How Do I Know If My Baby Is "Active" Enough

Do keep a tab on movement. My daughter would not move at all for two days and then she is hyper the two days, no rest at all.

It was her body clock set like that. I did go to emergency 3-4 times for no movement over 3 days..but everything was good. We even saw she moving her leg back so she kicks it hard enough in Ultra Sound!!

Every baby is different. My daughter was active all of the time. It freaked me out when she barely moved the last week before she was born. But other babies move a lot less. As long as they are staying at the same rate or more (approximately), they are fine. They also move more the more you are relaxing or sitting. Walking puts the baby to sleep. Don't stress and just enjoy it while you've got it! Congrats!!!

How about this...you are starting what every mom does, worry about their kid! It starts in the womb and NEVER ends. We want the best for our children and it starts with their health when they are inside us. RELAX. Pat your tummy, rub it, poke at that knee and foot that pokes at you. And think, goodness would YOU wanna be in such a tight place?? They do sleep alot too, hence the lack of movement at times. It is good to be cautious but it doesn't do either of you any good to worry all the time. RELAX, enjoy being pregnant! =)

L.-
I see you already have a lot of responses, but I just wanted to add that I had some of the same worries myself not long ago. When I went in for the test at the doc's (where you sit back hooked up to monitors and you press the button every time you feel a kick) they had to use the zapper thing because he wasn't moving at all. Then I had to go in to the hospital because he was breech - they tried to manually flip him, and they had to hook me to an IV of sugar to get him moving because he wasn't. I would worry because I wouldn't think about it then all of a sudden I would think to myself that I don't think he's moved in a long time...
Now, my almost 6-month old son is a maniac! He was so "stompy" from the moment he was born and we have nicknamed him little bruiser because his arms & legs are always going like crazy. Don't worry!!

woe, you need to relax. I don't know if you've done any reading but in theory fetuses do NOT move all the time. You will feel them a lot less with the first time around generally as well. Basicly babies sleep a lot when they are first born and while they are inside of you they are just simply on the sleep schedule they will have when they first come out into the world. You'll see that during the day when you move about they sleep more and at night or in the evening they are generally more active. Sometimes it just depends on the fetus. Each baby has its own rhym and rythym with sleep. Some are great sleepers and some are terrible. Hang in there, you're almost at the finish line. And please please don't stress now, even before the baby is here and gives you what to stress about. It is not worth your emotional energy or loss of sleep. You need to reserve it all for the big day which is approaching. Congratulations on the upcoming birth and just try to take things in stride. They end up being the greatest that way. Good luck!!!

Try not to worry...any movement is a sign that all is well. Babies sleep a lot inutero as newborns sleep a lot. They are also more active a lot of times when you are resting or sleeping because when you are up and moving you are rocking them to sleep (as I've always heard anyway). :) I guess that's why a lot of times they move like crazy just after you lie down to rest. And I remember being woken up by the baby moving around inside when I was pregnant and my husband felt the baby move when I was sound asleep while pregnant before. As you get closer to the due date, movement slows down because the baby is getting bigger and there is less room in there for moving all around. Best wishes as you await meeting your new baby!!

Congrats to you on your first child! I just had my first child in January. She is now 8 months old, very challenging but it is so much fun!!
Please do not worry about if your child is not active on certain days. I would worry sometimes and that is normal. She would be active in the morning and at lunch,also at night when I was trying to sleep. There would be some days she was less active.
Babies are like us, we have up days and we have down days. Sometimes depending on what I eat, she would be more active on some days. If your doctor felt something was not right, I am sure he or she would tell you. By now, you are probably seeing the doctor every week or you will pretty soon. They will be monitoring it, everytime you go in.
So do not worry. I wish you and your husband the best! Any other questions feel free to ask me.

Every baby is different. My first barely moved at all. She is now an active healthy 3 yr old. My 2nd and currently my 3rd are crazy in the belly. I would not worry

I just had my son in July and he moved A LOT but he wasn't moving all the time... so it sounds like everything is perfectly okay with your little one. Congrats by the way!!!! It will go by so fast when you have your little one so make each day special!

Hi L.,
I am also pregnant right now, due at the end of Sept, with my second daughter. It sounds like your baby is moving plenty! I have done a fair amount of research on this, especially in my first pregnancy. One of the reasons babies move in utero is that they enjoy the stimulation of rubbing against the inside of your uterus--it feels good to them and helps them develop their sense of proprioception, which is everyone's ability to know where our bodies are in space (i.e., you know where your foot is right now in relation to your head without looking for it). When you are active and moving around, or rubbing your belly, you are giving your baby the massage or stimulation he/she needs, and the baby doesn't need to move. You will notice that after you eat, when the baby starts getting that shot of nutrients, it will move in a pronounced way--that's the sugar from your food. Also, when you are very still, perhaps meditating or about to go to sleep, the baby will sometimes move to self-stimulate as described above. Of course, you have to also remember that your little baby is sleeping inside you whenever it's heart desires, and then you won't feel movement. It sounds like you may be already be noticing a playtime and nap routine throughout the day for your baby!
A wonderful book on caring for babies that discusses this is called Vital Touch by Sharon Heller. It's an older book, so you usually have to order it. The main thing L., is that you trust yourself and your baby to do what comes naturally, and that will be the best for both of you!
Congratulations in advance!
P.

