We've reached 24 weeks! Movements -or lack of - driving me a bit nuts 😄

[AuroraXen]

How did you all manage this period where some days you feel lots of movement, although still usually small ones, and others hardly any? It's such a head-doer 😔

Had a private scan yesterday at 24 weeks, as my next NHS one isn't until 32 weeks. It helped me a lot as I'd been having a few tears that morning, as I hadn't really felt her since the previous night 😢. On the scan I could see her kicking away yet I couldn't feel anything, so that reassured me a bit. The sonographer said she's kicking into fluid sometimes, not always kicking me, and part of my placenta does come down at the front so could muffle the kicks sometimes, as she changes position. But I know when it happens again I'll get stressed again, don't know how not to!🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I'm feeling much more positive now, on the whole, but this bit is tough! How far along were you when you started to recognise reliable kick patterns? 🤔

Hope you're all doing well xx

[Hidden]

I have to say I struggle with this every day! I am 39 weeks and some days the baby is really active and other days I don't notice the movements as much.

I don't have any magic formula to manage the anxiety it brings, but sending solidarity.

Xxx

[AuroraXen in reply to Hidden]

Oh gosh, was hoping I'd be better with this in a few weeks 🤣 Think I'd best try to get used to it! It's hard though, isn't it 😕 39 weeks! You're so close, how exciting xx

[Millbanks]

Congratulations lovely! So pleased to see your update 💖

I didn’t feel proper kicks for quite a while. It mainly felt like little bubbles popping and it was random too. I also worried about it but I had a bleed at 17 weeks so I was going for weekly scans for about 5 weeks. So that helped to reassure.

Xx

[AuroraXen in reply to Millbanks]

Thanks Millbanks, I also find scans reassuring, I have to say. The sonographer says as she grows and there's less fluid for her to swim round in (seems she flies about in there!) I should feel her more regularly. Fingers crossed, it's hard not to worry some days. Hope you're doing well!

[Millbanks in reply to AuroraXen]

Yes defo - try not to worry. Everyone’s pregnancies are so different but it’s hard not to compare.

We’re doing well thanks! My little miracle is about to turn one and I still can’t believe it xxx

[Kittykat198]

I’m sorry you are struggling too. I’m only 2 weeks ahead but have written a couple of threads about this. I have no advice but you really aren’t alone.

Basically, like yours, some days he is active and he has little spurts of activity. Then sometimes nothing. He didn’t move for about 4 hours last Saturday lunch and I had a nervous breakdown. If I wake in the night, I stay awake just to check. He sometimes lies higher up so I don’t feel much.

He is moving more and more though which I’m taking as reassurance. And he now does move in a vague pattern ( meal times, cold drinks) but it’s not clear or consistent!

Hang in there x

[AuroraXen in reply to Kittykat198]

It's tough isn't it! There've been times I've tried lying down, cold drinks, sugary drinks, nothing. Then just when I've convinced myself the worst has happened I'll feel a little kick and some wriggles 😄💕 For me, it's that feeling of 'what if I'm not overreacting and I don't seek help in time'. I'm glad things are slowly improving for you 💕 I have days and weeks when I feel fine about movement then others it's just panic stations and I'm in tears 😢 xx

[Kittykat198 in reply to AuroraXen]

I’m hoping we are normal in our worries ice cream seems to work in a very hard pinch and music with base (I found this out attending a family party). He definitely is more active as the weeks progress! x

[Boo718]

hiya I’m 27 weeks with placenta a bit at the front. Some days I feel the baby moving around heaps and the next day I feel next to nothing. There’s no pattern at all at the moment. I sometimes have a wee lie down and give them a prod or eat something to see if that gets movement. I can’t think too much about it or I would probably just worry so I go with …. Their heaving a wee lazy day xxx hope your ok xxx

[AuroraXen in reply to Boo718]

I think that's the secret Boo, trying not to read too much into it. I just have some days when I find that so hard, thinking 'what if there IS something and I delay in getting it checked out' 😭 I don't think I could ever forgive myself. But you have to balance it don't you, can't be ringing the MAU all the time 😄 Is everything going well for you otherwise? Xx

[JoyfulStar]

Hi AuroraXen, at that age, they are still quite small (about the size of a corn) so it is not uncommon to feel them. It will get more noticeable and more precise with each passing week and as she grows. By the time you are in the third trimester i.e when they are closer to the size of an aubergine is when you are much more likely to feel them. However, it is progressive so with each passing week, it will become more noticeable.

