Kick counting- are you exact with time of day?

[Asiago]

I have been kick counting and my husband feels that I should be quite precise with set starting time, meaning the one I chose to repeat the exercise each day. Whereas I tend to be 'rough' with it, and the http://babykickalliance.org/kickCountFaq.asp#eight guidelines read that this is acceptable, so long as you track for the two hour allotted time frame (thankfully I usually only need a fraction of that).

So for the ladies out there kick counting are your quite precise with your starting time each day or does it vary (say 12 noon one day, 12:30 or 1 pm the next, etc.)

??

Thanks!

[Abraisme]

I don't really think that it's nessasary to do kick counts unless you feel that something is wrong. My baby moves all the time, so I am comfortable with the fact that she's perfectly healthy in there. I really wouldn't over think this, just make sure the baby is moving plenty. It shouldn't matter if your timing is perfect as no baby moves the same amount every day at 5:00pm.

[adoremybabe]

:

[mommy2maya]

with four kids, I never did kick counts. never knew it was necessary in a normal pregnancy, let alone precise start times.

[sunnygir1]

Yeah.

I guess whether or not you start at exactly the same time of day might depend on what your goal is. I can't imagine a reason that I would want to do that, except maybe for fun...in which case I wouldn't care if it were exactly the same time every day. If I were doing it because I was worried about the baby, I would consult my midwives and doctor.

[ananas]

I agree with what everyone else is saying- is there some reason that you're doing kick counts? I can't really see why they would be necessary, at all, in a normal pregnancy.

[Spiralshell]

I am really glad my midwife has not asked me to do these -- my little guy is still a LOT, then moves around a LOT. But if I were to start counting during one of the still periods, I could freak myself out because I would definitely sense little or no movement. I hate that the recommendations are that if you don't feel movement, get up walk around and drink juice to wake him -- why wake the baby? I wouldn't do that when he's on the outside, I don't need to do it on the inside.
I feel enough movements averaged out over the day that I have no worries at all. Some babies aren't movers/shakers and could unnecessarily freak out a Mama who has been told to expect movement on schedule. It seems like yet another way to unnecessarily panic mothers.

[darcytrue]

Originally Posted by Abraisme

I don't really think that it's nessasary to do kick counts unless you feel that something is wrong. My baby moves all the time, so I am comfortable with the fact that she's perfectly healthy in there. I really wouldn't over think this, just make sure the baby is moving plenty. It shouldn't matter if your timing is perfect as no baby moves the same amount every day at 5:00pm.

same here. My baby moves at various times of the day anyway, depending on how active I am, what I eat, etc.

[Peony]

I have to say that I've never known anyone that does kick counts, I guess I thought that was was an old fashioned practice, one of those things that no one does anymore. Even the OB's here don't suggest them.

[texaspeach]

the only time I've known people to do kick counts is when they were over due - it was suggested by a friend's mw.

[Asiago]

My husband and I had listened to a podcast a few months back and it was given by Diep Nguyen, the OB that founded this organization http://www.babykickalliance.org/healthcarePro.asp

She was speaking of the decreased fetal mortality rates in various countries that promote public awareness of kick counting to all pregnant women, in order to track fetal activity on a daily basis. Then to immediately report changes in usual activity, in an effort to prevent stillborn and premature birth.

So I was really intrigued and began researching scholarly articles and whatever information I would find on it.

Then when I took the tour of our local hospital’s labor and delivery unit they handed out kick counting info to all of the expectant mothers on the tour.
I figured it was a simple exercise that I could do, and keep track of the sessions, so I began at the recommended time frame to start (24-28 weeks). That is when an expectant mother begins to recognize the daily fetal movement pattern and can note significant changes early and call her health care provider if she notices a change in daily pattern.

In NJ, there is the Fetal-Infant Mortality Review, I believe it's a unit of Dept of Health, anyway, they are on a public awareness campaign to promote kick counting to all pregnant women. I think that was part of the education pamphlet I received at the hospital when I did the Labor and Delivery Tour.

