decreased fetal movement; come reassure me

[SharonAnne]

Well, I have the world's worst head cold. I figure if I'm sick, baby's not feeling too chipper right now either, but still...

For the past day or so, baby hasn't been moving as much as he had been previously. When I do feel movement, it tends to be weaker than it has been lately.

I'm concerned, and will probably end up on the phone with my midwife at midnight tonight, anyway :LOL But I figured I"d come here and ask if any of you guys ever experienced decreased fetal movement when you were feeling under the weather?

[RedWine]

I had NASTY cold for about 5 days last month. My baby moved in her usual fashion during my cold, but after I began to feel better, she didn't move at all for two days (at least, I couldn't FEEL her move). I went in and had them do a NST to check for heartbeat and movement -- my baby was 100% fine. I was told that sometimes, just after the mom is recovering from something, the baby will move less often for a while...kind of a delayed reaction. I've no idea the medical/biological reason for this, it's just what I was told.

Your baby is probably just fine, but you might want to have your midwife check things out, just in case -- can't hurt.

[Hayes]

I am sick with the flu, have been for 5 days now. No fever, but defnitely less movement. I poke him every 4-5 hours and make sure I get a reaction. As long as he responds, I am not worried. I am 36 wks also, and movement usually slows down at the end of pregnancy anyway.

[dynamohumm6]

Yep, when I was laid up with a fever & bacterial infection for 5 days a couple weeks ago, his movements definitely decreased. He got back to normal very quickly after I got better.

[sarajane]

On days when I am not feel my best my baby doesn't move as much. She always perks up right when I do though!

[sinsaratea]

yes and thanks for making ME feel better! i am suffering from this cold/sinus thing and have noted that movements are def. lighter and less right now. and i'm at about 25 weeks here.

[peaceful herbivore]

Well, it would help to know how far along you are!
Oh, Okay, your signature, duh lol....well, I am 30 weeks, and I recently read in more than one place that baby is sleeping 90-95% of the day at this point, which means she is awake for like 1.2 hours a day and that is not much AT ALL...so I account my decreased movement to that.

I wouldn't worry as long as you are feeling your baby pretty regularly. If you are concerned though, by all means contact your doc or midwife...that is why they are there!

Good luck!

[mamato4]

could it be that you are dehydrated so baby is not movin 'round much??? Drink OJ or apple juice or just plain water. Hope this helps.

[sarajane]

Good idea that is! I didn't think to say that but my baby moves tons more when I drink alot of water.

[kroonkles]

My babies never moved around all that much, it was so anxiety provoking. Once I was really panicky because I just couldn't get a reaction for a while, no matter what I tried. I ended up going to the hosp to get checked (was a weekend, of course), and everything was fine. It's worth getting checked for reassurance.
BTW, I was told that I had an anterior placenta (in front), which cushioned the movement, and hence I was unable to feel it as much.

[Mizelenius]

I'm all for calling the MW for reassurance! It never hurts!
BUT, I have noticed that the baby seems to go through growth spurts, and is less active during those times. Then once the baby gets bigger AND active again, watch out.

I didn't feel nearly as much with DD as I do with this one . . .but it seems that as the baby gets older, the movement throughout the day is less . . .stronger, but with less frequency. Gearing up for the big day!

[SharonAnne]

Thank you guys so much. :)

I didn't end up calling my mw that night, because when I laid down to try to sleep some, Junior started doing aerobics in there :LOL Then I felt dumb for being so worried. But, DH said he's glad that I worry and that I'm a good mommy. So that made me feel better. :)

I said to my mom the other day that I'm looking forward to giving birth so I can stop worrying about everything going "right" in there. And she said, "Yeah, and then you'll spend the rest of your life worrying about everything going wrong out here." A good point. :LOL

Thanks again everyone! :hug