Midway into pregnancy...reassurance?

[Bumpsss]

Hi all
I'm currently 22 weeks into my first pregnancy, so excited yet anxious, and would like to ask for some advice and reassurance from you all.

I think I felt the baby movements around the 20 week mark (about 2-4 sets of movements during the day). However, the last few days I barely felt anything (1-2 movements a day and yet to feel anything for sure today).

This is getting me very worried and I don't know if I should call the midwives. I was told it can be completely normal to feel the baby one day, then not the next...but i can't shake off the worry that the trend for the last 4 days is a decrease...

I don't want to be annoying and keep seeking help, at the same time, I don't want to miss anything that's wrong either.

Thanks for your help!

At this point the baby is really small so if they turn (which they do) you'll stop feeling movements for a few days. Also there's not much that can be done at this age if there are issues so you just have to grit your teeth and hope for the best. But it will be fine, they are just hiding in corners as my midwife used to say.

its early for movement but if you're worried dont sit on it, go with your gut and call triage, they'll likely call you in to check babys heartbeat, standard procedure, totally normal and will reassure you.
Triage is there for things like this and its fine and perfectly normal to be over cautious, its your baby!
Also movements at this stage can still be very small so you may just not be noticing them, baby is still teeny!

Thank you both!
I'm on the fence at the moment about whether to ask the midwives or not. I think I'll see how tomorrow goes. It is reassuring to know things are more likely to be okay than not, right!

I had this for quite a few weeks after first feeling movements. Some days I did, quite a few I didn't, depending on where baby was and how busy I was (didn't always notice them when I was concentrating on other things). Then gradually started feeling them more days than not until it was all the time.

Currently sat here with my perfectly healthy 8 week old! :)

Yes it is early for movement at this stage, especially as it’s your first pregnancy and you won’t yet be feeling regular movement. But if you’re worried definitely go to triage and get it checked, it’ll put your mind at ease. Honestly, the amount of times I went to triage in my last pregnancy around that stage was crazy, almost every other week! When baby wasn’t moving for a few hours or a day, I went to triage. But it did put my mind at ease and help me to feel better :)

Always trust your gut instincts. Always. Just call the midwives and ask, they’d rather you get checked than otherwise.

One thing is have you tried lying down on your side and counting movements? Maybe it’s too early for that but that can help, as often during the day we are so busy we don’t notice the little movements.

OP I'm a midwife. I've seen countless women at lots of different gestations who have all said the same, that they'll 'wait til tomorrow' when they finally do come in because, let's face it, life gets in the way sometimes, they're often so relieved and wonder why they didn't come in to get checked out sooner.

I don't care if a woman is 16 weeks pregnant or 36 weeks pregnant, if you're worried don't leave it. That's what we're there for.

Thank you all for your input and encouragement!
As I sat here, I think I just felt two small taps from the baby (was faint but fairly certain!) - definitely helped to ease my worries a little.

I still have my worries though (mostly about the pattern and intensity), so I'll call the midwives first thing tomorrow morning and take it from there. It's just difficult to know the threshold I think!

@USaYwHatNow I'm glad to know that you don't mind seeing an anxious mum!

Hi OP, congratulations on your pregnancy - I'm 24 weeks today so around the same stage.

First pregnancy I didn't feel anything at all till 22/23 weeks. I had an anterior placenta which really affected what I could feel and I never had strong or regular movements despite having a very active baby. I was in a lot in the last couple of months getting checked for reduced movements and ended up on daily monitoring the last few weeks. DD1 is now 4.

This time my placenta is at the back and what a difference! I felt first flutters at 20 weeks but they were very hit and miss to begin with. I'd get days where I felt loads of movements then days where I barely felt a thing. In the last week it's definitely got more regular and the kicks are stronger too..... enough to make my belly visibly move from the outside.
The guidance where I am is that you should be able to start seeing some kind of 'pattern' develop between 24 and 28 weeks.
Before that, baby is still really teeny with lots of space to move and change positions, tuck into little nooks and crannies etc so it's normal for it to keep changing. Once you hit the third trimester, there is a lot less space so change is much less common and should be reported straight away.

Hi everyone, I thought I'd give you all an update - in case it helps anyone in a similar situation.

I called the midwives first thing this morning and theyve invited me to get a check (mainly for my peace of mind really). They were lovely and confirmed that baby's doing good. Turns out I've an anterolateral placenta and the baby really enjoys hiding behind it!
They've said to just call like today if I ever do feel something's not quite right and reassuring our worries can be equally important.

@sel2223
Thank you, and for sharing your experiences! It's really helpful to know when things get more predictable for different mums. That's great that you can compare the different aspects of your pregnancies. I hope it all goes smoothly for you!

Glad all is ok @Bumpsss! I had a similar experience this week so sharing too for anyone who reads this in case helpful.

I am only 22 weeks but have been feeling movement for the last two weeks (even with anterior placenta). For the last 24h I’ve felt nothing so went in and they listened to the heartbeat. The midwife said that up until 27 weeks as long as I felt one movement every 24 hours that was expected. Absolutely not here saying don’t go in if you experience this, so worth getting checked, but just in case anyone needs any reassurance!

@Bellebg
Thanks for sharing! That's good to know. I guess when theyre so tiny, the chance of feeling all of their movements could be pretty low, right!