So confused about nhs advice

[firsttimepregnanthelp]

I am 20 weeks with an anterior placenta. I’ve had what I think are little baby movements since Sunday - little twitches and bubbles - but nothing today. NHS advice says not to worry about quiet days but also to call triage if you notice a change?

Is it normal to not feel something every day at first or should I be worried?

Anterior placenta makes it very hard to feel anything. I used to just feel gassy bubbles up until.aboit 24 weeks I'd say. Also you wouldn't feel the "pattern" they talk about this early with anterior placenta.

At 20 weeks you don't need to worry, you won't start feeling the baby regularly for a few more weeks.

Nhs say to wait until 24-26 weeks to feel regular movements even then you'll get to know your babys pattern.

Thank you, it’s just weird that I felt something for 3 days and now nothing. I have been quite anxious so feeling something was reassuring

I called triage and they said it’s probably nothing to worry about but that I can come in and get the heartbeat checked but I can’t because I’m dealing with an emergency at work. I do have my 20 week scan tomorrow so will be able to see if everything is ok then but I don’t know how I will get through the evening now. I thought they’d tell me it’s normal for this stage and not to worry which they kind of did but the fact they have said I can go in if I want has made me even more
worried

They HAVE to say you can come in and get checked. You rang up so they have to offer that to you.

Honestly it's not weird, your baby is only about 25cm long, all curled up and floating about with a placenta cushioning it - it has plenty of space to hide.

I have an anterior placenta and didnt realky feel much at all until about 22 weeks and then it was sporadic. It has been quite significant since about 28 weeks but can rarely be seen from the outside, No special pattern either although tends to move most when I am relaxing in the evening.

I don’t have an anterior placenta but I’ve been feeling movement for about 2 weeks now, and it started off not every day. I’ve been so confused about this advice too. I even ended up in triage last night as I thought the movements had slowed a bit. I’m 18+5. They even said to ring if there’s any concern regarding movement, but also said it’s inconsistent at this stage, so again very conflicting advice! I don’t feel like there’s enough targeted advice regarding movement specifically for people like 16-22 weeks or so.

Thanks everyone, I ended up going to triage and it was really scary - the midwife couldn’t find the heartbeat with the Doppler so I had to wait for a doctor to do a scan but luckily all seemed fine. I asked if I should expect to feel intermittent movements this early on with an anterior placenta and they said I should always come in if I am not feeling movement even this early on with an anterior placenta, as I have felt movement before. I feel like I may be there quite a lot until baby is bigger and it’s pattern is established….

I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but it sounds like you were given some great, and reassuring advice. I had an anterior placenta with my first pregnancy and had similar experiences pre-24 weeks. From my experience, it got easier as time went on to feel her, though it was always mostly around my sides until she was a big 30+ week turkey. With my second pregnancy, I have a posterior placenta and it's a day and night difference. Trust your gut, you know your baby and body best. Good luck with your 20 week scan 🩷

@FlorrieFloothank you so much. Anterior placenta + my anxious nature = bad combination! Scan today went well thankfully, haven’t felt baby move today but saw it on the screen so don’t think I will go back to triage for quiet days for the next few weeks even though they told me to - I could be there every day otherwise!