counting fetal movements - I'm confused!

Hi ladies

I'm 28 weeks pregnant and have come across many references to counting fetal movements (kicks, flicks, rolls, etc) to check that baby is ok. Problem is, they all say something different. I've heard that less than 10 movements in 1hr, 2hrs or 12 hrs could signal a problem. So which is it????

The reason I'm concerned is because I go to a prenatal exercise class and all the other women there go on and on about how active their babies are and about how they never stop moving (some say there don't appear to be any periods of sleep). I, on the other hand, can go 4 or 5 hours and only notice 1 or 2 kicks (even if I've been sedentary and concentrating on detecting movement). I do have really active periods where I get "kicking bursts" (usually before I get out of bed in the morning, after I've eaten and when I'm sleeping during the night) and when I get really worried about the quiet periods I've been guilty of poking by belly to get the baby to move. I might get one or two kicks in response and then nothing for ages again. Is she just sleeping??? And is it normal to have such long periods of nothing?

Any advice would be appreciated, especially if people have asked their midwife or doctor questions abour movement patterns...

Thanks for you replies,
smelly.

I probably wouldn't worry to much. When Mya was in my tum tum i hardly felt her at all. Like u said i would go hours & not feel a thing, i used to worry so much that something was wrong. She came out perfectly healthy.
This pg is the same, no big bursts of kicking, just the odd kick,roll or flutter here & there. I think i just have lazy babies:) haha

I was the same. I had to do a foetal movement chart 2 days before I had Nina as she hadn't moved for a few days. (I think that time was the low before the storm)
Throughout my whole pregnancy though I didn't get a lot of movement. If I was worried, I'd have something cold, like ice-cream, or have a bath, then she'd kick up a storm for me.

congrats on 28 weeks Smelly !!!!
t wasnt the most active bubble the hospital were always making me drink iced water at my check ups just so they knew he was ok. i think it also depends on their position and also where your placenta is at (how many movements you feel i mean) i think go with your heart hun but i thought it was less then 10 movements in 12 hrs is when you can worry ... not to forget they have growth spurts also and may be conserving their energy that day too

I was the same. Would go many hours not feeling anything and sometimes a few days at a time. I ignored all the advice on how many times they should move because my baby was obviously fine and I never felt the recommended amount of movement. Right at the end when he was a lot bigger I could feel him moving around more frequently but even then it wasn't so much kicking as just squirming around.
Maybe it is best to work out what is normal movement for your baby as I'm sure they are all different.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your pregnancy.

Well done on making the third trimester, Smelly!

With the kicks, at this point the baby is "supposed" to be in a routine, so you can tell if something is amiss. I have a kick chart to fill in; you put the time where the 10th kick was and you count between 8am and 8pm. If less than 10 kicks in this time for 2-3 days go seek help, if no kicks at all go straight to the hospital. If Liebs missed two of our little kicking sessions (one's starting now!) then I'd be in A&E in 10 seconds (quite literally, as I work in a hospital right next to A&E).

Just remember, your placenta could be blocking some of the kicks and so long as there's not too much of a deviation from "routine" then you and bub should be fine.

I agre with Ryn but I would like to add that once you get used to the baby kicking it is possable to miss some of the lighter kicks.

Hi everyone
Thanks for the congrats and the quick replies. It's always reassuring to know that you're not the only one worrying about such things (even though I figured it was probably a common concern!). By the sounds of it, it may well be normal for this little lass to be a a bit of a couch potato - but if anything changes I will follow your advice and get it checked out.
Best wishes to everyone else!
Smelly.

Smelly - just to let you know this baby is completely different from my last. Jenna was so bloody active inside me, it was completely bizarre. This one is much more relaxed. Not so many jerky kicks, but more rolls and twists and little movements. Everyone is different, and I am very guilty of poking to get movement too when I haven't felt anything for a while.