Dr Google not helping so asking you fine ladies!

[AiRoo]

Hi all,

Bit of background, I’m 39 years young, 24 weeks pregnant with a girl, 2 previous losses before 10 weeks. Donor conceived, my wife carried our now 2 year old son and we used the same donor.

I have 5 fibroids, in the womb lining, my placenta is posterior.

I have read that first time pregnancies can take a little longer for movements to be felt. I have felt her move, but I think since 23 weeks only about 6/7 times, at best. Nothing at all before 23 weeks. Some days since, nothing.

I have tried to google, but all that comes up is mainly reduction in movement, it’s not that there’s been a reduction, the movement hasn’t really started.

I went to triage on Friday and they have kindly booked me a growth scan tomorrow, they said I should be feeling more at this stage. They listened in to her and we could hear her moving and kicking and she asked if I could feel it and I couldn’t.

im not a size 12 anymore but I’m not massively huge, and the midwife did say quite rightly there isn’t a fat layer in the womb, so I would feel her internally. My insulation would only prevent my wife from feeling her. I’ve only put on 2lbs in the 24 weeks so haven’t really gained much weight.

so my question is, what could be causing this, has anyone experienced something similar and should I prepare for anything tomorrow?

trying not to be worried but I’m not going to lie, it’s hard.

thank you for any wisdom or positive words! ♥️

I would say it's common for them to not have established a pattern of movement at this point, but yes, I was feeling both of mine much more than that. But good they could hear her swishing about and moving. Growth scan is a good idea. I assume 20 week scan was fine? Good luck x

It’s early still.
You also may have a bit of polyhydramnios- which is too much amniotic fluid so the baby who is still quite tiny while kicking and moving is just touching fluid and never the womb. That would be one way to explain the fact she is moving but you can’t feel her moving.

@Ciderapplevinegar
thank you for replying, yes I’m holding on to the fact I can very much hear her through a doppler. 20 week scan was fine, I had a fetal doppler scan two weeks ago too to check placenta/chord blood flow and all was fine then too, so it’s strange.
thank you for the good luck. 🤞🏼 xx

@FiatLuxAdAstra thank you, that is a really good point. Hopefully they’ll be able to shed some light tomorrow. I never thought that pregnancy could be this stressful!!

24 weeks is still very early to feel much movement. You wait till your baby is 32 weeks - you'll really start to feel it then.
Babies at 24 weeks are quite little, really. They only weigh a bit over one pound and are about 11 inches long, but curled up.

I had this with My first child. I never felt him move or kick. Which freaked out the midwives towards the end. Because I could not tell them if there had been normal or reduced movement!!

I was a little heavier than they like which was a contributing factor.

However when he was born other reasons became clear... After a hard and long labour he did a full turn and came out facing “the right way” but in fact had been back to back.

im told that would have contributed to me not feeling him kicking and also to my excruciating back pain during labour!!

During the pregnancy I had a Doppler at home so that kept me less worried.

2nd child was transverse most of the pregnancy and when she moved herself around 36 weeks, I didn’t feel that either!! However I could feel her kicking all the way through from about 30 odd weeks. But certainly not aa early as you are right now.

Best of luck. Please try not to worry too much x

Any news OP? Was wondering how your scan went and hoping you and your little one are doing ok.

@FiatLuxAdAstra ahh thank you for checking in, really appreciate it.

scan was ok thank you, sonographer wasn’t the nicest but hey ho.

and, you were right, my deepest pool of fluid was 8.6cm and my local trusts guidelines are 8cm. However that’s been recently reduced from 10cm.

the midwife I saw afterwards said that could’ve been from baby having a pee just before the scan, or the fact she’s currently breech.

I have a follow up scan in 2 weeks and my glucose test Saturday so time will tell. Hopefully as she grows I’ll feel her more x