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Original poster

Reduced baby movements at almost 38 weeks, could it be just that she has no room left??

113 replies

insertwittynicknameHERE · 02/07/2009 18:07

I will be 38 weeks pg tomorrow, she has been moving all day but not as much as usual. I have had waaaaay more than the 10 movements that you are supposed to count.

I haven't felt her move in a couple of hours. I have had a bath as that usually gets her moving/kicking/punching. I have had a cold drink and laid down on my left hand side, I have eaten ice cream but nothing is getting her going.

Should I be at all worried and could it just be that there is no room left for her to move??

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CarGirl · 05/07/2009 12:39

Please just go, I have too many friends who have had term stillbirths proceeded by less movement. It's not worth the risk.

Hangingbellyofbabylon · 05/07/2009 13:14

I hope you're on our way - we have been told 100% that if I had not taken myself off to hospital our little girl would have been stillborn. You just can't take the risk, even if you need to shout to be heard - go shout.

CarGirl · 05/07/2009 13:20
  • preceeded!
oodlesofpoodles · 05/07/2009 14:06

My ds was hardly moving at 39 weeks. I went in for a trace on a Sunday night (I had mw appointment mon morning) and I really thought it wasn't a big deal and I was overreacting (I also thought reduced movements were due to lack of space). He had lost loads of blood and the dr thought he wouldn't have survived until the morning. I was very lucky.

Hangingbellyofbabylon · 05/07/2009 15:02

I have been told repeatedly since that movements may well become less strong as the baby runs out of room but should not become less frequent. Oodles of poodles, well done for going in and saving your son.

Please anyone out there, just go and get checked. My little girl started moving less, then finally stopped moving. At this point I took myself off to hospital and unfortunately the hospital were very casual and left her suffering for a further 12 hours before some wise doctor came in, took one look at the traces and orderded immediate delivery. Because of this delay, my little girl has Cerebral Palsy. However we're lucky because if she had been left any longer she would be dead.

I usually refrain from telling this story and don't want to be accused of scaremongering but in this instance I must. The consultant I saw last week when he looked at my dd's notes and saw how long she was left in a womb that was no longer capable of supporting her life said one phrase that has stuck in my mind "there is no room for complacency".

SheWillBeLoved · 05/07/2009 16:26

I went in and got checked after midnight last night. They did a trace and everything was fine, and the little buggar wriggled so much as soon as I got home! Had a contraction peak as well whilst on the monitor which I didn't notice at all - DP is now convinced she'll be here any moment

Hangingbellyofbabylon · 05/07/2009 18:32

~Shewillbeloved - Well done, so glad to hear everything is good and it looks like it won't be too long now..

Original poster
insertwittynicknameHERE · 05/07/2009 18:47

Just got back, they monitored me and we could hear her moving but I am not feeling the movements

I feel so much better now, I got very anxious earlier on and I think that made me more aware of not feeling her move at all. I have relaxed a bit now knowing that she is moving.

shewillbeloved, glad you got checked out, I too have been having contractions/BH's recorded on the monitor but am not feeling them, bit odd but not sure what is going on there lol.

Thank you everyone.

OP posts:
frasersmummy · 05/07/2009 19:42

insert...

My first ds was stillborn and I always want to answer threads like this by screaming.. get back to the hsopital and demand they get the baby out

I am sitting here hoping and praying for a happy outcome for you

Please dont let the hospital fob you off .. If you are still worried keep going back..better to be labelled neurotic than losing your dd

that said.. I believe in motherly instinct .. I knew something was wrong ..dont know how I just knew. Trust your instincts

take care...

you are in my thoughts and prayers

SheWillBeLoved · 05/07/2009 19:43

Insert - I didn't feel movements either, had the little buzzer thing but didn't press it once. Haven't been as busy today so have felt her kicking a few times, but even after getting monitored last night I'm still not completely comfortable with the amount of kicks..

I'm torn between people telling me it's normal, she's just conserving energy for labour etc, and people telling me that it's not normal at all and in their experience has only lead to bad things.

FabBakerGirlIsBack · 05/07/2009 19:47

PLEASE just go and get checked if you are worried at all.

If you don't, and all isn't well you will feel so distraught.

Another one here who nearly lost a baby.

frasersmummy · 05/07/2009 19:50

shewilbeloved

they allowed you to go home despite having no movements during the trace???

Thats not right ....

and please remember the heartbeat trace is only valid while its being done. Like my consultant explained (too late) its like taking a pulse.. means baby is fine there and then.. it doesnt indicate well being for any lenght of time

Sorry to be soo pessimistic..I will shut up now but will continue to lurk and pray for a safe outcome for you both

FabBakerGirlIsBack · 05/07/2009 19:56

babies don't conserve energy for the labour

how could they possibly know?

10 movements in 12 hours

any change in movements - more or less needs checking.