You should not expect that your baby will be active all the time. Babies in utero have sleep and wake cycles just like they do after birth. When they are sleeping you will not feel movement, and sometimes when you are very active you simply do not notice the more subtle movements you might feel if you were sitting still. It is pretty common for your baby to have a "schedule" of typical active times, often after meals, when you go to bed at night, etc. You seem to be pretty aware of your baby's active times, if you notice the baby is not active when it usually is you should find a quite place to rest, preferably lying on your left side and pay close attention to movements. Different dcotors have different ways they teach kick counts, so go with what your dr has instructed, usually something like 10 movements in an hour or two is typical. Your doctor should have guidelines for when you need to call/be seen for decreased or no fetal movements, so ask for that info. And enjoy those movements for the next 2 months because they are such a unique and special sensation and we feel them for such a short amount of time. And yes, they are considered one of the most reassuring signs of fetal well-being.

Sometimes the amount of time the baby moves the most is also when you are in motion least. I tend to be moving and doing lots during the day but when I would sit down and rest, my son was all geared up to move as much as possible. If you are on your feet alot, your baby might be more mellow in the womb. It is generally from the natural sway of your hips rocking that will keep them asleep when you move the most. Babies do a lot of sleeping in the womb, because that is when they grow. Don't fret too much. As long as everything feels normal to you and the kicks are within normal range just try to enjoy being pregnant.

If your doctor says everything is fine, I wouldn't worry. My daughter was not really active either. She never kicked, she just sort of shifted. I could feel her moving and rolling around, but I never got any "kidney shots" or anything. What's good about that is since she was so mellow inside, she's also mellow outside. It's just your baby showing his/her personality early. :)

with my first son I could hardly ever feel him kick. I was always so worried I went to the doctor over and over and he would listen to the baby and asure me everything was ok. Again I hardly ever felt him move. The doctor said perhaps because he was so big he did not have much room to move. You and your baby will be fine and I hope you enjoy being a mom as much as I do. The whole having a baby process is the neatest thing in the world. Enjoy and don't worry!

Your baby is still sleeping a lot of the time, so it won't be moving then. Also, the farther along you are, the bigger the baby is so there isn't as much room to move around anymore. My son was the same way and I had the same worries. It's totally normal. Enjoy the somersaults while it's still on the inside!

Sounds like the baby is active right around the time that you eat. The baby does sleep alot and hopefully will once he/she is born. You are now a mother so you will naturally worry all the time. This is good practice. Good luck.

It's really not so much about how active your baby is but that your baby is consistently active. So if you usually feel tons of movement and all of a sudden one day feel nothing that is cause for concern. Or if your normally calm baby is kicking and rolling around like crazy. Even babies in the womb have their individual personality and you can develop a feel for their habits.

Kick counts are a good way to check in with baby and make there is plenty of movement. However if you are ever unsure or worried it's an easy and quick check at your doctor or midwife's office. Much better than you stressing like crazy for no reason.

As long as you feel movements from your child he/she will be ok don't worry

L.,

I was the same way with both of my pregnancies. After two miscarriages, I was slightly paranoid. Seriously, though, as long as you feel movement that's the same amount over time - you don't need to worry. I think the time to worry is if there is all of a sudden a dramatic drop in movement. But, my last son moved at 7:30AM when I drove our older son to daycare, around 10:30AM and then in the afternoon about 4:30PM. Finally, I could set my watch to him moving at 8:30PM - just when our older son was down for bed and I was sitting on the couch to relax for the night.

Don't worry and ENJOY the movement - it's one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced.

Good luck and congrats with your baby to be!

T.

I agree with the others who have responded - if you have a somewhat consistent pattern and your kick counts are okay then you need to stop worrying. Trust me - you'll drive yourself insane! About the only time you should really get concerned is if you go for an extended period of time without any movement whatsoever.

You can also think of the baby like a little mini-human (bad analogy I know...they *are* a mini-human!) - are *you* on the go all the time or do you like to have restful downtime every so often?

my baby didn't move a lot either but as long as you're doing your kick counts then you should be fine. but if ever you feel like something's wrong - call your doc, especially this far along. i've heard baby's are more active after you've eaten and during the day if you're moving a lot, they actually sleep better from the movement. but all babies are different so just trust your instict and keep your doc informed!

Doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about. When I was pregnant with my daughter, she was constantly flipping, rolling, moving, kicking...everything. I thought I had twins for a while, she moved so much. She's still a ball of energy and has a hard time relaxing enough to fall asleep.

My son, however, was much more mellow. He moved around but not anywhere near as much as his sister. However, he is a much better sleeper than his sister and he can sit and focus better than she can, as well.

It's all baby's personality coming out. Just relax knowing that baby will probably be a little more laid back than a baby who practices the martial arts in utero. ;)