Kick Counting: How should I Count the Kicks?

• If your healthcare provider has determined your pregnancy to be high-risk, start kick counting at 24 weeks. Otherwise, begin at 28 weeks.
• Do kick counting about the same time each day during the time period when your baby is usually active.
• Get in a comfortable sitting or lying position. Relax and dedicate this time to feel your baby’s precious movements.
• You may want to rest your or your partner’s hands on your abdomen to better feel the movements. Your ability to feel the baby depends on the thickness of your abdominal wall, placental location and your sensitivity to the movements.
• Jot down the time of the baby’s first movement and the time of the 10th movement. Most babies take less than 15 minutes.
• If your baby moves less than usual or has less than ten movements in two hours, arouse your baby by drinking fluid or by walking for a few minutes and repeat the kick counting session.
• Contact your provider or the labor and delivery if there is still decreased fetal movement or if there is a significant change in your baby’s usual activity or if your baby takes longer than two hours for ten movements. DO NOT WAIT.
• If you have been evaluated for decreased fetal movement and sent home, make sure to follow up with your provider within a week.

 – Diep Nguyen MD

Diep Nguyen MD, a Los Angeles-based obstetrician, is the founder of www.babykick.com and www.babykickalliance.org.

Also read:

What Kick Counting Can Tell You about the Health of Your Baby

Kick Counting: Optimizing the Chance of Delivering a Healthy Baby