Around 24, I felt more popping sounds, sometimes it was like little tiny jabs but it was intermittent. Then it felt like thuds and then flutters. It took me a while to distinguish between what was my daughter and what was gas! 😂

All the best with the rest of your pregnancy 💕

[AuroraXen in reply to JoyfulStar]

You're right, I know she's still very small and there's lots of amniotic fluid in there for her to swim around in and kick! And I won't usually feel that, until she runs out of space and has only me to kick 😄 Thanks so much for replying, it really helps xx

[ButtercupGarden]

I'm 21 weeks so a bit behind you and already starting to worry about this too! I only recently started properly being able to feel kicks (although now I have, I realise I have been feeling the flutters for a while but wasn't sure what was baby and what was gas!) I seem to really only feel movement if I'm quiet and sitting at my desk after lunch. Then occasionally the odd flutter in the evening. I never feel anything at night in bed which always makes me anxious.

I did go to a gig on Saturday night though and I'm sure the bass sounds made her start bopping away so maybe my new tactic will be to play music really loud?!

Sorry I can't help but just to say I sympathise and it's helpful to see all the responses here! Xxx

[AuroraXen in reply to ButtercupGarden]

I NEVER feel her during the night either Buttercup. Odd isn't it?! So when I get out of bed I'm desperately seeking a sign she's OK 😄 Other days it's much easier, like right now I feel her little movements unmistakably. I've heard loud music is a good way to get some babies going, so I'll try that!

None of it's easy, is it! 🥺😍 xx

[Positivechangeplease]

Hi AuroraXen - you’re fairly early on the movement side so I’m not even sure it should be regular at the moment. I suffered loads of anxiety because they said it should be regular… and it never was. The further on I got the more I was concerned about feeling it… and then the bigger you get the harder it is to feel it as room in there is limited so baby can’t move as much- add to that they sleep a lot and won’t move when sleeping. I went into hospital in my final weeks twice when I wasn’t sure I felt movement and as I got to the hospital felt a kick 🤦🏻‍♀️ I then learnt for an hour you concentrate hard and if you feel several kicks you’re fine. Even if tiny. So in 10 mins concentrate and if you feel a kick it’s good. But that wasn’t until about 34 weeks. Hopefully you’ll see my worry was all for nothing and you’ll be able to relax more… it’s not as easy as they make it out to be! Good luck!

[AuroraXen in reply to Positivechangeplease]

I really get this - it's awful when midwives tell you things should be somewhat regular and they just aren't, you feel like a failure! Your post made me feel loads better 😍 And you're right, I think the stats on kicks per hour etc don't really apply this early (feels funny saying early when this week I feel like I've grown to the size of a small car 😄) xx

[Positivechangeplease in reply to AuroraXen]

ha! I was the same on size- I kept looking at my massive bump at the end and others who had very small ones… bizarrely my baby was a very regular size 😂

[Hidden]

Hey lovely first off - whoop for 24 weeks!

I got in a stress (and posted a similar post) at 24 weeks as my midwife said I should be noticing a pattern, but the reality was when I looked into it that isn't technically correct. First of all it's normally after about 28 weeks that SOME people get a pattern and also a lot of people don't get a pattern at all. Literally my pattern was 'pretty busy but a couple of days a week I stress myself out as she goes quite quiet'. I also found if things were noisy or busy I just didn't notice movements or couldn't register them. I discovered that a lot of midwives say that the pattern is not actually 'does this at 10am' but instead how baby reacts to specific things. So like ButtercupGarden my baby always moves when there was loud noise like hand dryers or music... so all this 'have a cold drink and lie somewhere quiet' didn't really do much for me to reassure me.. but if I whacked the music up loud then I would get the reassurance. The other thing I found was it was absolutely down to position, so if she was breach at this stage I would get a lot more movements than head down. As she has grown it's so much easier to notice movements (actually impossible not to its so uncomfortable) but still she has quiet days and busier days with no real pattern. My midwife said as long as after a quiet day she gets busier again then she is fine. After she said that I kind of chilled out a bit and just resigned myself to having a baby that has zero logic!

Having said all of that never hesitate calling and getting it checked if you are worried, I know some people who are in every week and they really don't mind xx

[ButtercupGarden in reply to Hidden]

Did you feel much movement at night? I was lying awake worrying last night and realised that I have never felt her at night. I googled it and everyone seems to say that they move loads at night. I'm telling myself that it is all fine and it's still early days but I've still got myself into a worry spiral!

