Baby's movements

[anonny55]

First time mum here so please be kind I'm aware I'm a little clueless hence why I'm looking for advice!

Is it normal to one day feel and be able to see baby's kicks very prominently then the next it feels like those tiny gas bubbles that I had at around 18 weeks.. (assuming baby may have just changed position so I can't feel as strong as I do other times?)

Is it normal for patterns to change?
Weeks 20-23 baby moved a little in the afternoon and loads at night..weeks 23-26 he moves whenever he feels like and nothing like the pattern before.

How long did you go without feeling movement? It can be upto 3hrs apart sometimes for me which makes me anxious as anything!

Did your baby ever actually get a proper pattern? I'm only 26+1 so thinks it's to early for one anyway but curious as to when/ if all baby's do get a pattern.

When would I class myself as having reduced movement if he sometimes goes upto 3 hrs without moving but sometimes he'll be active all day?

25 week midwife appointment was fine - she checked baby's heartbeat and was happy

Had a private scan at 25+3 to see baby In 4D and all looked fine and he was very active!

Thanks x

I was told a pattern would be possible by week 28 and to watch out for that pattern from then on

Anyone else?

With first baby i think i was 26-28wks before i started feeling regular movement. I remember worrying a little too. I was told my placenta was at the front which can contribute to not feeling much. Try not to worry. I know it's easier said than done. 🫶

I have also been wondering (and worrying) about this - how much of a change or reduction in movements warrants a trip to the hospital or phone call to the midwife…?
Interested to hear people’s thoughts!

It's so confusing as every healthcare professional has given contradicting information..

At 21 weeks I went in because I felt him everyday from 18 weeks and felt nothing at all for 2 days and the midwife I see said I shouldn't ever leave it that long and should go as soon as baby's out of pattern but everydays different still!😅

Yes or sometimes you are just busy running around and not really paying attention or sleeping so the baby might be kicking but you don’t really register it…

I went up to antenatal assessment unit today as this is the 2nd day in a row he's been very quiet so I was beginning to get worried. The midwife told me off for not coming yesterday morning when I first thought he wasn't moving as much. I said sometimes baby goes quiet for the 1 day then will be active loads again for a few days then not so active so it's usual for him to have 1 off quieter day in the week hence why I didn't go straight away yesterday and only went this morning as he doesn't usually go 2 days being quiet. She said if I'm asking myself if he's moved enough then he hasn't and I need to come straight away and not wait..I'm asking myself every bloody day and always hopping in bed to relax and make sure I'm feeling him as I don't always if I'm not paying attention or I'm on my feet or busy. Next midwife comes in and she said it's normal for some peoples baby's to be quiet once a week if that's what they usually do as that's their pattern and that's normal for them so I was correct to go this morning as it only started to not be normal this morning. Again both contradicting. So much bloody stress!! Anyway as soon as I was on the monitor he was going wild. She said he was kicking my back and as he's still small I was only picking up on a few of them and couldn't feel it all. He must have flipped back to kicking my front as he's been kicking around all day since!

My second baby was breech and I was told that could affect how I felt the movements and the frequency. I ended up going for reduced movements six times. Always fine on the monitor. But at 37+6 when I had a presentation scan to see if she was still breech she wasn't (good news!) followed by her growth had stopped (bad news) and they wanted to induced on Monday (this was Friday). They said any more reduced movements over the weekend and they'd induce straight away. When she was born she was totally fine but my placenta was noted as being small. So something was happening but it just wasn't frequent enough to pick up on scans or monitors. Anyway, my rambling message basically is if you haven't felt as much as you'd expect to feel then go in. Babies sleep in roughly 45 min chunks in the womb so normal to feel nothing, then maybe a kick or two, then nothing. However at your stage you might not feel those kicks depending on baby's position so it might be a longer stretch of time. Personally I started keeping a close eye around the three hour mark, especially in the evening and overnight when mine were most active.

I'm currently 28 weeks and have a day when she's very active and then a day when she's less active but still moving and kicking. I started to notice a pattern probably around 26 weeks which was mainly in the morning and during or after every meal, but sometimes it's not so clear! I've got an anterior placenta and also she is measuring small, there are so many variables. I went for a scan yesterday and she was moving around but I couldn't actually feel it! It's so hard! I'm glad your baby is doing well xx

With my first i wouldn’t ever say i had a ‘pattern’ but i did know what would make him move, for example laying the tv remote on my belly he would go insane, getting in the bath he would kick and having a gulp of fizzy pop!

Still no pattern really I'm 26+4 today! The only thing I've noticed is a few days really active and 1 days less active. I think I'll just go upto the hospital if he goes more than 1 day not being very active. Even then I may aswell probably move in as I'll be there enough!🤣I was watching my belly do all sorts this morning then since I've barely felt anything. I've been on my feet though so maybe just haven't noticed! I have a posteria placenta but I wasn't particularly skinny when I got pregnant and have a load of lose skin so I wonder if that makes a difference to how I feel him? We have our 4D rescan on Saturday so sure that'll give me some reassurance he's definitely fine. I'm the same sometimes on a scan he's going wild and I'm not feeling any of it. Same as on the monitor it was picking up loads of movements and I didn't feel near as much as the machine was saying. These babies like to keep us on our toes!

Loose skin wont make a difference, as you feel them inside and only sometimes see the movement on the outside. That's interesting that you often don't feel what the monitor is picking up - I wouldn't use that to reassure yourself per se as if something is wrong you'll miss it, but if you go in for reduced movements don't then feel guilty about him dancing about on the monitor!

@Stirrednshaken I've felt him loads for the last 2 days. Used to just be kicks it feels like he's rolling around in there now!! So that's been nice and reassuring (even though it makes me feel a little sick🤣) thanks for confirming it's not my fat tummy cushioning him up haha. I will definitely go in if things don't feel right, thankyou! X