Know Your Bump – In Support of Kicks Count

Please note that this story is very sad and may contain sensitive & personal photographs.

At Bump, Baby & You, we are passionate about raising awareness. Fetal movements and what to do in case of concern is an incredibly vital aspect of pregnancy, with organisations such as Kicks Count promoting well publicised campaigns, and with the NHS advice telling mums to seek assistance.

Yet, too many mums are still torn when it happens to them. Worried about bothering the hospital. Got a midwife appointment in the morning, so it can wait, right? Standoffish woman on the phone thinks I’m exaggerating, so I’ll just leave it as I don’t want to cause a fuss. The ladies I asked online said it’s ‘normal’, so it’ll be fine.

Lots of mummies from our private Facebook group have joined forces with the team at Bump, Baby & You to get their personal experiences out there for the sake of raising awareness and drawing attention to the correct course of action that worried mums should take.

In turn, we are working in support of the awareness organisation Kicks Count to bring this vital information to our followers.

Story 2 – Amy’s Story

Amy’s Story – Noah Eli Eastwood

On the 16th March this year I was 24 weeks pregnant. I didn’t feel my baby boy move for a couple of hours. I thought everything was gonna be fine, and that I would come out and my baby would be fine.

I got called into hospital and they tried to find my baby’s heartbeat with the doppler – the midwife was looking and looking for at least 15 minutes. The moment I knew something was wrong (they usually find it straight away) she said to me “I’ll just get the scan machine, it doesn’t mean there is no heartbeat, it’s just quicker.” As she called a different doctor in to scan me, looking round looking at both of their faces I knew he had gone.

His words were “I’m so sorry, your baby’s heart has stopped beating.”

I then rang my partner crying my eyes out that out baby wasn’t gonna be coming home with us. He came to hospital straight away. They took my blood and gave me a tablet, then sent me home ans asked me to go back on the 18th March. I went home knowing my baby wasn’t here anymore.

The following day at around 6pm I was getting sharp pains and feeling very unwell so I phoned them and they told me to go up, they checked everything and found that my blood pressure was low so they decided to induce me that night. I had the first pessary at 10pm on the Friday.

I managed to get myself some sleep for a few hours and then woke up at around 4am to some sharp period pains – my contractions – and I had them for around an hour.

4 pushes and my baby boy was here at 5.15am. He weighed 1lb 8oz.

I advise anyone who fears their baby is not moving as much and can’t feel them move, go and get checked. Sometimes it is nothing but it’s better to be safe than sorry!!

Thank you for reading Amy’s story.

Please take her message on board; seek immediate help if you are worried about your baby. Don’t be afraid to bother your hospital, but at the same time don’t be fobbed off – listen to your baby and your body.

You can see the NHS advice for reduced movement here, and the Kicks Count advice here.

Get to know your baby’s pattern, and seek immediate help if your baby’s movements alter in any way. Do NOT under any circumstances trust a home doppler.

Kicks Count, so Know Your Bump.