Can I just ask a quick question please...?

[first1]

At what stage of pregnancy should one be counting movements? I'm 23+2 and some days baby's quite placid whilst others she goes nuts in there! Should I be counting 10 a day or whatever it is already or is that later on? Thanks in advance

I asked my midwife this around the same time you are now, i said exactly the same thing as you, that sometimes he was going mental and sometimes i wouldnt feel him for ages! She said by around 28 weeks is when you should take note if you feel reduced/no movements for 24 hrs. I really hate the whole 10 a day thing, i panic when i worry i havent felt a wriggle for a while so i gently prod my poor baby to make him move. I hope he doesnt mind, hehe.

From about 30 weeks (I think) you should be counting 10 in 12 hours, before that, as long as your feeling movement and there's no drastic change then there's no need to be overly concerned. Of course, if you are at all worried then call your mdiwife and see if you can go in for a check. I did this at 22 weeks as I'd been feeling definate movement since 17/18 weeks and then nothing for 24 hours, midwife listened in to heartbeat and I was sent home reassured and happy that all was well

Hope that helps xx

Both my babies were quite lazy when I was pregnant so I was constantly worried!
When I really freaked out, I found eating wine gums would get them on the move, having a warm bath, drinking something really cold, or just laying down and trying to sleep that normally does it.
I also bought a home heart monitor kit thing so I could listen in to his heart beat.
I also went to the hospital a couple of times to get them to heck on them. They don't mind

Counting movements? I don't think I've ever done that. Is it for women who have had mmc?

This is my first pregnancy fruit, so thankfully never had a mmc. My pregnancy book just says counting movements is normal way of seeing how bub is doing

I've never heard the ten-a-day thing, but I reckon it's about noting the usual movements your LO makes and just being aware of dramatic changes. But yes, some days mine is very quiet, other days very active and they're all different, so it's hard to judge sometimes.

It also depends on the position of your placenta - mine is anterior which means the fetal movements are not always easy to detect, they get cushioned, especially in the earlier stages of pregnancy. Think it was about 25 weeks before I was feeling regular movements, before that it was a bit stop-start.

A few mouthfuls of non-diet coke can get them dancing a bit, if you're worried about your LO being too quiet!

Phew, I thought I'd put my foot in it then!
Congrats on your pregnancy btw, treasure every moment of pregnancy as this will be the last time you will be on your own for a long time! Haha

I'm 33+5 now and my LO has always had very inconsistent movement patterns; usually a few days of lots of activity followed by a few much quieter days. At the beginning it worried me (the first time especially, as they do say to take note of a reduction in movement), but now I've learned not to be too concerned. I was told that a) counting isn't as important as just getting used to what feels normal for you, as everyone is different, b) the baby's movements don't start to become consistent until about 28 weeks and c) as long as you're feeling at least 10 movements in a day, everything is probably fine (that was at my 31 weeks appointment).

I think the 10 a day thing is old advice that isn't given out any more. It's more important that you are aware of what's normal for your baby rather than counting kicks. If you suddenly notice that your baby is less active than it would usually be it's best to get checked out.

I am almost 38 weeks and my movements change loads (mental three days ninja kicks followed by rarely moving gentle pats) so I kept getting it checked out!

My advice is work out a time/place bub always moves a bit- eg in the bath, lying down on your side etc. If you are worried about the movement have a cold sugary drink and get into that position for an hour or so. If you haven't counted 10 movements in an hour or two (although they say 10 in a day I was told 10 in an hour or two when doing an active monitoring) then phone your midwives for advice.

So far it has worked for me especially now movements have dropped off again given that she has no room to move- just got out of bath after a quiet day- she was active enough to make me happy!