Fetal Movement: Why Kick Counting Is Important

There are lots of things you can do to monitor your baby while pregnant. Starting around 20 weeks for most pregnant women you can start to feel your baby move. If you don’t yet, and it is your first pregnancy don’t panic. Around 28 weeks of pregnancy, or into your third trimester your baby will have established a movement pattern. Movements will vary in frequency, strength, and pattern. Every baby is different, so every movement per baby will differ. It can be helpful to recognize your baby’s movement pattern and number or movements that are specific to your baby and your individual pregnancy.

Fetal movement can help indicate fetal health. Feeling movement is a good thing; it means your baby is growing and healthy. A decrease in movement can show that the baby is under stress, identify potential pregnancy problems, or show a sign of a stillbirth. Potential problems that decreased fetal movement can indicate are the umbilical cord being wrapped around the baby, fetal growth restriction, placenta insufficiencies, fetal brain injury, congenital malformation, hypoglycemia, or oligohydramnios which is when there is too little amniotic fluid.

There are two different ways you can count your baby’s movement. One is to count the number of kicks that occur in a one hour period. The next is to measure the amount of time it takes for your baby to kick 10 times. Either way will work in tracking your baby’s movements. There are apps on your phone you can download to help track fetal movement. You can use a timer, or a clock with a piece of paper if that seems easier to you. It is important to make sure you are tracking to find a normal pattern in your baby’s movements. Your baby may kick more after a meal or right before bedtime because of the spikes in sugar levels from the food, or the decrease in sugar levels as your body starts to get ready for bed.

When starting to count fetal movements it is good to find a time where you won’t be easily distracted. Make sure you get comfortable. Place your hands on your stomach. At this point you can start your timer, then as each kick occurs count until you get to 10. When you reach 10 kicks stop your timer and record how long it took for your baby to reach 10 kicks. Another way to do it is to get comfortable then start a timer for one hour and tally mark kicks until your one hour is up. Your baby may not get 10 kicks in an hour, or they may have more kicks than 10 in an hour. What is important is to find your baby’s natural rhythm and pattern of movements so you can distinguish if the pattern has changed. If the pattern changes you can then reach out to your healthcare provider. Choosing a time when you know your baby is usually active can help you at the beginning of counting kicks.

There are some things that may affect you feeling your baby’s kicks. Your baby’s position, the placenta location, or the amount of amniotic fluid. In certain times of the day your baby may not be active either. If you want to try to wake your baby up to make sure they move, you can do a couple of different things. You can eat something. The glucose from the food can help wake the baby up and cause them to move. Drinking a cold beverage, or a sugary juice can also help wake up the fetus. Taking a walk or exercising. Lying on your left side to increase blood flow. Playing loud music can also wake up your baby.

After you get your baby’s movement pattern down you will want to reach out to your doctor if the baby is moving less, the pattern or movement changes, or you cannot feel any movements. Sometimes this is no cause for concern, but it doesn’t hurt to reach out to your healthcare provider for further testing if necessary. Increased movement is usually no cause for concern. If you are experiencing increased movement it is a possibility that your baby may be larger than their gestational age. When getting close to labor movements should not decrease. Movements may however change and feel more like rolling rather than kicks. Some people may get confused by the change of movements.

Fetal kick counting is not meant to be stressful. It is a way for you to identify your individual baby’s movements and pattern so you can monitor if there is a change. If there is a change you will want to contact your doctor. Fewer fetal movements could mean there is a potential complication that needs to be identified for the health of your baby.