Trip to the hospital.

kp90 · February 2016

So Friday morning at work I casually called my OB to let them know my LO shifted and I wasn't feeling her move like her previous routine and all the movements I ended up feeling were very low. I tried the 10 kicks in an hour and was not reaching it (which by the way I HATE that rule and wish they wouldn't use it. Not all babies are as active as others. There's a lot of factors that play into this) anyways.. She told me I needed to head to labor and delivery. I almost fell off my chair because I was NOT expecting that. In a hurry I got off the phone and ran to my co worker of course crying and terrified. She ended up driving me to L&D where they hooked my to monitors for an hour, did a full ultrasound then back on the monitors. Her US came back perfect and she seemed to be perfectly healthy. Once back in my room I started having what the doctor called "irregular uterine contractions" and they had me in tears. He checked my cervix and it was closed so he said they were sending me home and that sometimes these contractions are normal?! To make the story short I was sent home and have since been doing okay but that trip had me very concerned. Have you ladies gone through anything like this or heard of having those types of contractions and calling it normal? All in all I am just thanking God that my baby is okay but I hope this doesn't happen again. She just has long moments without movement and I need to remind myself she is okay and this is what she does. Still... Very stressful and scary especially being a first time mother.

lalala2004 · February 2016

Sorry you had a scare. My doctor specifically told me to eat something and then wait 30+ minutes before doing kick counts while lying on my left side. If it happens again, I'd eat something before doing them.

dshannah · February 2016

Glad everything is ok!

mumbolino · February 2016

I'm sorry you had to go through this. If it's any consolation... That's how I spent my Friday, too... Different reasons (bleed... ) but it was nerve wrecking, took forever, and at the end of it everything was perfectly ok, thank God.
It's just scary to be in the delivery ward when you're still so many weeks away! So i totally get how freaked out you must have been. I hope we don't have any more unscheduled trips there!!
Fingers crossed it was a one off for us!!!
Hugs!

JoMunson · February 2016

That sucks! I'm a FTM but no ones told me to do kick counts (I'm 30 weeks tomorrow). I just assume when he's not moving he's sleeping. He usually is more active at night, and the one day he wasn't I was in a bowling alley all day and he was active for a lot of the day.
My (completely uninformed) advice is to listen to your body and your baby and not these crazy trigger happy doctors. Maybe your baby was just testing out birth position. I bet you're just fine

vinerie · February 2016

My kick count is supposed to be 10 in a 2-hour span. I don't feel them as obviously lately and I've been wondering if I should call the dr. Today I spent some time laying down completely focused and I easily got to 10. But they are definitely harder to feel (I have to really pay attention) and I'm not entirely sure why. Also, I have an anterior placenta, so kicks have never been super obvious anyways.

im sorry you had a scare...it sounds like all is okay now, though?

sarawifenow · February 2016

vinerie said:

My kick count is supposed to be 10 in a 2-hour span. I don't feel them as obviously lately and I've been wondering if I should call the dr. Today I spent some time laying down completely focused and I easily got to 10. But they are definitely harder to feel (I have to really pay attention) and I'm not entirely sure why. Also, I have an anterior placenta, so kicks have never been super obvious anyways.

im sorry you had a scare...it sounds like all is okay now, though?

My kick count is also 10 in two hours. My Dr said that any movement (no matter how small) counts as a "kick".

kbrands7 · February 2016

I'm sorry that you had an l&d scare, but it's good that everything is okay! Sometimes depending on how the baby is positioned, BH can be more uncomfortable or crampy; that said, it's always best to call your doctor if you're experiencing something that makes you feel pain or uncertainty.

JessicaB0627 · February 2016

I'm glad all is well! When I was around 30 weeks with DD they told me I had an "irritable uterus". I had never heard of it before, but basically I was having a lot of irregular contractions that didn't cause dilation. It's always best to call your doctor when you're concerned!

saladflambe · February 2016

My kick count is also 10 in 2 hours.

At 13 weeks (ish) I wound up in L&D due to contraction-like pain waking me up in the middle of the night. I was, in fact, having irregular uterine contractions -- which I was told is normal (and is really just a fancy way of saying Braxton Hicks I believe). They did, however, tell me that it was abnormal that I was feeling them/in pain with them. They proceeded to freak me out talking about preterm labor, etc. etc., but ultimately, I was just fine...I just needed to drink more water. Your uterus starts contracting from early on in pregnancy, so that part isn't abnormal. It's when they become regular, timeable, and cause progress (opening cervix, etc.) that they become labor.

arj14 · February 2016

Yikes, that is a scary situation! I'm glad that everything turned out okay, but sorry you had to go through all the stress to get there.

mumbolino · February 2016

About the kick count: I was never told at all to count... ? Is that a common thing? Does everyone do this? I am not counting..

sarawifenow · February 2016

@mumbolino I wasn't told to do them. I had just asked my Dr about then when people started talking about them here. He told me what his pirameters were but told me they weren't necessary unless I go for more than a couple hours with little to no movement.

ayeshaohara · February 2016

mumbolino said:

About the kick count: I was never told at all to count... ? Is that a common thing? Does everyone do this? I am not counting..

