Kick Counts: How Important Are They During Pregnancy?

A baby's life depends on lots of things, but one of the most important is movement. Movement allows the baby to grow, stay warm, and even practice breathing. It also tells us if we have a healthy baby. The way your baby kicks, jabs, and wiggles will vary throughout your pregnancy.

Feeling your baby's movement can be one of the most exciting times in pregnancy. It can also be a time to cause most parents, especially first-time parents, some anxiety. Many parents do not know if their baby is kicking enough or maybe even too much. When should you even expect the kicking to start?

When should you start feeling the baby move?

Generally, birthing parents start to feel the first fetal movement around weeks 18-22. Initial signs of activity can start around 14-26 weeks of pregnancy. Any time before these weeks are too soon, as your baby is too deeply within a protective cushioning of your womb for you to feel anything. Starting at week 28, you should be doing kick counts, this is when you will become most aware of baby movements.

When can you feel your baby move?

There are a few times when you will be more likely to find that your baby is more active. You may notice that after you eat or have a snack, you can feel your baby move; that is because the surge in your blood sugar may give your baby a rush of energy. Adrenaline can have some of the same effects on your baby as it does on you, so when you are feeling a little nervous, you can feel more movement from your baby. When you are relaxed, such as at night, you will notice your baby's movement more. This is because you are oftentimes less distracted and more focused on your body.

Fetal kick counts

Your healthcare provider will start asking you for kick counts throughout your third trimester, beginning at week 28. Kick counts are done to ensure that everything is progressing as expected. Kick counts are beneficial for all pregnant women but are recommended for high-risk pregnancies. Being attentive to your baby's movements will allow you to notice any unusual patterns that could be potential problems and or complications.

How often

Ideally, you want to set aside some quiet time twice a day, at the same two times daily to do fetal movement counting. You want to pick the time of day when your baby is more active, once in the morning and once in the evening. It might help to know when are peak times for kick counts after you have something cold to drink, after you have eaten, and after you exercised. You want to make sure to stay consistent to ensure you can identify any potential problems.

What to do

In order to do fetal kick counts, you want to get into a comfortable position, lying on your left side is an ideal position; it allows for circulation, which could lead to your baby becoming more active.

You want to keep a log of your kick counts, in either a journal or your phone. You will check the clock and note what time it is, then begin counting. You want to count any and all movements your baby makes, that includes flutters, rolls, kicks, or swishes. Make a checkmark each time you feel a movement. After you record ten movements, you can stop counting. After that tenth and final movement, you want to record the finish time. You should feel at least ten movements over the course of two hours, but it will most likely not take that long.

Ideally, you will have felt at least three movements in a 30-minute period. If you have not felt 10 movements within an hour, lie down. If not already, have a snack or some fruit juice, and then continue counting. If within a two-hour time frame you have not felt the movements, you will want to contact your provider. This could raise a red flag and should be further evaluated and monitored.

The closer you are to your due date, the more important it is to do routine kick counts. As you approach the last month, you want to do kick counts several times daily.

An example of how to count fetal kicks

Friday November 5, 2021 10:00 am XXXXXXXXXX 10:50 am, total 50 minutes

Saturday November 6, 2021 10:00 am XXXXXXXXXX 10:45 am, total 45 minutes

Sunday November 7, 2021 10:00 am XXXXXXXXXX 11:15, total 75 minutes

Monday November 8, 2021 10:00 am XXXXXXXXXX 10:45 am, total 45 minutes

To note, this is just an example of morning kick counts, you will want to do this at night as well. If you notice any significant changes in your baby's kick count pattern, for this example, having the total time increase to 2 hours and 15 minutes, you will want to alert your provider. If at any point you feel as if there are changes, it is best to call your provider.