Kick Counter
Kick counting is the one piece of monitoring you can do yourself, every day, with nothing but your attention. It is also how most people first notice something has changed. Here is how it works, and when a change is worth a phone call.
Baaby for iPhone will let you count baby's movements, one-handed, with the screen off. Leave your email and we will tell you the day it is ready.
Pick your time
Choose a part of the day when your baby is usually busy, and keep to it. Counting at the same time each day is what makes a change visible.
Get comfortable
Lie on your left side or sit with your feet up. Somewhere quiet, where you are not going to be pulled away.
Count to ten
Note the time you start. Count every kick, roll, jab, and flutter until you reach ten.
Write down how long it took
This is the number that matters. Over a week or two you will learn your baby's normal, and a day that falls well outside it will stand out.
Call the same day. Do not wait to see whether it picks up.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Your provider's instructions for your pregnancy always come first.
Most providers suggest starting around week 28. If your pregnancy is being monitored more closely, yours may ask you to start as early as week 26. Before that, movement is usually too irregular for a count to tell you much.
The common guideline is ten movements within two hours. Most people feel ten in far less than that, often under thirty minutes. The number matters less than the pattern: what is normal for your baby is the thing you are learning.
Kicks, rolls, jabs, swishes, and flutters all count. Hiccups do not, because they are involuntary and rhythmic rather than a sign of activity.
Pick a time when your baby is usually active and do it around the same time each day. After a meal is a common choice. Lie on your left side or sit with your feet up, somewhere you will not be interrupted.
Call if you do not reach ten movements in two hours, if the movement feels clearly different from your baby's normal pattern, or if you notice a sudden drop. Do not wait until morning and do not wait to see if it improves. Providers would far rather hear from you.
Getting ready for the other end of the third trimester? Try the contraction timer and the hospital bag checklist.