Monitoring your baby’s kicks or movements in the womb is crucial to ensuring your little one’s health and well-being. No wonder, it’s one of the top concerns that compels pregnant women to make a beeline for their doctor’s office. When I started expecting my baby to start kicking, I did not get much movement until the final 3-4 weeks. I was worried at first and asked my doctor why am I not feeling anything which he assured me that it was normal and each pregnancy is different. The frequency with which you need to do fetal kick counts depends upon your doctor’s preference. Some health providers recommend once a day, while others require you to do it twice daily, usually once (1) in the morning and once (1) in the evening.
I remember a family friend whose pregnancy put her through a roller coaster ride of emotions. She was so fixated on counting her baby’s fetal movements that she couldn’t help but panic whenever she failed to count every kick and jab in her tummy.
Nonetheless, if you’re feeling emotionally exhausted by your worries and prone to address even the slightest of concerns, you are not alone. It’s normal. Pregnancy can cause hormones to go awry, causing your anxiety to spiral rather quickly, often worrying more than what the situation calls for.
Nonetheless, health providers remind pregnant moms not to be overly stressed about their pregnancy, such as being obsessive about fetal kick counts for example. For as long as you’re eating healthy, sticking to a safe exercise routine, getting enough sleep, and taking prenatal vitamins, putting your mind at ease does not need to be a struggle.
Important: If you experience an overwhelming feeling of anxiety or depression, please reach out to families, friends, and health providers for help and guidance.
When Should I Worry About Low Kick Counts?
If you recorded a less-than-ideal kick count despite trying to perk up your baby (by chugging cold water or eating sugary snacks) you may have to head to your doctor without delay to ensure your baby’s well-being. Health providers prefer that you get to the hospital in that very same hour or that two-hour time frame of decreased fetal movement, especially if you couldn’t coax your baby into motion despite gulping down cold drinks and snacking on sweet juices.
Once you get into the hospital, depending on your obstetrician’s recommendation, they may or may not put you on a fetal monitor. If they do, they will not only check your baby’s heart rate, but they will also check if your baby’s oxygenation level is perfectly fine, ensuring your baby is getting enough oxygen. If things turn out okay, you can go home that very same day. Otherwise, you may have to stay in the hospital for further care and checks.
When Should I Feel the Fetus Kick the Most?
As a mom, you’re more attuned than anyone else regarding the specific time of day when your baby turns into a little bundle of energy. Once you’ve got a keen sense of the precise schedule when your baby is most active, you can start counting the kicks and punches. However, you must do so in the coziest spot of your home to maximize focus and minimize distractions.
Find a comfortable spot to lie down and ensure you have a piece of paper and a timer clock with you. If you have none, you can use the built-in timer on your phone. Press the start button to set the timer in motion and begin jotting down the number of kicks your child makes within the 1-2 hour time-frame.
Common Causes of Decreased Fetal Movement
Decreased fetal counts aren’t always an indication of a serious health concern.
Reduced number of movements can also be attributed to some factors. Here are just three of the most common causes:
Baby’s Sleep-Wake Cycle– As the baby in your womb grows, their wake cycle pattern changes. For example, a 28-week-old baby’s sleep/wake cycles are different from a 34-week-old baby.
Fetal Growth– When the baby expands in size, he will not have as much space as before, leaving him with little room to move or stretch. Hence, his movements become a bit more restricted. Those strong kicks and jabs will sometimes feel more like waves or rolls.
Mom’s Loss of Focus – Sometimes, reduced fetal kick counts might be due to mom’s inattentiveness to her baby’s movements. Mom life can be hectic. Her focus on her baby’s kicks could shift in an instant once distracted, such as when trying to snag the best cut of meat in the grocery or while in a conversation with someone.
IMPORTANT: We are not endorsing that we should always attribute decreased fetal counts to common triggers outlined above. Such an approach carries risks, as less-than-ideal fetal movements can also signal that there’s something seriously amiss with your baby’s health.
The point we’re making is that, we don’t want you to panic at the slightest slip-up in your baby’s kick count.
When Do You Start Feeling a Baby Kick in the Womb?
You will typically feel the baby’s movements around 16-25 weeks gestation. Nevertheless, please be aware that if it’s your first pregnancy, it could take longer before you start feeling the movements.
However, if it is your second, third, and so forth, it will definitely come earlier than when you had your firstborn. It’s also key to remember that there are no set patterns for these movements because every baby and every pregnancy is unique and different.
What Do Fetal Kicks Feel Like?
The movements of your little one in the womb vary in sensation. It can feel like a flutter, swish, roll, or kick. During the beginning of your pregnancy, the baby’s movements would typically feel more like a flutter –it is as if you have butterflies fluttering in your tummy.
However, as the baby grows, his movements feel more like punches, kicks, rolls or waves— and there might still be little flutters, too. You will also start to feel or hear some hiccups, which you should not be counting during the early stage of pregnancy. The sensation they produce is still indistinct at this point, not as obvious as the other movements, and are, therefore, hard to count. As such, health providers suggest that you start counting those hiccups later in the pregnancy– not during the first and second trimesters when they can’t be easily monitored and counted.
Final Thoughts
Keeping tabs on your baby’s fetal kick count is crucial to ensure he’s in perfect health. Nonetheless, if you can sense that your baby is thriving and active at the time when he needs to be, monitoring fetal movements shouldn’t put a dent in your peace of mind.
As a mom, you have this heightened sensitivity, a sharp instinct if something does not feel right with your baby. So breathe and relax— you got this, Momma!
As a mom, you have this heightened sensitivity, a sharp instinct if something does not feel right with your baby. So breathe and relax— you got this, Momma!