Baby Kick Count - less frequent and MUCH softer.

[etwahl]

Up until now, the baby has been kicking and moving like crazy. But in the last couple days it's slowed down BIG time. Before I was able to get a kick count anytime I wanted (10 kicks in 10-15 minutes). Now the kicks take much longer (I'm trying to get a count right now) and they're MUCH softer. I almost don't notice them unless I physically keep my hands on my stomach to feel it.

Now I know that it's typical for the movement to slow down a little, but is it supposed to slow THIS much? I'm worried, and am going to wait until I get this kick count before I call the midwife, but was hoping for some words of wisdom from others. I'm just under 2 weeks away from my due date. I keep worrying about whether my little sweetheart is in trouble inside there.

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[Momof3Labs]

Tammy,

If in doubt, of course call your midwife. But the whole kick-count thing isn't used by all doctors any more - mine never recommended doing it. It is so subjective, and is likely to leave you panicking when nothing is actually wrong. Many things affect the kick count, including the position of the baby and the tightness of quarters, especially when you get so close to your due date! If someone wrapped you up in a blanket, so tight so that your knees were under your chin, do you think that you would be able to kick much? Yes, movement does slow down a LOT!

I delivered at 38 weeks, so I didn't make it quite as far as you are, but the last month or so, I noticed that Colin kicked a lot less and stretched a LOT more. So the movement I felt was more squirmy, or just him pressing up against my ribs/bladder/abdominal wall. Granted, he was 8lbs 4oz and 22" at birth, so he was getting squished in there pretty early.

Call your midwife if you are worried - but I bet that everything is just fine!

[nathansmom]

Nathan did the same thing to me before he was born. The doctor wanted me to do the counts but I either couldn't feel them or he kicked real soft. The only way I could get any sort of a kick count was to drink oj and lay down, even then it wasn't a big count. I was told not to worry by the doctor because late in pregnancy the baby doesn't move as much but I would still call your midwife to ask her opinion.

[sweetbasil]

Like everyone else has said, don't hesitate to ask your midwife anything- that's her job!

You know, I understand how there would be less kicking at the end of your pregnancy because she's about out of room to bring her little legs back before kicking now. Does that make sense? At the end of my first pregnancy (I carried Kellen 2 weeks past his due date), well I was huge, but that's a given. His movements were much more like waves, we'd call them. We could see a little elbow move across my belly from one side to the other- it was obvious to others *through my clothes!* But not much kicking- it was almost like he'd just poke back, instead of swinging his leg back for a big kick.

And hey, maybe she's just *really* resting up for her delivery- you never know, she could have plans to make her grand arrival SOON! We'll hope....have a great week!

[etwahl]

Well it actually only took 30 minutes to get 10 kicks anyway, and now (probably because I posted this) baby seems to be kicking much more. Maybe that's her way of telling me "relax mom, I'm okay in here!!!" So I don't think I need to call the midwife. And I think it's true that with so little space in there, it's harder to have "big" kicks. If I really do start to panic, I'll definitely call the midwife, but just wanted some more reassurance that this change was fairly normal. Thanks for the feedback you guys! What would I do without all of you? :)

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[gour0]

My midwife told me to do this too, but , mostly I don't. But the way she said it was eat and then lie down and if you don't get ten kicks in TWO HOURS, then call. I think the big concern is that he'll stop moving entirely, but I just refuse to believe that will happen. I'm ok, he's ok. And, I think you two will be ok as well. :) I'm glad he/she started kicking for you, though. Worry isn't good for Mom or Baby.

[COElizabeth]

I was ordered to do kick counts when I was on bed rest with preeclampsia, and boy, do I know how stressful those can be. James was just not a big kicker, and his movements were pretty soft. In addition to all the scheduled fetal monitoring, I had to have 2 unscheduled monitoring sessions because of low kick counts. Each time the baby was fine. Lots of times I could even see the heart rate acceleration on the screen but still not feel the baby moving inside. One tip the triage nurse at the hospital gave me is that you can count each hiccup as one movement, if your baby happens to have those. By the way, I don't think any of it means much about how the baby will be after he or she is born, because James has been very squirmy ever since he got outside!

Elizabeth
Mom to James
9-20-02

[spu]

Like everyone else said, call your dr. or midwife. Your baby may just be turned so you can't feel the kicks. If his feet or legs are facing inward toward your spine, you might feel alot less than if the kicks were poking outward. I remember the movements slowing down ALOT with my babies too. And they did become more like big long stretches rather than kicks. And with twins, I couldn't tell who was kicking and who wasnt! Did you try drinking OJ or another sweet beverage and lying down? The ultrasounds I had were so helpful and reassuring. But given that your due date is MARCH 8 - OMG - it's almost here!!! Wow! I'd say you're probably getting ready for the big day! Do call your dr. or midwife though and see what they say.

susan

twin girls 7.20.02
charlotte & else

[juliasdad]

Happened with us, too. Much softer kicking a couple weeks before delivery. As others have said, probably due to there being less room, along with the baby's position having shifted in preparation for birth.

-dan