[Hidden in reply to ButtercupGarden]

I don’t really get any at night at all, I never have, mine is all during the day. At 21 weeks I was hardly feeling anything tbh so try not to panic x

[ButtercupGarden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. Really trying not to worry about it but it's hard when it's so erratic! The other night I was lying on the sofa and she was kicking so hard my husband could feel it on the outside which was a real surprise. Then yesterday I felt basically nothing. I just wish I had a personal ultrasound machine so I could have a quick peek in there!

[AuroraXen in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Daisy. This really helps. It's so difficult when midwives tell you such and such should be happening and it just isn't 🥺 You feel like a failure. Some days I'm ok with the quiet times but on others I really struggle. And every time I Google on forums to see what people do, and I always see a warning messafd like 'don't doubt yourself or wait, get help - I didn't and it ended tragically' . Then that just plants these awful seeds of 'what if'. 😭 It really is a tough old business! I've been in for one heartbeat check already since 20 weeks, and last night, after several hours of worry about new symptoms that just felt wrong to me, I went in for an ecg and ultrasound etc. I know it's the right thing to do in some circumstances, just feel so daft afterwards 😢 🤣 xx

[Hidden in reply to AuroraXen]

What a worry for you - was everything ok? xx

[AuroraXen in reply to Hidden]

Yes, thank God! What was trickier is I'm in Berlin for work this week 😕 So really had to think about how I even access a check-up! Luckily I'm next to Charite hospital, which is a great one, and two of the midwife team spoke great English. Typical, this is my last trip abroad before I ground myself...

I just started getting lots of achiness around the bump, achy lower back, bump feeling very full and swollen and hot. Told myself it would just be from all the growth lately (bump suddenly seems huge foe 24-5 weeks!) but the achy feeling was kind of getting stronger, even with lying flat, and honestly scared me as it started coming in waves a bit. Was getting in a right state, thinking was I going into early labour or something.... Ultimately, I decided I'd never rest all night if i didn't check it out, and if I was home in Northumberland I'd be off to my local MAU, so I went in. They were great, did ultrasounds, ECG for baby, an internal cervical length check (I'd missed my old friend dildo-cam 😆).

All looked fine, so they reckon probably Braxton-Hicks. I didn't even know you could get that this early! xx

[Hidden in reply to AuroraXen]

Gosh how worrying for you, and abroad as well. So glad you got checked out though and now know it's normal too! Ah I can't believe I had forgotten about dildo-cam! hahahaha! He was such a huge part of our lives for so long I am so glad you got to see him again!! 😆 Seriously though so glad everything was ok. My bump suddenly started going bonkers at about 24 weeks, and I am really achy a lot of the time lower down, where my myomectomy scar is (which is kind of where c-section scar would be) I think baby sits low and so thats where the worst of the pressure is on ligaments etc xx

[Littlepeax]

First of all huge congratulations lovely 😍 secondly I know exactly how you feel. I drove myself crazy with his kicking. I'd have panic attacks at times as his kicking was so on and off. I ended up at the hospital several times to check on him. All was well though, every single time and like you he would kick or move loads at the scan or when checking heart rate I just couldn't feel him! If you are ever really worried though, please get checked at the hospital. They simply check babies heart rate and its so reassuring. No bad can come from checking on baby. Its not good for you to be so stressed. As baby gets bigger it'll be more reassuring though as you'll feel alot more movements and kicks ❤️🥰

[AuroraXen in reply to Littlepeax]

Thanks Littlepeax. You're right, there's no shame in getting checked. I've actually done this twice in the last month, second time last night 🤦‍♀️ But that was for some symptoms that just started up yesterday, Lower back ache and bump feeling very tight and crampy. Was the first time I'd experienced that and really ummed and ahhed about whether to just ignore it. It's thst awful nagging doubt about what if it IS serious though, isn't it? Wish it could all be a bit easier 😫😆 Hope you guys are doing well xx

[Missfh]

It's so different for each of us - I'm 36 weeks and have to say I think it's only in the last week or so I've felt her quite a lot throughout the day, I assume she's just bigger now so I feel more when she moves. It's rarely "kicks" though, more squirms and wriggles.

There's never been a consistent pattern, but for me that has been "normal". The main time to worry is if you do have a nice consistent pattern of movement that suddenly changes/decreases.

When I read to see how long it takes to get 10 kicks I just thought, well I could be there a whole day!

I've never been in for extra checks but the advice is to always get checked if you're concerned X