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Pregnancy

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Original poster

Struggling with baby movements

17 replies

Fipfop · 30/05/2022 19:04

Hi, just wondering if anyone has had a similar pattern of movement to me

I'm 27 weeks tomorrow. In my first pregnancy I had a posterior placenta and a very active baby. I had a strong pattern of movement from early on.

This time I have a high anterior placenta. I will get a week or so where movement is getting stronger and more consistent. Then it will be followed with 3-5 quiet days. I still get movement in this time but it's much less frequent and much less strong. It almost goes back to just feeling like quickening with some taps instead of the kicks and rolls that I had been getting used to.

Is this just my pattern? Or should I be calling the midwife each time I'm going through a quiet patch? I'm assuming baby is just in a position that im not feeling but it's still a little worrying every time it happens.

As an added, I have been in on 2 of the other quiet patches. The midwives always find heartbeat quickly and send me on my way! Very hard to know what to be concerned with and what to not be.

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Happytap · 30/05/2022 19:10

Mine was exactly the same with both of my pregnancies and they were anterior placenta too.

i asked my midwife and she said to come in whenever I notice a change in my pattern: so for me it was normal to have a week of baby being forceful and then a week of them being ‘quiet’ and then back again. So I went in three times with my first and only once with my second when I had high blood pressure at the same time as a quiet period began.

I would call your midwife and ask her thoughts

Original poster

Fipfop · 30/05/2022 19:15

Thanks that's really helpful! Does it continue like this all the way to the end? I don't want to have to go in every other week for no reason but also don't want to miss if something is wrong. I'm seeing my midwife on Wednesday so I'll double check with her then.

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OddSocksSparklyDocsandDungaree · 30/05/2022 19:18

My baby never had a pattern, even in the final days of pregnancy. If I was concerned, I always phoned up and went in 3 times to be assessed. Always best to check :)

Baby is now a 16 month old that never stays still, I would like to add! :)

Original poster

Fipfop · 30/05/2022 19:28

Thanks for your reply. I bet that was stressful!

I'm a bit worried about going in too often as I've seen some people induced early due to reduced movements and don't want this to happen if for no reason. Was anything like this ever mentioned or were they just happy with the monitoring?

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OddSocksSparklyDocsandDungaree · 30/05/2022 19:31

@Fipfop Nope, they just encouraged me to go back as and when needed. They said I was welcome to go in every night if needed :) Never be worried about going :)

cmj7397 · 30/05/2022 19:34

I could have written this - i had a high anterior placenta and went in 9 times to be checked! baby was fine each time.
there was never a pattern to his movements and it made me super anxious, my midwife was lovely though, and i’m sure your midwife will be able to give you more information.

itssquidstella · 30/05/2022 20:45

I also had a high anterior placenta and went in for monitoring eight times. It meant I wasn't allowed to use the birth centre and had to go on the labour ward instead - but as it was, I ended up with an emergency c section anyway!

I had an induction booked for 41+2 but went into labour naturally on my due date.

Original poster

Fipfop · 30/05/2022 21:15

Thanks for your reply! Were the reduced movements showing on the monitor or was that decision made purely on what you had been feeling? I'm high risk and hopefully a vbac anyway so I know birthing centre is out for me unfortunately.

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strawberrysummer19 · 30/05/2022 21:17

Could write this myself !

I'm 32 wks tomorrow and ever since waiting for the first ever movement which seemed later on compared to my 1st posterior placenta and a very active baby in my 1st pregnancy I've been in 3 times since 20wks and each time all ok

After the 3rd time which was only last Monday ! Which was the worst so far as I felt hardly any movement most the day ! They sent me for a scan after and all was ok. I have high anterior placenta. Sure it's cushioned her movements sometimes days. Sometimes they are jabs and pokes and take my breath away and sometimes she's quiet and sometimes little squirms
She literally has no pattern! It worries me some days but I try not to over think it

I would have no hesitation going in and even if that meant inducing nearer the time so be it, because that's better then not going in to be checked in my opinion, go with your gut feeling.

