Foetal Movement

[Zoe]

Hello, I am new to mumsnet. but I am enjoying it very much so far!

I am 21 weeks pregnant with a much waited for baby who I cannot wait to arrive! Everything has been fine so far - in fact I am having a text book pregnancy. One thing that is worrying me is that my baby's movement is erratic - sometimes lots and lots and then for a day or two, hardly anything, which makes me a bit panicky. I have a fab midwife, and I work at doctor's surgery which means that I have great healthcare to hand all the time, but I am frightened that I am turing into a neurotic!

Is this kind of movement normal?

PS the baby began to move at about 17 weeks which I realise is quite early

Zoe sometimes you don't notice the baby moving as you are busy yourself. It spend most of it's time asleep. I did have a panic and refused to go to bed one night until I felt the baby move so I think your fears are normal.

Take care kate

Hi Zoe, I wouldnt worry. You won't feel the baby much when you're busy and at work, I wasn't working when I had my first and it established a set pattern of movement, nearly always at the same times, but that was becasue I had a routine (lying on the sofa watching ready steady cook half asleep at 4.30pm!) Second pregnancy I was so busy and running around after big one, there was no routine and some days would be so quiet I would worry, but there is no need - he would make up for it and give me a big kick. When your baby is a bit bigger you'll feel it more I'm sure. But, what a great place to work in when you have a worry! No-one ever minds checking for you. Wishing you lots of luck (and good health!) for the second half of pregnancy.

10 movements a day which we are supposed to count is a joke - mine slept the whole day sometimes, or i didn't notice any movement due to rushing around all day. Did anyone else see that poster with pictures and little rhymes in the dr's surgery telling you to count 10 movements a day? it had the mummy nicely at home awaiting her husband coming back from work with apparently nothing to do but count baby's kicks! and obliging little baby was kicking regularly.

Hi there, this sounds normal to me. I didn't feel movement until 20+ weeks which was also erratic. Nearing the end I was put on a monitor because of the lack of movement (which does slow down towards the end) and low and behold baby must have known she was being monitored and put on a good somersault show. Its so true about being busy and not noticing movements, although my baby had a daily bout of hiccups which was quite funny. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy

Sml I'm with you - I spent the last half of my pregnancy worried because I couldn't count 10 kicks. The midwife kept scaring me at the check-ups, saying that I should rush to hospital if I couldn't feel 10 a day!! baby was totaly laid back durng the birth as well, which also panicked the midwife! Suffice to say he is normal - its just one more fussy thing you don't really need to worry about!

I read somewhere that if you are worried about baby moving, lie on your left hand side quietly for a while and you should be able to feel baby move. Apparently if you lie on your left hand side the baby gets more oxygen!!

Hi New to Mumsnet - nice to hear some of the comments - sense of humour is what's needed when pregnant!!

Talking of moving - my B.o.b (baby on board, sorry!) has crazy spells of doing nothing, then just when I start to panic, the little monster kicks me right in the ribs at the sound of his Dad's voice, he's then told how clever he is!! Is it true they are quite still for a few days prior to birth?

Darjeeling, I hope someone with a bit more experience of this can reply too. I had heard that they do go a bit quiet just before birth, sort of regrouping before their big journey south. It didn't happen to me as I had an elective at 39 weeks. But my son did have quiet and noisy times and I was not above giving him a little nudge if I felt I had not heard from him for a while. And some babies are generally less energetic than others, even in the womb.
If you are in any doubt, your midwife or GP will always do a quick listen for you. I availed myself of this twice during pregnancy and no-one ever made me feel I was wasting their time.

Darjeeling, ds was very similar to your little BoB. He always moved when his daddy spoke to him after perhaps not doing much all day. I thought he didnt move at night as he never woke me but dh says he was often woken by being kicked in the back. I think one of the reasons there is less movement as you get near your due date is lack of space. Good luck.

New to mumsnet but wanted to add my thoughts to this thread. Never ignore a slowing down or absence of foetal movement even if late in pregnancy. Always get it checked out by a midwife or at the hospital. It's easy to assume the baby may be sleeping or have less room to move but if you haven't felt movement for a day or just feel as if its not right or a bit unusual - then check it out immediately. No-one will mind you asking to be checked and if they do then ignore them because they are mad. Sorry to come on so heavy but I had a late loss (37 weeks) and wish I had gone to the hospital sooner to be checked out. Its very rare for a baby to die that late in pregnancy without obvious warning signs but it can happen.
(New to mumsnet - why the abbrev dd and ds and dh?!!)

mimmi - I'm very sorry to hear about your baby, what a terrible thing to happen. welcome to mumsnet, hope you get tips/support you need. oh and ds= dear son; dd= dear daughter; dh= dear husband!

mimmi - sorry to hear of your loss - wise words indeed. Welcome to mumsnet.

