As your baby grows throughout your pregnancy, they will develop their own unique movements. This is important because a change in your baby’s regular movement patterns could be a sign that they are unwell. There has been evidence that women who had experienced a stillbirth noticed that their baby’s movements had changed, such as more frequent, less frequent, or stopped completely. We encourage you to trust in yourself to feel for your baby’s movements and seek help right away when you notice a change!

This is a great question! We encourage mothers to understand their baby’s unique pattern of movement over time. There is no set number of “normal” movements that a baby should have. However, common guidelines in the US state 10 movements within 2 hours (ACOG), and in Canada, 6 movements in 2 hours (SOGC).

You may be surprised to learn that this is actually a myth! You should expect to feel your baby move from your 16-20th week all the way until you go into labour (and even during labour)! If you are worried about your baby’s movement patterns, contact your healthcare provider immediately! Remember that you are not wasting their time by protecting the health and safety of yourself and your baby!

Whether you’ve been tracking every day, or your intuition is telling you something has changed make sure to contact your health care practitioner or midwife right away if you believe your baby’s movements have changed. Remember that you are not wasting anyone’s time by looking out for the health and safety of yourself and your baby. Research has shown this has saved lives! You can expect to be instructed to come into your local maternity unit where they will check on your baby’s heartbeat, measure your baby’s growth, and possibly perform an ultrasound and blood test.

Stimulating movement through eating or drinking is a common myth. There has been no evidence that shows this works. If you are concerned about your baby’s movements, do not waste any time trying to stimulate your baby and contact your healthcare provider or maternity unit immediately to get checked. Remember you are your baby’s best advocate!

If at any point you feel concerned about a change in your baby’s fetal movements, immediately contact your healthcare provider. There is help available 24/7. You are your baby’s best advocate, and we encourage you to trust yourself because your initiative could save your baby’s life!