following my own advice here, but could you give your midwife or maternity unit a call? I'm sure (I hope!) that my experience today has been far from typical. At any rate, it definitely isn't protocol! Good luck, I completely understand your anxiety but do go and put your mind at ease.

@squee123 I'm sorry you had that experience and thank you for sharing. Your story has motivated me to stay put and reassured me that getting baby thoroughly checked is absolutely the right thing to do. Even if 99% of the time everything is fine, someone has to be the 1% and I'm not so naive as to believe it wouldn't be me or my baby.

That is absolutely shocking the treatment you have received and the attitude. It's this sort of attitude that makes mums not go in quickly enough and in some cases it can be too late.

Why aren't you being out on a trace monitor where they hook u up to a machine?

Warning I don't want to scare you but this is why it's so so important! I have a friend who kept going to the hospital and back again over the course of a week or so she was about 33/34 wks. They monitored baby movements and kept sending her home. He was still moving but not to his usual pattern. Anyway she went in another day and they weren't happy with the trace pattern did some more tests and a scan and did an emcs. He was a beautiful baby boy but she was rhesus negative and her blood had managed to get into the baby somehow. He was all puffed up and possibly brain damaged. He died a few days later. She is a prime example of a baby still moving and having a heartbeat but there isn't a well baby and why he wasn't moving around the same.

I hope everything is ok for u and ur little one 🤞🏻

One last update: lovely reg came and scanned me. Asked me lots of questions and was really thorough. She did say that baby wasn't moving much (which, weirdly, I needed someone else to acknowledge) but he was moving a little bit and everything else (placenta, cord, blood flow, fluid) all look normal. He's very low and scrunched up and this, combined with the anterior placenta, won't be helping when it comes to feeling him move.

I feel a million times better and she was so kind. Told me I'd done all the right things and not to hesitate before coming back.

Thanks to everyone on this thread for encouraging me to be persistent today. He still isn't moving an awful lot, and I know that I'd otherwise be panicking at home.

@Mybobowler

One last update: lovely reg came and scanned me. Asked me lots of questions and was really thorough. She did say that baby wasn't moving much (which, weirdly, I needed someone else to acknowledge) but he was moving a little bit and everything else (placenta, cord, blood flow, fluid) all look normal. He's very low and scrunched up and this, combined with the anterior placenta, won't be helping when it comes to feeling him move.

I feel a million times better and she was so kind. Told me I'd done all the right things and not to hesitate before coming back.

Thanks to everyone on this thread for encouraging me to be persistent today. He still isn't moving an awful lot, and I know that I'd otherwise be panicking at home.

Aww so glad you got the scan and reassurance. Well done for advocating for yourself and baby ❤️. You did the right thing xx ☺️😘

@Mybobowler

Oh gosh *@Bizawit I'm so sorry you've experienced this too, it's awful. I completely agree - the attitude I've had today has basically been "if the baby is moving a little bit and I can find his heartbeat then he isn't dead so please go away". I feel like I'm being gaslighted - our maternity notes are full of warnings to go to triage immediately* in cases of decreased movements, so we did and we get treated like an idiot/a neurotic hypochondriac.

Still no scan but a shift change, and the lead midwife is the one who looked after me when my waters dramatically broke at 34 weeks with my first baby. She was an angel three years ago and if the reassurance I just heard her give another lady is anything to go by, she still is!

Sooo true.

Glad you saw someone really helpful and understanding in the end though xx