Could You Feel Your Baby Move During Labor?

Updated on November 18, 2011
M.M. asks from Lake Charles, LA
12 answers

For some reason the beginning stages of labor for my first are pretty fuzzy (all the excitement I guess) my little man's movements have been like nonexistent for the last 24 hours.. I can recall feeling him move maybe 5 times vs like 100 on a normal day (and I've been TRYING to feel him move).. even poking at him got little response. My mom keeps telling me that before labor the baby just stops moving, which I've heard, but it is a complete lack of movement or does the movement just get really subtle? After my water broke I don't even remember trying to feel my first move and then came the epidural, so I'm clueless. If something doesn't happen soon then I'm going to call the doctor and let them know because I definitely haven't been able to get an adequate kick count for the last 24 hours, I just didn't want to be the patient calling every day bugging them.. Just curious what your experiences were! TIA!

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So What Happened?

I don't think I'm in labor right now I was more asking if right before labor kicks in if the baby's movements decrease, as I'm typing this I feel him moving around a little, just not nearly as much or as substantial as he normally is this time of day. I've been trying to come to terms with him probably not making an appearance in the next few days but it's SO hard and little things keep me obsessing over it. Crossing my fingers that my water just decides to break :)

I have tried accupressure and sex to try to speed things up with my OBs permission, you can't force yourself into labor it only speeds things up if you're already ready, I did not try to castor oil, diarrhea just didn't sound fun and I figured if it happened, it happened.

More Answers

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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Babies generally move less as they get larger and space is at a premium.

4 moms found this helpful

R.D.

answers from Richmond on

If you can't feel baby bumping around, drink a tall glass of OJ and lay on your left side. You should still feel baby moving around.

You can still feel baby moving during labor, just not from the outside when you're having contractions since your uterus gets so hard.

If you're not in active labor right this second, do the OJ/laying thing for 30 minutes... if you still don't feel baby, call your doc immediately. Better safe than sorry! Don't feel silly! I was on my doctor ALL THE TIME with my third (and you would have thought I'd know better by then)... turned out my son was laying on his umbilical cord as his head prepared for birth. Really scary. Get yourself checked and let us know if today's the day!

2 moms found this helpful
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S.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I felt my babies during labor.

Call the doctor now. It's been too long to not feel him. He's probably fine, but you shouldnt' waste time on this.

2 moms found this helpful

S.L.

answers from Kansas City on

If you are home and it's been 24 hours why do you think you are in labor? Are you having contractions? I felt movements up until the contractions were fairly close and as the baby is moving down you don't feel much movement or kicking. I would not think you are in labor if I understood your post right. The baby should still be moving at this point. The baby does have less room as you get to the end of the pregnancy though and will move less due to less space maybe.

1 mom found this helpful

N.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Please contact your doctor. With my first I didn't report decreasing movement to my doctor and I totally regret it. Please just call your doc to have a NST and put your mind at ease.

With my second I had NST's all the time at the end of the pregnancy and then I was induced three weeks early... My baby never stopped moving during labor.

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O.L.

answers from New Orleans on

I just had my baby on nov3 and my baby never stopped moving or got less the whole time ,I would call just to make sure.

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A.F.

answers from Houston on

I panicked one time because I hadn't felt my girl move by lunch time. I hadn't realized that she hadn't been moving until she didn't get active after I ate lunch. Then I couldn't get her to really respond when I pushed at her foot - she would normally pull it away quickly.

I called my OB, they could tell I was panicked, brought me in (even though the nurses were pretty sure everything was fine - they didn't tell me this at the time, they took my concerns seriously). They hooked me up to a fetal monitor and it took her about 45 minutes of this before they were comfortable with her movements - they thought it would take about 15 minutes.

Best guess is she was sleeping. She was apparently doing a lot of growing at that point and just needed the rest. Scared the heck out of me, though. If you're concerned, don't worry about being "that patient" - just go.

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S.D.

answers from Indianapolis on

I have had 3 babies. None of them stopped moving before (or during - I could feel everything since I didn't get any drugs) labor. I'd do kick counts, if you don't get 10 movements in 2 hours, call the doctor.

I saw your update...it's TOTALLY normal for the baby to move less often and have smaller movements as they get bigger and run out of space :)

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L.L.

answers from Topeka on

As others said drink OJ & lay on left side eat something too.Try to relax while you wait for the call back from the OB's office babies are on the move constantly but depending on how large baby is & what frame your at it may be difficult to feel every kick baby might be running out of room at this point since you due in Dec.Also I must ask have your done anything else to get hi to come eary before your due date your last post your ready for him to come out & have tried several things is there anythihg you did that may have casue some issue to him,if he is in stress they will find it whern you go in top have a non stresstest done they will hook you up to the monitor give you a button & everythime you feel baby move press the button if nothing happens there could be an issue,they will also check babys hearbeat.But yes I have felt my babies move even at the very beginnign stages of labor & till they were ready to be delivered my last had hiccups before evtering this world we all laughed

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C.D.

answers from Atlanta on

Most babies don't move much when you're getting to that place before labor, they usually get quiet. (But this isn't always true, it was not true for my second baby, I swear he kicked all the way out.) They're getting ready for a big job, they're restin' up. I think you are probably worrying too much over this. Try to get calm and when you're calm talk to the baby in your mind and heart and you'll know what he's doing in there. Also, Do Not Take Castor Oil ever internally, especially while pregnant. I know it's been a remedy for 100's of years, but it is misunderstood by most. You don't take it internally, you place it on your belly, you can rub it in or do an oil pack. And it needs to be pure, cold pressed oil, as all oil that is not cold pressed becomes rancid in the heating process. This is a good treatment for many things and helping to hasten labor is one of them. When my sister was in labor, I rubbed it on her belly a few different times and it helped to soothe her and it helped to speed things along.
Try not to worry. Do something relaxing or take a long walk. Get this off your mind and release. The baby will let you know he's okay.
But if you really feel you need to call the doctor, do so, he is your doctor, he works for you remember.
Sending the very best to you for a beautiful birth

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J.C.

answers from New York on

Go have a big glass of juice and a carb of some sort. Then lay on our left side for a bit. If after a 1/2 and hour your don't feel anything, then give your doc a call. He'll tell you to come in for a non stress test.

And you pay your doctor to be there when you call everyday. So call away - and don't worry about it.

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S.L.

answers from Philadelphia on

My son was kicking the heart rate monitor during all of labor and kicking me in the ribs while I was pushing. I don't think he slowed his movements at all when I went into labor!

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