Kick Count in Pregnancy

In late pregnancy, you can monitor fetal movement without any special equipment by simply keeping a kick count. All you have to do is record the number of times your baby moves over a specific period of time. Your care provider will tell you when and how to do this sort of record keeping and what results to look for.

A variation of the kick count is the count-to-ten test. Instead of keeping track of every movement within a specific time period, you would begin at the same time each day and count each movement you feel until you have counted ten of them. Record the time you felt the tenth movement. If it is taking longer and longer as the days go by to reach the tenth movement, other tests may be suggested to assess fetal well-being. Your care provider will explain what to look for and what the results of your own monitoring of fetal movement might mean.

If you do not feel any fetal movement within a twelve-hour time period, tell your prenatal care provider without delay. Depending on the particular circumstances of your situation, your caregiver might tell you to call sooner, perhaps after six or eight hours, for example.