My OB didn't mention it and I don't do them. Didn't even bother asking about them to be honest. As long as I feel her moving throughout the day then I'm pretty satisfied. She always throws a dance party later in the evening when I'm relaxing so im not too concerned

mumbolino · February 2016

Thanks @sarawifenow and @ayeshaohara ! Yep, I feel baby regularly, so I guess as long as everything is as usual I won't worry about counting... Worried enough already!

mondo77 · February 2016

I had the same thing happen a couple weeks ago! I didn't notice any movement one day so the next morning I drank juice and laid on my side for an hour (OB instructions), still nothing. The nurse asked me to go to labor and delivery to get monitored and baby was fine, just kicking low/in my back - I couldn't feel it and neither could they.

doozer1345 · February 2016

Yes to all of your questions and it's all normal. Doc has to say go to L&D if you call and tell them what you told them as a routine and a cover your ass move on their part. I don't count movements but just am aware of her movements. Also, you have to consider LO may be going through a growth spurt which can slow movement. From now on your doc will more than likely recommend you go to L&D anytime you call and are concerned with LO. Its a protocol thing. Contractions are normal. Just make sure you're not having 5+ in an hour. They will tell you to go to L&D if you do so instead of calling if this happens, just head there.

proudparent2b · February 2016

To be honest, I've been wondering about the kick counts as well. My OB hasn't asked me to do them yet as of my 28 week appointment. LO has never been super scheduled about when kicks occur and it's the rare exception that I get kicking parties like others talk about. Most of the time, it seems like I'll get somewhere between 3-10 kicks at random points, maybe 2-7 times a day. I do know he kicks a lot more in the middle of the night, as I've woken up and felt more consistant kicks. But I have wondered at times whether to ask my OB, since I don't have the consistancy with them that others have.

Glad to hear everything's looking good for you!

vinerie · February 2016

mumbolino said:

About the kick count: I was never told at all to count... ? Is that a common thing? Does everyone do this? I am not counting..

I was told to do them. For whatever reason, it is standard at my practice, I think.

Astraphobic · February 2016

I had a simular experience at 24 weeks. Only this was at 3 am and I had some light pink spotting. The on call nurse sent me to labor and delivery and I about freaked. They took some urine and hooked me up to monitors looking for contractions and baby heart rate.
Found out I had a pretty significant uti. Baby though was great. Doctor and nurses were super happy. They did check my cervix which was soft but closed and so they weren't worried.

After 2 hours I got to leave and head to work! Lol. I have not had any issues since. It actually calmed my worries when he isn't moving as much. Also they told me less than 4 movements in an hour and then I should worry.

sillyfox · February 2016

Did you feel the contractions? They were probably just BH, which is totally normal. That said, you did the right thing calling and going in! Glad everything was ok!

JennyS86 · February 2016

Glad you are ok, KP! I was in triage on Friday also! (was it a full moon?!) I called my OB office with contractions and was expecting to be checked in the office, but they sent me directly to LDR. Thankfully, my cervix is still closed. This was my second trip since 24 weeks, but we aren't taking any chances because of preterm labor last pregnancy resulted in a 26wk delivery.
So whether you call them contractions, Braxton Hicks, or irritable uterus, the important thing is that your cervix is still closed. Resting, fluids, and emptying your bladder often has made a difference for me - hope it does for you too!

lalala2004 · February 2016

mumbolino said:

About the kick count: I was never told at all to count... ? Is that a common thing? Does everyone do this? I am not counting..

My doctor only said to do them if I'm noticing less movement, and I also believe she said 5/hour or 10/2 hours. They also recommend the evenings, as they tend to be more active then. I think it's more something to be aware of before calling them if you think lack of movement is a concern.

KelleAlward · February 2016

I don't do the kick counts. There will be some days where I notice little or no movement, but at some point he always starts his dance party back up. They sleep a lot, so I expect long periods of very little movement, and enjoy them!

kp90 · February 2016

Thank you ladies for the support and similar stories. It definitely helps. LO and I have been perfectly fine since Friday evening and I swear all weekend she's been more active than before.. almost to say "See mom, I'm fine. Stop worrying." I think she has a stubborn personality already! But I'm trying to take it easy and relax as much as possible when not working or busy at home. I hope you ladies that experience a trip Friday are also doing much better now. We don't have much longer. Just a few more weeks to hang in there!

