Should I be concerned that my child isn't moving much?

I’m 19 weeks and four days pregnant with my second child. I’ve maybe felt him move once or twice, and it felt like just a tiny flutter. I’m concerned I haven’t really felt him yet. And every time the doctor tries to find his heartbeat with the doppler, it’s a fail. She tried for almost 10 minutes and barely got a reading. My anatomy scan is next week, but I’m so nervous something is wrong. Have any other moms taken longer to feel the baby move? I’m more on the hefty side, so I thought maybe that might affect it. Should I be concerned, or is it just a nervous mommy?

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Could be where the placenta is

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They haven’t found the heartbeat at all???

It’s normal!
Until maybe 24 weeks or so she was barely able to find the heartbeat a few times gave up.
I’m almost 36 weeks now I don’t remember exactly when I started to feel her regularly but I think it was around 22 weeks.

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I didn’t feel one of my babies until I was 24 weeks. I would feel little flutters here & there but that was all.

Being on the bigger side can make it harder to feel baby move and harder to find the heartbeat. Have you expressed your concern to your doctor? That should be your first step.

I would go to L & D just to ease my mind

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Did they mention where the placenta is? I had an anterior with both my boys!

If they cant find the heartbeat with the doppler you can always request a sonogram

Could be in ur back xx

I didn’t feel movements in either of my pregnancies until 20-21 weeks. Everyone said I’d feel the flutters and never did. And that id feel movement earlier the second time and I actually didn’t feel anything until a few days later than the first.

If you have an anterior placenta, it can be harder to feel the baby move and to detect the heartbeat. They’ll be able to detect that during your anatomy scan. If thats the case there’s no cause for worry. If your doctor hasn’t expressed any concern in 19 weeks, I’m sure its just momma nerves :heartpulse:

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I didn’t feel one of my kids until I was 22 weeks along but it was because of where the placenta was. Baby was super active I just couldn’t feel any of it.

Those dopplers are not reliable. Try drinking a cold glass of water and sit down with your feet up. Count kicks. And never be afraid to go in for a second opinion if you’re scared. At this stage, it’s normal to not feel much movement. I really didn’t feel kicks until 22ish weeks.

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So this happened to me and when I went in for the ultrasound where they tell you the sex of the baby, they called the doctor is and my baby’s heart wasn’t beating at the point. Ask for an ultrasound ASAP. Please. It’s still a sore subject for me and it’s been about 18 years now.

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Could depend on where the placenta is and how he is positioned as well. My son was facing towards my back till he was about 20 weeks or so and I could barely feel any movement till he eventually repositioned himself and then I felt a lot more kicks and movement

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Sorry. Not to freak you out. But that’s my story :grimacing:

I didnt feel my little girl till i was about 22-24 weeks. They had a lot to trouble finding the heartbeat at 16 weeks as I’m big. It could be just mama worries. I would suggest going to L&D if you’re really worried. Dont need to be making yourself stressed :heart:

Doctor’s dont get concerned until 24 weeks, I believe.

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I’m 21 weeks and just now starting to feel movement that’s not questionable lol. I’m also heavier. I would go get a scan done just to ease your mind. Don’t worry, might as well go see what’s up !

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Every pregnancy is different, my 3rd pregnancy was super active. 4th was super chill. No punches or kicks, just general moving. Try pulling your belly up next time placing fingers by belly button (or higher) and pulling skin up to help the doppler get a clearer reading. I wouldn’t worry too much. At 19 weeks gestation there is still plenty of room to kick and flip without feeling it since they’re so tiny yet. I hope all is well and wish you the best!

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My first I didn’t feel until 24 weeks. My second was 15 weeks and then my placenta shifted to the front and we didn’t feel her until almost 30 weeks, she liked to hangout in my back until the very end. With my third movement didn’t really pick up until 18 weeks. All pregnancies and baby positions are different. Your placenta placement, term length of pregnancy and weight have a lot to do with movement. It’s nerve racking but if they got any heartbeat that’s a great sign. They will be able to tell you exactly at the scan where everything is placed to give you a better understanding. If they thought there was a problem they would have gotten the ultrasound tech in with you because an anatomy scan can be done as early as 18 to as late as 22 weeks.