As long as I feel movement I don't worry but I do have moments ! It's reassuring to have posts like this though.

I sometimes feel my bump change shape and you can see it change shape but I don't feel her get there if that makes sense

I always thought at this stage where they are so big they would be so strong movements like I did get with my first.

Original poster

Fipfop · 30/05/2022 21:38

@strawberrysummer19 thanks for your reply. It definitely reassures me that there are others going through the same, at least it's probably normal! I've been in twice already as well, I've not been in though for this last lot of reduced movements yet. Am on like day 4 of it now. I see my midwife Wednesday so will bring it up again.

Once I hit 28 weeks I think I'm just going to have to call them whenever I'm worried. I keep getting asked if it's my first and if I suffer with anxiety, which is really annoying!

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Original poster

Fipfop · 30/05/2022 21:39

Also exactly the same with seeing the bump move but not feeling it. It's so strange after being able to feel everything from so early last time!

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itssquidstella · 01/06/2022 15:58

@Fipfop no, baby was moving normally every time in the monitor. Sometimes he was in a position where my placenta was muffling his movements and on a few occasions it was just my being overly anxious when he was having a lazy few hours!

PinkBump2022 · 01/06/2022 20:52

I had the same with my son and I had an anterior placenta. He would go 2-3 days where he barely moved. Each time I went in. He would move a couple of times and they were happy; I was not. I was so worried. They decided to induct me at 37 weeks because of it. He was born the next day and we went home that day he was fine once he came out. They checked the placenta and couldn’t find anything wrong but something felt very wrong to me and I just thought one day those 2-3 quiet days would end in tragedy. I didn’t feel safe going home after their monitoring as he still wasn’t moving enough. It was an awful time

Vimto1991 · 01/06/2022 21:06

Heya, exact same here. I’m 39 weeks today with a high anterior, and baby has had no pattern. Sometimes quiet, sometimes manic, I didn’t take the risk and went to triage any time something felt off - which ended up being a lot of the time as baby didn’t follow a pattern for more than three days, but couldn’t bear the thought of them being ill. I needed to be induced for my thyroid but ended up being booked in tomorrow a few days earlier because of the no pattern drama.

it’s actually a relief to hear others have had the same experience I have. I hope my next pregnancy is different to be fair, this has put me on edge since I had to monitor movement!!

Original poster

Fipfop · 01/06/2022 21:11

@PinkBump2022 thanks for your reply. How did an induction at 37 weeks go?

I've spoken to the midwife today and she said 2 lots of reduced movements after 28 weeks and they would be advising early induction which I'm quite nervous about as I had a failed induction last due date last time!

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Original poster

Fipfop · 01/06/2022 21:13

@Vimto1991 thanks for reply. I feel the same, quite a relief to know I'm not the only one but I'm getting a bit nervous about what the next few months will up hold. I'm already high risk and in and out of hospital. I don't really want to have to keep going in unnecessarily 😩

My midwife mentioned today that 2 episodes of reduced movements past 28 weeks and they would be advising an early induction so quite nice to see you've got to nearly due date!

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Vimto1991 · 01/06/2022 21:31

@Fipfop it’s never an unnecessary trip so don’t worry about that, they’d rather you go in and get seen then sit at home and worry about your baby, and atleast you’ll get relief knowing they are okay. What I did was wait an hour before calling and have a cold drink, lay on my side, and play music with my phone on my belly, if I got movement I’d leave it, if not I’d call up.
I had one reduced movement then I went in for increased quite a few times as a lot of the time baby was quiet but I got them moving with music or coke, but then I’d have episodes of baby not stopping moving ALL day! then last week they were super quiet, so two episodes of reduced and they decided to book me in for tomorrow but only a few days earlier than I would be due to being high risk.
As a FTM it’s not been easy, but I’ve got all the way here and if I can do it you can too! It has gone fast thinking about it, there’s been tears, there’s been a week or two of good patterns, too! In fact this baby has decided on a pattern the last week of them being in there. 🤦‍♀️ But stay strong, and always stick with your instincts! If something doesn’t feel right, call your maternity unit. 🙂

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