Hi Mimmi - that must have been hell for you. Anyway, v good point to make.
Also welcome to the site - which is largely a great source of info, great for a debate, good fun and very addictive (if you ignore the odd nutter)!

Mimmi how absolutely devastating for you. With my second pregnancy, the baby sometimes would literally not move at all for days on end from around 32 weeks onward. At first, I kept going into the foetal monitoring unit at the hospital to have it checked but after doing this countless times got embarassed at wasting their time. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I started to lie to the midwives as to movement as it was getting to the point where I would be permanently hooked up. I swear in the last week of pregnancy I maybe felt a total of 2 movements.

My daughter is a complete pudding who is the archetypal "thrilled to be watching Mummy peel potatoes" baby and at 10 months shows zero interest in crawling or anything else requiring any exertion. Your post though has certainly made me think.

Thanks for all those messages of support and welcoming me to the site. I hope that people will think differently about foetal movement and that maybe late losses can be minimised. I was far too blase about lack of movement but my baby had been really quiet and inactive throughout the pregnancy. Hard to stop the what ifs etc and I am very hard on myself and unforgiving. I feel I should have known better but that's difficult when you are a first time mum and don't know what the hell is happening anyway. I now know that all babies are different - I'm in my second pregnancy now and this one is such a wriggler - so different to my little boy. Anyway, never feel you are bothering people at the hospital - at the end of the day can you live with people thinking you are neurotic? Yes, I'm sure we all can when there is a chance you could be helping your baby make it safe and sound. You'll never believe it but even now when I go to the hospital to be checked (since I am VERY anxious about this pregnancy) I sense people are thinking I am neurotic and worrying over nothing, even though they now my history...well they can think all they like - they have not lost a baby and had to deal with their feelings of guilt and blame. I can deal with their thoughtlessness and stupidity - I can't deal with another loss.

Mimmi - Please don't think the people at the hospital think you are neurotic. I certainly do not think badly of any woman who needs extra reassurance. Our job is to help you feel reassured throughout your pregnancy - we are not there to be judgemental. Feel free to contact your midwife/doctor any time you need to.

I'm sorry to hear of your loss, Mimmi, and wish you all the best with this baby.

I went to the hospital when 37wks with my last baby, as I hadn't felt her move all morning, not even during an AN class and relaxation. The staff were super, didn't make me feel neurotic, and were just lovely. As it was, DD was just taking a rest and she was fine but I was so glad I went.

To look at the opposite side of this, and maybe Leese or Mears could comment, a friend of mine lost twins (probably due to twin-to-twin syndrome)at 39 weeks. She said that she had felt frantic movements the previous evening and was later told that it sometimes occurs when a baby is in distress. Is that really the case and is it worth keeping an eye out for? Could a baby be saved if you got to hospital in time?

mimmi I am so sorry to hear of your loss, and pleased to hear of your second pregnancy.

Welcome to Mumsnet... this is a really nice place, as you can see from the fist message, I'm still here eighteen months later...

Hugs

zoe

Mimmi
I am so sorry about your loss. This sort of thing has a profound effect on any subsequent pg and being a bit neurotic is in my books perfectly normal.

All babies are different, some very active, some very quiet. It can depend on their position, you and what you are doing, their routine...oh so many things. It is quite common for movments to change in pattern and for there to be quiet periods. You can't help but panic even though loads of people tell you its normal.

But at the end of the day the only thing that will convince you things are OK is to see some proof so don't be scared to ask you MW to check the heart beat or have a scan or whatever you need for reassurance. They are used to us neurotic mums and at the end of the day they'd rather catch something than take any chances.

Hang on it there and don't be afraid to pester but rest assured that just about anything is normal.

This is a slight change of tack, and is about the first movements you feel, not the regular ones near the end of pregnancy. With my first pregnancy I felt movement quite early, about 16 weeks and by 20 weeks they were really quite frequent. I'm now 17 weeks in my 2nd pg and contrary to what I've always read, that you feel things earlier the second time round, I've not really felt anything yet. My theory is the thinner you are, the earlier you feel them. I've definitely got more padding this time (too much food since conception) - does anyone's else's experience back this up?

Quimble - I agree with your theory - I have found that 'more padded' mums are not so aware of movement.

SueDonim - I did not see your previous posting before, sorry for not replying. As a student midwife I was taught that excessive movement could be a sign of distress but subsequently have learnt that is most unlikely. Normally healthy babies move a lot and distressed or sick babies do not have the energy to expend on movement. It is not an exact science though. Any change in a baby's movement should be investigated. More usual is reduced movement where I have seen babies needing delivered.
So sad about your friend's loss.

Thanks for your reply, Mears.