Not as much movement at 20 + 5

[esgill]

I realise I'm still quite early on but I'm struggling with anxiety.

One week or so ago I had a few days with lots of movement: it felt like a worm wriggling in my tummy and I saw the occasional kick on my stomach. Last week (at 19 + 6) I had my anomaly scan and all was good there was lots of movement that I couldn't feel. The sonographer said I had a posterior placenta so should feel a lot of movement within the next few weeks. Since Sunday I've been on holiday abroad a baby moon --and I've felt reduced movement. I'm not sure whether it's because we've been super busy/doing lots of walking and exploring or what. Yesterday I barely felt anything. Just a really subtle flutter that I couldn't be sure was kicking. Today I had juice and something sweet for breakfast to tempt baby's kicks but nothing yet. I felt a little on Sunday after the flight.

Is it normal at this point to not feel kicking constantly/for it to still feel subtle on some days?

I definitely felt like this, I felt a few flutters but was never sure if it was always the baby, and I could go all day with nothing. The midwife said it was normal but it’s really hard not to panic, from 21 weeks exactly it started being regular everyday, sometimes I think it is just a bit early!

Regular movements begin from 24 weeks, before then baby is still small enough to be in a position where you can’t feel them. You are less likely to notice movement when you are busy, especially at this stage. Things like cold drinks, juice and sugary things aren’t advised if you are worried about movement but do contact your midwife if you do have any worries.

As PP said I’m pretty sure this age of gestation is before they’d expect you to have regular patterns of movement that you feel most of the time. Baby still has a reasonable amount of space.

You say you’ve been really active too, I remember that I would feel baby much more when I was still and quiet, like sat on the sofa in the evening or in bed, rather than when I was charging around during the day.

Eitherway your midwife probably won’t mind if you contact them if you’re concerned but they may also remind you that it’s a bit early for regular patterns of movement.

For me the movements were on and off I’d say from 20 weeks until about 28 weeks when there is a definite pattern, like you he was wriggling like crazy on the 20 week scan and I didn’t feel a thing but found it quite reassuring. I’ve been really active all through pregnancy and he used to be really quiet all day and I would only feel him at night time when I was still. I figured as he was still quite small I could only feel him if he was positioned a certain way.

Im 31 weeks now and he definitely lets his presence be known!

hopefully as you progress through the next week the movements will strengthen a bit and provide more reassurance. Hopefully your mind can be put at ease with this and other posters replies. All the best x

Thank you everyone for the reassurance, glad to hear it's common to not feel daily/regular movement around 20/21 weeks. It is probably is the extra moving around and a change of position then... I hope she kicks harder and more often in the coming weeks, haha x

I'm just over 20 weeks and I had a few days of really active baby and now can't really feel him. I had my scan Monday and all was fine so hopefully normal. And like you say very early still x

@esgill its definitely normal this early. I’ve been having movements since 18 weeks. Panicked on two different occasions over the last couple weeks (I’m now 23 weeks) because I’ll have a day where she’s moving what seems like non stop all day and then I’ll have a three day stretch with nothing! This hasn’t happened this week but for example yesterday she was non stop going and today only a few kicks during the working day. I know now not to worry and then this evening the kicks were so frequent it was actually becoming distracting as I was trying to work 😂😂😂. I read that it’s because they can move around lots - what I’ve noticed is when my movements reduce I can just sometimes perceive the odd one very low down so I think she’s feet down to pelvis, head up to my stomach. Kicks are harder to feel here (as opposed to when she’s length ways across my stomach and kicking my right side (her preferred position!) and so clearly a few weeks ago she was just too small for me to feel them