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I barely felt anything until 23 weeks. I had a anterior placenta, so it was in front of the baby.
It was super annoying when people would ask me about the baby kicking and make me worried because I couldn’t feel her yet.
Try not to stress ! :slight_smile:

Do you know if you have an anterior placenta? If you do, it makes feeling the baby move more difficult until baby is a bit bigger.

Might be an anterior attached placenta which means you can’t really feel the kicks. I had it with my first kiddo and only felt her move a handful of times early on.

Did she get a reading at all?

Currently pregnant with my third and I didn’t feel any movement until 20 weeks. Nothing strong or noticeable until 24. Baby is still small - I wouldn’t worry quite yet.

I had this happen to me and my baby was born at 39 weeks barely moving having trouble breathing and come to find out he has a genetic disorder called prader willi syndrome he’s 3 months old now.

I don’t feel my current pregnancy like I did my previous ones. Turns out both babies have anterior placentas.

You go to the hospital and do not leave until you get answers cause you should be feeling baby even if you’re hefty and also your obgyn should be doing a better job at monitoring even if that means having you go to hospital and having you hooked up to the machine to watch the babies heart rate … you listen to your intuition and do not stop until you get answers

I would ask for an ultrasound immediately. It could be low lying placenta but if it were me I’d be going for an ultrasound

They should of done an emergency ultrasound. My OB couldn’t find the heart beat with the Doppler so he ordered an emergency ultrasound the same day and they were able to find the heartbeat on the monitor

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I didnt feel my son (2nd pregnancy) move until 21 weeks because my placenta is anterior. I wouldnt get nervous until after 24 weeks.

I have three kids I didn’t even feel my third until like 26 weeks

I would not be waiting for an ultrasound next week. I’d be going to the ER or something to get an ultra sound now.
I wouldn’t be asking Facebook.
I’d be going to make sure my baby is okay. Being paranoid is so much better than the alternative.

This happened to me with my second. I kept thinking something was wrong and stressing myself out because they could never find his heartbeat on the doppler at first or it was so faint they could barely get one. Drs kept reassuring me but I was still nervous. It all depends on how the baby is laying and turns out he was perfectly healthy and fine and started reading a nice strong heartbeat later on. As long as your ob doesn’t seem concerned, I wouldn’t be too much. And im also tinyyyyy. I was like 120 lbs at most during my pregnancy. Try not to worry too much mama! :slight_smile:

19 weeks is still a bit early even for a second child. You can try cold juice to get baby active. We had a hard time catching my little man on Doppler until about 23 weeks and that was with my 4th. They are moving in there even if you don’t feel it and some babies are just turds and don’t want to be bothered lol. Try to rest your mind mama. :heart:

I barely felt my 3rd child move in my whole pregnancy but had some complications

That’s very early. Drs don’t count kicks until 25 weeks.

I’m 23 weeks and rarely feel her move since my placenta is anterior.

Mum knows best … get checked x

I am currently 27 weeks and I didn’t feel much movement until about 20 weeks. And even then it was only flutters. About 22 weeks is when I felt real kicks and movement.

I had 5 kids 3 girls 2 boys and my girls were moving every where. And my boys were lazy I even went to the doctor several times think something was wrong and no he was fine just asleep your good not all baby’s are the same

I work in an ob/gym clinic. You are still a little early to feel a lot of movement. Your baby is likely moving a lot. He/she is too small for You to really feel it thus the little flutters. You said you have a more to love body, that can cause difficulty with the Doppler. My dr does an ultra sound when she struggles with the Doppler.

I’m 36 weeks my doctor told me some women don’t feel the baby until 20 something!! I felt little flutters at 18 but didn’t feel feel her until like 22

Give it some more time… The movement will return.

Drink some orange juice. That can get them moving.

