Is it possible for the baby to move TOO much?

[BettyButterknife]

Over the past couple of days this baby has been really going for it - so much wriggling and thumping and general movement. It's taken me quite by surprise, as I haven't really felt it much before now.

It's my second DC and I know you're supposed to feel it more 2nd time round. I'm 27 weeks. Is it normal? Will it get worse?? He's been waking up at 5am and therefore so have I.

If it's a very marked change - from a quiet baby to an extra-wriggly one - you might want to ask midwife or dr? They might do a fetal monitor or scan?

But I've only ever heard of reduced movement being worrying.

My DS was craaaaazy. Could feel him from 14 weeks and you could see my bump bouncing around from 25 weeks. Quite unnerving for anyone talking to me. But he was like that the whole way through and still is (in a good way, happily).

You haven't suddenly developed a coffee habit?

I suppose it's not a hugely marked change - it's probably just ramped up. No coffee, but ate most of DS's Lindt bunny last night and baby was really responding. Hmm, maybe it is that...

Seeing the midwife next Wednesday so I'll bring it up with her then.

Hah! You've got a chocoholic in there!

I think I have! He'll take after his father in that case!

Hi Betty - I've wondered the same thing myself. I am 23+5 and for the past 2-3 weeks my baby has been going crazy. Constant movement day and night. Kicking me so hard that my belly moves.

I had my scan yesterday and for the whole 30mins we could see the baby twisting, turning, kicking and punching.

The doctor just said that some babies are mroe active than others and that it can be perfectly nornal.

The only downside to an active baby is that I tends to worry when he has a quiet day (like today).

I wondered this, too! My DD is bumping around like crazy - I would say I feel her 60% of the time. I quite like it now - it's quite reassuring!

Hi Betty - I'm 38+6 on second pg and have always found the second trimester to be the busiest in terms of movement. I also found a significant change around 28-30 weeks where movement slowed down. Both times, even though i knew everything would probably be fine i went to the delivery suite to get checked. They tole me there that as little as 10 movements in 10 hours is considered fine and that too much movement could be a sign of fitting but i think tha would be recognisable as unusual. I have definitely found the movements change as the baby gets bigger - i no longer feel so many 'kicks' but feel sweeping movements and pressure as the baby moves around. Position makes a difference as well doesn't it as depending where the limbs are depends on how much you feel. Anyway, good luck.

Betty - I ate most of DD's Lindt bunny last week and i couldn't sleep because the baby was going mad They must put something in their chocolate DD was very active, but this one (just 24weeks) is something else. The other day it kicked downward so hard it was the same feeling i got with DD when my waters went i don't know how i didn't wet myself!

ADHD in the womb perhaps?

Betty I am 27 weeks ish too and mine is going mental. I was protected from a lot of the movement at first because I have an anterior placenta - but now she's getting stronger and the movements I feel are mainly below the placenta (all very low in my bump). MW laughed and said we were going to have a handful when she realised how wriggly she was - baby decided to use the sonicaid as a punch/kick bag! She wasn't worried, but did seem surprised at just how much she was moving.

The one saving grace is that (for now at least) she has been resting when I sleep and seems to be voice activated - getting going when my husband and I speak to each other on first waking etc. Oh how I pray she'll stick to that routine when she is born!

I'm 25 weeks and DS has been hyper since about 18 weeks. Like CurlyCasper mine decided that he didn't want the midwife to check his heartbeat the other day at my 24 week check and decided to poke and kick this thing which was invading his space! The mw gave up after a while

I've got a real wriggler too, he's been going mental since 18 weeks (I'm now 26+5) and ended up very upset on friday evening because I'd not felt him (or remebered!) for about 15 hours which gave me a great deal of worry. He was wriggling during his 12 week scan and at the 20 week scan changed position about 4 times - BIG changes including rolls and these days my abdomen is like something from the Alien films.

I'm now worrying about what was said up there ^ about fitting.

Hi there,
I am sat here at 35+5 with my stomach doing Alien turns, and he has ben like this pretty much for the last 3 hours.
He has been a wriggly little thing all the way through and I have really worried about fitting. To the point of really pestering my consultant about it. She said that yes babies can have seizures in utero, however it is pretty rare, and usually is associated with a structural abnormalities that are usually picked up at the anomoly scan - so try not to worry about that.

Apparently movement is much more pronounced often in 2nd (or more) pregnancies as there is a fair bit more room. This one is also breech and apparently there can feel like there is more movement then.

So much for my anterior placenta cushioning things...

mrsrvc - thank you so much for taking the time to tell that - I do feel better now, and yes, it would make a great deal of sense that any "big" problems would've been picked up at the scan. (One hopes!)

This is my first - does this mean I already had a giant, freaky uterus?

skihorse tbh, My first didn't seem to stop moving either, but that was nothing compared to this one!!
I know that nothing is guaranteed to be ok, but my consultants words calmed me a bit (until the next time he feels like he is fitting...) and I am glad that it helped you a bit too. Good luck with it all.

I had to go in for monitoring when I was abotu 32 weeks (headaches/flashing lights before my eyes etc) and I remember sat behind the curtain on the bed cringeing at the NOISE that a very active baby makes on a monitor... In the end they registered 50 movements/ kicks/ turns over that hour.

They were briefly concerned about tachycardia, but discharged me anyway, and he continued like that- even during labour- and was fine.

If you're concerned it doesn't hurt to ring your midwife.

I can remember being in a queue to pay at Mothercare and having feet and elbows and all sorts sticking out all over as he danced a bloody rumba...

I'm loving everyone's stories.

For those of you who have given birth to a little Kung Foo Fighter - how did this behaviour translate to actual real, live baby behaviour? Are they wrigglers 24/7 when outside? Did they stick to their "times"? Do they appear (to you) more active than other babies?

Oooh good question ski. I shall be asking my SIL about this - her new baby sleeps all the time...

Ski my DD was active (not as violent as this one, but very active) and she is lovely and laid back (most of the time) but we did find that she hated being swaddled and never got on with grobags either, used to have to put extra clothes on her at bedtime instead of tucking her up (november baby)

I've been looking into this for a story I was writing this week, and it seems the link between fetal movement and what your baby will actually be like is pretty inconsistent, although there are some trends:

www.newscientist.com/article/dn18796-bumpology-active-fetus-boisterous-child-uhoh.html

Another factoid though: expectant mums only feel around 10% of their babies' movements - so he/she could be moving around even more than you think!

Hopefully its just a sign of a really healthy fetus...

Could it be possible that the baby is just average, but that certain mothers are more sensitive? Has weight/build been taken into consideration?

Would be interesting if there was some link...

ds1 wrestled his way through gestation and birth (the attending staff were faintly appalled - he appeared to be trying to fight his way out for 24 hours... one of them did say to me in awed tones 'is this normal?...')

and he's been pretty much like it since. he's 8 now, and can't even sit on his bottom for a meal. he kneels, hangs off the side of the chair, rocks the chair backwards and forwards (occasionally falls off) - he just can't sit still. his mind goes at 100 miles an hour, too .

enjoy the short period when you can strap them down, eh?

(dc3 didn't move at all, so the 'more room' theory wasn't valid in my case )

im 18wks on my 4th, and is constantly on the go,its little trick is moving over my bladder and tickling it, and i dont know if i want a wee or not, with 5 miscarriages under my belt, i am more assured then ever , as far as im happy it can move all it wants, when it wants, just as long has it moves.