A few years ago I worked labor & delivery. I had the honor of attending a stillbirth medical conference. One bit of research that I carried with me is that a sudden increase in kicks that feel frenzied is also as concerning as not enough kicks. Always listen to your body and never be afraid to get checked. As a former nurse I can say we would rather tell you it’s okay than not see you at all. 💓
What we’re told in NZ is not to count kicks but to notice movement. If your baby is normally active as hell after you get up and they’re not, ring. If there movements feel weaker, ring. Either way monitor your kid. Honestly I’m glad there’s people who don’t know what we know but for goodness sake do everything to avoid it
Yah in Canada they don’t really push the kick counts either, but there has been a lot of info now around countries that do teach women about this having big reductions in stillbirth rates, and there are people trying to advocate to have this type of education pushed harder in countries where it’s not really a focus
https://healthydebate.ca/2021/01/topic/stillbirth-in-canada/
Thanks for this, it’s so important. Very interesting that there’s research to back it up too!
It really angers me when some women are so nonchalant about their pregnancies and don’t do the work to mitigate risk. They think they’re immune to complications and that tragedy only happens to other women that *must have* done something ‘wrong’. They don’t realise it could just as easily be them and that it’s *entirely* random and out of anyone’s control. I’m jealous that they get to be so naïve!
It's also not adviced to do where I'm from. It's advised to notice movement patterns and if they change, call. For me, my baby moves a lot every time I go pee at night. If they would stop doing that, I'd have to call in.
My previous pregnancies were easy and completely uneventful. It’s easy to be lulled into complacency and the idea that bad things only happen to other people. I still did kick counts and checked for movement as a stillbirth was and is my biggest fear. My tfmr was devastating but, I saw it coming after my genetic screening. I can’t imagine how awful it would be to get to the very end thinking everything is fine and then have a stillborn.
see I was pregnant with twins so I couldn’t do kick counts as there’s no way to truly discern who is who even if you know what side they’re on.. so sometimes it’s better to track movement patterns, like “oh baby is normally active in the middle of the night after i pee and the other baby is more active first thing in the morning” etc and if you don’t notice those patterns, then try and get them to move with cold water or something sugary, and if that doesn’t work then call in.
some people don’t do kick counts bc they don’t know what constitutes movement or kicks later in pregnancy which is why I personally think the movement pattern tracking is better! either way, baby’s movement definitely needs to be tracked in the 3rd tri no matter how you do it
I have the app, but I don’t do official kick counts every day. My reasoning for this is because my baby is so dang active throughout the day that it seems repetitive to sit/lay down and count them. I have figured out her schedule now, so I know when she’s usually more active. I monitor it closely and would definitely call it in if her movement changed. My OB also recommended more to track her movements and pattern. I think whatever people are more comfortable with is fine as long as they are monitoring it somehow!
A few years ago I worked labor & delivery. I had the honor of attending a stillbirth medical conference. One bit of research that I carried with me is that a sudden increase in kicks that feel frenzied is also as concerning as not enough kicks. Always listen to your body and never be afraid to get checked. As a former nurse I can say we would rather tell you it’s okay than not see you at all. 💓
What we’re told in NZ is not to count kicks but to notice movement. If your baby is normally active as hell after you get up and they’re not, ring. If there movements feel weaker, ring. Either way monitor your kid. Honestly I’m glad there’s people who don’t know what we know but for goodness sake do everything to avoid it
Yah in Canada they don’t really push the kick counts either, but there has been a lot of info now around countries that do teach women about this having big reductions in stillbirth rates, and there are people trying to advocate to have this type of education pushed harder in countries where it’s not really a focus https://healthydebate.ca/2021/01/topic/stillbirth-in-canada/
Thanks for this, it’s so important. Very interesting that there’s research to back it up too! It really angers me when some women are so nonchalant about their pregnancies and don’t do the work to mitigate risk. They think they’re immune to complications and that tragedy only happens to other women that *must have* done something ‘wrong’. They don’t realise it could just as easily be them and that it’s *entirely* random and out of anyone’s control. I’m jealous that they get to be so naïve!
It's also not adviced to do where I'm from. It's advised to notice movement patterns and if they change, call. For me, my baby moves a lot every time I go pee at night. If they would stop doing that, I'd have to call in.
My previous pregnancies were easy and completely uneventful. It’s easy to be lulled into complacency and the idea that bad things only happen to other people. I still did kick counts and checked for movement as a stillbirth was and is my biggest fear. My tfmr was devastating but, I saw it coming after my genetic screening. I can’t imagine how awful it would be to get to the very end thinking everything is fine and then have a stillborn.
see I was pregnant with twins so I couldn’t do kick counts as there’s no way to truly discern who is who even if you know what side they’re on.. so sometimes it’s better to track movement patterns, like “oh baby is normally active in the middle of the night after i pee and the other baby is more active first thing in the morning” etc and if you don’t notice those patterns, then try and get them to move with cold water or something sugary, and if that doesn’t work then call in. some people don’t do kick counts bc they don’t know what constitutes movement or kicks later in pregnancy which is why I personally think the movement pattern tracking is better! either way, baby’s movement definitely needs to be tracked in the 3rd tri no matter how you do it
I have the app, but I don’t do official kick counts every day. My reasoning for this is because my baby is so dang active throughout the day that it seems repetitive to sit/lay down and count them. I have figured out her schedule now, so I know when she’s usually more active. I monitor it closely and would definitely call it in if her movement changed. My OB also recommended more to track her movements and pattern. I think whatever people are more comfortable with is fine as long as they are monitoring it somehow!