SheWillBeLoved · 05/07/2009 19:59

Frasersmummy she shouldn't have? I didn't feel no movements and was probably on the machine for about 15 minutes max. She then came back and looked at the trace, said the heartbeat was fine and didn't seem concerned at all about no movements. Told me if I was worried again then to just come back, better safe than sorry.

I told her I had listened in on the Dopplers and heard the heartbeat, and she said that she doesn't like Doppler as they often make people think that things are okay when they aren't. Thinking back now - she basically just put me on a Doppler and said everything was okay.

Balls. This pregnancy has been so so easy, last night was the first time I've wanted to get checked out. I almost felt silly when I called up to see if I could pop down for a trace, even apologising for the time of the call (12am!)

I've not long had a fizzy drink with lots of ice, some chocolate.. and no movements as of yet.

SheWillBeLoved · 05/07/2009 20:18

Just rang the assessment unit again, explained everything and that I was allowed to go home last night without feeling movement even though I went in for a movement trace, and was asked to come back for another. Off there once DP has finished his KFC I'll report back later. God this pregnancy crap is bloody scary at times

FabBakerGirlIsBack · 05/07/2009 20:23

Hope you are on your way by now.

at your DH.

Hope all is okay.

Hangingbellyofbabylon · 05/07/2009 21:47

oh sweetheart, I know how scary it is but they should never have sent you home without fetal movements. I hope you're on your way now and believe me we are all thinking of you. Shout loudly if you need to, don't let them fob you off. Thinking of you.

oodlesofpoodles · 05/07/2009 22:08

Shewillbeloved, I hope you are ok.

When I went in for a trace I was on for 20 min approx. There was a few small movements and heartbeat was normal. MW said everything looked fine and after dr had looked at the trace I could go home. Dr said I needed to go on for another 30 min as he wasn't happy with lack of movements. The second time I was on still very few movements and heartrate dipped twice. Baby born straight away by emcs and was very ill. I really hope you are on your way in and everything works out for you. Don't let them fob you off.

LeninGrad · 05/07/2009 22:39

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LeninGrad · 05/07/2009 22:41

This reply has been deleted

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SheWillBeLoved · 05/07/2009 23:26

Just got home. Everything is fine again according to the midwife. Urine/blood pressure/temp checked. The baby was sleeping for the first 8 minutes of the trace and the 'criteria' was not met on the machine. Left me on it for a further 20 minutes and she woke up and the criteria was then met at 16 minutes. Heartbeat shot up a good few times from roughly 130bpm to 150bpm and the midwife said that was movement I just wasn't feeling and probably down to positioning. Felt her move once and pressed the buzzer. The trace report says '3 foetal movements per hour' although I only pressed once in 30 minutes?

Asked a lot of questions tonight which I didn't last night. Midwife seems to think that during the later weeks, babies move less due to being so restricted inside the womb but I should still be feeling at least 10 movements in 12 hours. Asked whether I'm eating and drinking properly - eating non stop, just not drinking enough. Says this can also slow them down a bit. I'm also in the middle of a quite stressful house move and she said that this won't be helping either. So I'm under strict orders to up my fluid intake, and take it as easy as I possibly can, and to go straight back if I still feel there is no improvement.

Thanks for the well wishes everyone

Hangingbellyofbabylon · 05/07/2009 23:39

I'm glad everything seems to be better. In my experience if the trace does show the line going up and down it is a very good sign. My dd's trace showed a variability of only 5 beats/minute - ie the trace was virtually flat. Hang in there but don't be afraid to go back if you need to. And drink and rest!

Original poster
insertwittynicknameHERE · 06/07/2009 08:56

shewillbeloved, so glad you got checked out again and that everything looks fine.
I felt like you that you don't want to bother the MW's, but last night when I was being monitored (I also apologized) the MW told me not to be so daft. She said that they would rather see a pg woman with no problems come in and get monitored than a pg woman with problems not go in and something happen.

The MW and the DR I saw last night told me that even though I have a consultant appt today that if there are any changes or I was worried in any way to call them back and they will probably bring me in to be monitored again. That made me feel so much better, like they were actually listening to me IYSWIM.

I am going to speak to my consultant when I see him today and ask him it is will be possible for me to be monitored regularly until DD2 makes her appearance. I suffer with high anxiety and this is just sending me OTT with it now IYSWIM.
I think I might also beg him for a sweep lol, just to see if we can get things going on, I am ready for this baby to be here now. I want to meet her and know she is okay. It has been a bit of a roller coaster ride with this pg and I don't think I can take much more worry.

Take care shewillbeloved and go straight back in if you have any worries.
Thinking of you

Thank you all for your advice

OP posts:
FabBakerGirlIsBack · 06/07/2009 12:28

I hope you are both okay and are getting lots of movements.

If it doesn't feel right, don't trust the midwife. One sent me home and then when it turned into an emergency my trace was "lost."

frasersmummy · 06/07/2009 13:13

I am glad you are both doing ok...

sorry to be so dramatic

you are both in my prayers