Kick Counts

Your baby’s movement can be an indicator of fetal well-being. Many doctors encourage mothers to track their baby’s movements starting at 28 weeks of pregnancy. Monitoring movement also helps mothers to bond with their babies and learn their activity patterns. You may use the chart below to track baby’s movement, following these instructions.

• Choose a time once a day when baby tends to be more active.
• Position yourself comfortably sitting or on your side. Partners may get involved by resting their hands on your abdomen to help feel movements.
• Write down the first time you feel baby’s first kick, jab, flutter, or roll.
• Count your baby’s movements until you feel 10 movements. Many babies will complete this task in less than 30 minutes, but if an hour goes by, have something to eat or drink and continue counting for another hour. If you have not felt your baby move 10 times after two hours, call your health care provider right away.

Example
On Sunday, September 15th, you begin counting your baby’s movements at 7:05 PM.
By 7:40 PM, you have felt your baby kick or move 10 times. You would fill in your
chart this way:
                                         Sun          Mon         Tue        Wed         Thu           Fri         Sat
 
Day & Date                     9/15
Start Time                       7:05
Stop Time                       7:40
Minutes to reach 10        35