How Often Should I Feel My Baby Move?
The answer varies for each mom and baby. Babies move in different amounts and at different times. Your baby will have their own particular pattern of movement, different from what other expectant mothers may experience with their baby. There will be certain times of the day that your baby will move more frequently and this will change as your baby grows. Movement will be more pronounced at different stages.
What will be similar for most moms is that you can expect to feel your baby move several times a day. If you don’t, or if their pattern of movement has changed significantly, speak to your health care provider to ensure your baby is not in distress. They may recommend that you do a “fetal kick count.” This is a simple fetal monitoring technique that you can do at home without any equipment. Your doctor or midwife can advise you on the best way to do this but generally you will pick what is typically your baby’s most active time of the day and count the number of kicks in a given time frame.1 If your baby is quiet, you may want to start things off by walking for five minutes or drinking juice and then lying on your left side to see if that will wake baby up.2
Keep in mind that some babies are more active than others and that there are movements we don’t feel. As your uterus becomes a more crowded place for baby due to their growing size, the pattern and intensity of baby’s movement will change. They will no longer have the space to move as they did when they were smaller. Key is communicating any concerns to your health care provider so that you can ensure that even when your baby’s pattern of movement has changed or slowed, they are not in any fetal distress. Don’t panic but take action to alleviate your concerns and ensure the health of your baby, knowing that there is no set pattern your baby should be following and no “right” number of movements for every baby.