Sunshinebins · February 2016

kp90 said:

Thank you ladies for the support and similar stories. It definitely helps. LO and I have been perfectly fine since Friday evening and I swear all weekend she's been more active than before.. almost to say "See mom, I'm fine. Stop worrying." I think she has a stubborn personality already! But I'm trying to take it easy and relax as much as possible when not working or busy at home. I hope you ladies that experience a trip Friday are also doing much better now. We don't have much longer. Just a few more weeks to hang in there!

I notice mine will be quiet for a couple of days and I start to worry and then they will go nuts! Like they know I was worried and want to reassure me!

I'm glad things are improving! Hopefully you get written off work soon now

kp90 · February 2016

Sunshinebins said:

kp90 said:

Thank you ladies for the support and similar stories. It definitely helps. LO and I have been perfectly fine since Friday evening and I swear all weekend she's been more active than before.. almost to say "See mom, I'm fine. Stop worrying." I think she has a stubborn personality already! But I'm trying to take it easy and relax as much as possible when not working or busy at home. I hope you ladies that experience a trip Friday are also doing much better now. We don't have much longer. Just a few more weeks to hang in there!

I notice mine will be quiet for a couple of days and I start to worry and then they will go nuts! Like they know I was worried and want to reassure me!

I'm glad things are improving! Hopefully you get written off work soon now

@sunshinebins Thank you! and yeah its nerve racking. I just want to feel her all day and know she's alright. My next apt is March 9th so I'll have to see how long the doctor thinks working is a good idea. I planned to work til my due date but I want to do whats best for baby and I.

cortney626 · February 2016

kp90 said:

Thank you ladies for the support and similar stories. It definitely helps. LO and I have been perfectly fine since Friday evening and I swear all weekend she's been more active than before.. almost to say "See mom, I'm fine. Stop worrying." I think she has a stubborn personality already! But I'm trying to take it easy and relax as much as possible when not working or busy at home. I hope you ladies that experience a trip Friday are also doing much better now. We don't have much longer. Just a few more weeks to hang in there!

Sorry you had a scare. Glad everything is ok! My LO always seems to be more active on weekends, but I think it's just because I'm not in tune when I'm at work and busy working.

Bltbear82 · March 2016

Glad you got it checked out and everything is ok. Don't stress - even the second time you still worry about things, it's perfectly natural!

My doctor hasn't mentioned kick counts this time, but this baby has a 6th sense and whenever I start wondering about him he suddenly starts kicking away. Last time to get the baby to move I always drank a ton of cold water, had a clementine, and propped myself on my side. There's no harm in being cautious, you'll always feel better after being reassured everything is progressing normally.

nerdymama15 · March 2016

I'm dreading starting kick counts, which I think start later this week when I officially hit 28wks. I have anterior placenta so I don't always feel kicks. I only feel them whenever she kicks around the edges. I feel her kicking during random parts of the day, but not enough to count to 10 in a two hour period, but I know what is normal for her.

kp90 · March 2016

@nerdymama15 I was also told around 18 weeks that my placenta was anterior... not sure if it still is but if that's the case maybe that's why I only feel her kicks if they're high and to the side or very low. Either way it's still nerve racking and I hate that some doctors put such an emphasis on kick counts when its not always the same for every mom/baby. I know some also say as long as you feel baby move in 12 hrs and not to go longer than that then it's ok and also when you're not feeling movement to do the eat/drink, lay on your side and then count type thing but again... doesn't make it any less scary! Is it May yet????

seasalt123 · March 2016

I can't do kick counts. They give me massive anxiety as my baby isn't regular with his kicks (or, rather, I just don't feel them regularly every day).

I have been in and out of the hospital for ten weeks and they first started having me do them when I was discharged for a brief stint. Nurses would check in with me every day and they'd want to know I had completed the kick counts. It caused me so much anxiety.

Since being back at the hospital, the doctors told me I didn't have to do them but to let the nurses know if I felt no movement at all or noticed something unusual. They knew counting kicks was driving my anxiety sky high and it meant I constantly had to be hooked up to the fetal monitor again when I could not count the number of kicks needed. Fetal monitoring always showed baby moving as normal - I just couldn't feel it.

If I am feeling a lack of movement, I get up and walk around and drink something cold and sugary and then lie on my side. If that doesn't get a response, I alert my nurses. But I don't dedicate time to counting on a daily basis.

sillyfox · March 2016

I had a friend on my last BMB lose her baby full term (a few days before her due date), I believe due to some issue with the umbilical cord. Personally, I wholeheartedly believe kick counts are very important, especially after that. It was so heartbreaking, even for me and it wasn't my baby. But definitely eye opening. I really don't want to be the Debbie Downer, but I do want to bring attention to the fact that kick counts serve a very important purpose, and if you think anything is wrong or baby is less active, it is always better to go in to L&D triage to be seen and feel silly when it's nothing, than to not go and have something actually be wrong.

Ok, off my soap box. Love you ladies! xo

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