[ihugtrees]

Nobody has told me that I *should* be doing kick counts. After Jules story, I really want to be doing them. However, I'm having some issues, which may just be me making things more complicated then they need to be.

First of all, there is never an hour in the day that I can just lay there and pay attention to the movements. If I try to do it while I lie in bed at night, I will definitely fall asleep before an hour is up...can I stop when I get to 10 (I don't know if I would before I fell asleep)? I work 9-10 hours a day as a nanny running after 3 children under 4 years old...then I come home, DH and I make dinner, clean, take showers, and get in bed to sleep...so hours go by when I don't really notice movements at all. Yet I know she's moving--I am just too busy to really notice. Then, when I do feel movements...does any movement 'count' or should it only be big ones? Sometimes I feel something that I think are movements but could also be my stomach, gas, etc...other times I get big kicks and punches that I'm definite about. Sometimes I don't feel her moving, but I feel a ton of pressure under my ribs and suddenly her butt is there where it wasn't before. I've also noticed in the last three or four days that longer periods go by without movements, but then when she does decide to move, she is very active for a longer amount of time. So instead of a kick here and there, she just does all kinds of flips and kicks at once for 20 minutes at a time...then she is (mostly) still for an hour or even two.

I just feel like I need to be more aware, and yet I'm so distracted (wonder what it will be like to have more kids in the future??) I do listen to her heartbeat at least once a day with my stethescope...it is very rare that I can't find it (the steth has to be RIGHT over the heart to hear it), and it's always reassuring to be able to count the beats and make sure she's okay. So am I the only one who's at 32 weeks and still doesn't get this kick count thing??

 

[Voltige]

I don't do kick counts either, but I would if I noticed an odd period of time when I didn't feel movement. This baby is SO incredibly active that almost anytime I stop to feel him/her, I can. If not, a poke will get things moving.

With my previous pregnancy, there was a time when I was near term and not feeling normal activity (for that baby). I did kick counts for a few days and was reassured. I guess as long as I am feeling what I consider normal for this baby I don't worry too much. If anything, I'm concerned about the baby being tangled up in the cord

 

[sonuptosondown]

You could ask your dr. or midwife exactly how they suggest to do it, but this is what mine has told me.

He said I should be able to count 10 kicks in 2 hours. Once I get to 10, I can stop. It's never taken longer than 20 minutes to get to 10. (I hope that continues!!).

If possible, drink a glass of water beforehand and then lie on your left side to do the count.

I don't count tiny little twinges. I do put my hand on my belly because sometimes my hand feels stuff my uterus doesn't

At this point, I do get kicks but I also count the squirms he does, since there's less room for the big kicks.

If I don't get 10 movements in 2 hours, I am to call my dr. They will tell me what to do from there. Or, if I get no movements at all in 1 hour, I can call them.

My dr. (he's a maternal fetal med specialist ob) told me that kick counts are a VERY good way to track baby's health. In Europe, where insurance isn't paying for tons of u/s's like they do here, kick counts are used and are highly successful--he said just as reliable as tracking with u/s.

As for finding the time--it's important enough imo to resort to using the tv as a temporary babysitter while I lie down and count. I've told the kids it's to make sure baby is nice and healthy and the dr. told me to do it. Usually I don't have to use the tv, but I will without guilt if that's what it takes. I can usually keep count while reading to them, too, so I do that sometimes. I also have counted in the car--so maybe drink water when you get in to drive home from work and then count as you drive? Or I'll sit on the deck with water and count while they play outside in the fenced yard...

 

[phrogger]

I do the same as sonuptosondown. Although my OB hasn't told me to count yet, I just do it anyway. If you don't feel moves in say 20 minutes, drink a glass of juice as long as you don't have GD and it should be fine. Honestly I haven't gone over 15 minutes without getting the 10 kicks. I swear this kid moves a LOT, but I would start to freak out if it was longer then 30 minutes at this point.

 

[rivkah]

I had never heard of this either. I don't think I would do this unless I suspected there was a problem--it is just too apt to make me paranoid.

 

[goin' green]

I've never been told to kick count and don't think I ever would. She moves around enough and I'm comfortable just going by her usual movements.

 

[MangoMommy]

My midwife gave me a paper on kickcounts and asked me to do them too. It's pretty easy, it's made me more aware of my baby's movements and what's normal. Like right now she's trying to push out thru my belly button, so she's passing the kick count test LOL!

 

[boscopup]

I think a lot of care providers (both OBs and midwives) have stopped recommending kick counts because it tends to make women paranoid.

That said, if you feel like you haven't felt baby move in a while, do get a drink of cold water, lay on your left side, and see if your baby moves. If not, call your care provider and get checked out.

Basically, if you think something is off, and you can't get baby to move, then yes, there could be a problem. If you just haven't felt movement all day because you're up running around and you're getting worried, it's fine to do a count.

This little guy has been so active lately that sometimes I can't even sleep at night. If I were to lay down to sleep and not feel him, I might start to get concerned.