Yes I think it’s normal and also they couldn’t find my baby’s heartbeat in the triage then when I saw the doctor they couldn’t either so I got an ultrasound right then and there and he was fine just upside down.

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I’m 18 weeks with my 2nd as well and I’m the same as you haven’t felt her move, except for little flutters…I had one doctor struggle to find heartbeat and then the other found it right away! I also have my anatomy scan next week on the 11th! Don’t worry momma it could just be his position right now and depending on the placement of the placenta may make it more difficult for you to feel him as well…I didn’t feel my first until about 22 weeks I believe.

I didn’t feel my little girl move till after 20+ weeks. I remember laying there when my doctor was trying to find her heartbeat and had to go get another doctor for help. It was scary. But she is a healthy 3.5 year old now.
Good luck to you mama!!

I had an anterior placenta so I didn’t feel him until about 20+ weeks

every child is different; old on

My first I felt her move at about 20ish weeks.
My second was probably 24 weeks. I panicked quite a bit since I’d heard you feel the 2nd one sooner. I think some babies are just more active than others.

Being a little heavier can definitely affect feeling movement. Its hard not to be nervous but if your doctor was concerned about the heartbeat or the movement I am sure she would have done an ultrasound on the spot. They are still fairly little at 19 weeks and it can be hard to catch them on the doppler. As long as she eventually found the heart rate and didn’t seem worried, i would try to relax if you can :slight_smile:

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Way too early to be counting kicks. You won’t feel them until later.

When the concern is this serious pay for your own results. Go get a $99 3D ultra sound and ease your mind. All these comments are doing are either giving you enlightenment or scaring you and that causes anxiety and stress to your baby anyway.

My placenta was to the front and could barely feel anything until nearly 30 weeks, just little flutters

Ring the hospital and speak to a midwife. They may bring you in and record fetal movement.

Ultrasound tech. Please do not make expectations on what you think you should be feeling or comparisons to what other people claim they feel. If you’re on the larger side, you could have an anterior placenta, and 19 weeks is still too early to feel big movements. With that being said, I would heavily consider seeing another physician. Having a doctor search for a heartbeat and not be able to detect one, that doctor should have ordered an ultrasound right then and there.

I carried extremely low and didn’t feel movement until the 7th month or so. My doctor could never find her heartbeat with the doppler sonic had a ultrasound at each appointment and she was always healthy, just tucked back in where the doppler wouldn’t pick up. Try not to worry, every pregnancy is different but you may wanna look for a new doctor. They should have done that ultrasound as soon as they couldn’t pick up the heartbeat with the doppler. Good luck momma!

Being heavier definitely plays a roll. I was borderline obese with one and didn’t feel anything until 22 weeks. With the other I was a healthy weight and felt movement consistently by 15 weeks. It was the one I felt the most movement with who was my Doppler hider. I was 39 weeks pregnant and we could see her moving and still struggled to check her heartbeat. Midwife said it was all about her positioning.

My daughter had trouble but it was because she had an anterior placenta that got in the way…

I didn’t feel my little girl till about 24 weeks and since then she’s been growing bigger than normal but before that she was small. My bp was high for the beginning and I feel like that had her staying smaller. And it depends on how you carry where they can really guess where the heart beat is she was in front so they did find it every time but I was told always beforehand if we can’t find it no big deal we can do an ultrasound. So that tells me it’s not unusual to not find the heartbeat every appointment.

I had placenta previa at the beginning of my last pregnancy. It was nerve racking because Dr couldn’t get a heartbeat by doppler until I was 4 months pregnant and the placenta moved to its rightful position. I had to be brought in for an ultrasound at EVERY appointment just to make sure he was still alive. Today my son is 3 months old and was born very healthy. Don’t stress! Good luck! :heart:

Every pregnancy is different. My last he was very difficult to find his heart beat at every appointment. It was scary but you have faith and don’t look into negativity your body will feel. I was at my most heaviest as well with him and he is here and enjoying his little precious life. Stay positive.