I use a device to track the last ten sessions but pen and paper is fine, or you can use one of those hand held manual clickers, they cost about 3 bucks on Amazon. If desired, there are also free fill-in charts that can be downloaded online.

It just seems like such a simple and easy thing to do, so I started doing it. Hopefully I'll not have to ever refer to it, but if so, now I have a record of my sessions and can report anything significant.

[AmberLynn]

I am with the other mamas in here. My baby is super active at consistent times of the day (sometimes more or less, depending on the day. babies have sleepy days too just like big people!)
I don't use the kick charts, and dr is fine with it. I've been to L&D twice, and they've given me a kick chart everytime. Its just standard procedure. But the nurses always comment on how wiggly little man is.
I honestly just trust he's fine. He has his hours of rest, and his hours of going completely batty in there. I think meticulously counting his kicks would make me absolutely insane. On the days he seems more tired than usual, I will make sure to pay close attention when i'm resting, but I don't turn it into a worry for myself. I trust he's doing wonderfully, and he seems to let me know this by being a little active monkey almost ALL DAY LONG most days.
hahahaha
It's getting to be ridiculous! I thought they slowed down at 38 weeks! Apparently, my little guy didn't get that memo.

[kawa kamuri]

i have never done them

[LionessMom]

i have never done them really.

every once in a great while if i had a stressed day i will drink something then lay down and pay attention. but i never really counted or wrote it down.

[Doberbrat]

I did them w/my last pg b/c I had an anterior placenta and a lazy baby really didnt feel much movement at all.

I didnt do them at the same time, just the evening and if baby was quiet, I'd drink some coke and some desert and laydown for a while and wait.
I had to count 6 in an hour and it almost always took the whole hour to get them

[dosergirl]

i get why you would want to but it isn't necessary to me. i keep a mental tally in my head of movements i feel til i get to ten in a day and then i stop. my baby moves alot so by the time i get to work i have felt way more then ten movements. i would definitely realize right away if baby wasn't moving.

[soxthecatrules]

I had two high risk pregnancies and was never once told to do kick counts. I asked about it once and my OB kind of rolled his eyes and said that it wasn't really necessary and to just make a mental of movement in general.

[melamama]

I am 39w and my mw just asked me to do a kick count, in case I go past 40w so she has a record of "normal" activity.
I've had 3 other dcs and was never asked to do this before (different mw now)

Like everyone above, I have a pretty good idea about this lo's movement and active times.

For the op I would try to stick with the same time of day--my lo has pretty regular cycles of wakefulness and I wouldn't stress collecting info. when she's sleeping.
Personally I'm choosing my babe's most active period and will pay attention then.

[learnlovebe]

I did them for a couple weeks, somewhere around 28-32 weeksish.

I was worried because I wasn't noticing as much movement as I did when I was pg w/ ds (Who was SUPER active).

I didn't want to do them at the same time each day, because I didn't want to catch the same "inactive" time over and over. Plus, w/ a 2 yo it is hard to have the same time to just sit and count.

What I found was that I was getting worried for nothing. While she seemed to be less active than her big brotehr, once I started doing kick counts I realized she did move plenty. After a about 2 weeks, my mind was a little more at ease about her movements, and I stopped doing them daily.

[Asiago]

Thanks everybody for your replies. I think I will just stick with roughly the same time each day.
It only takes 10 minutes or so to get the 10 movements. Although they say the safe measure is up to two hours to get the 10 movements, but most babies only need half and hour apparently.

Actually I don't want to quote that incorrectly, so here it is:

There are different ways to do kick counting. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that you note the time it takes to feel 10 kicks, twists, turns, swishes, or rolls. A healthy baby should have 10 movements in less than 2 hours. Most babies will take less than 30 minutes. Some providers may recommend that if there have not been 10 kicks in 1 hour, you should contact your provider for further evaluation.

Thankfully it doesn't take the maximum time frame! That would be tough to do a two hour kick count!