During pregnancy I felt very connected to my baby. I had an anterior placenta so it took me quite a while until I could feel her moving, but once I understood what a baby movement felt like I loved saying “Hi” to her when she woke up and asking her if she had had a good nap. I loved connecting with her, poking my belly, and playing music for her and feeling her dance around. 

It was a Sunday morning, on the eve of Chanukah, and I wasn’t feeling her as regularly as I had been before. I had been very nervous throughout the pregnancy and noticing a change in her movements had me feeling concerned. I was used to feeling her move for 2-3 minutes every 60-90 minutes. I tried to play it off, thinking maybe she had turned posterior and my placenta was cushioning the kicks, but my concern remained. I felt movements throughout the day, few and far between, but movements nonetheless, and they gave me comfort that she was doing okay (it shouldn’t have).

By Monday I was truly worried, it felt like much too long for my daughter to have been acting differently and I called the midwife at my birthing center. I put music on my belly and waited, but crickets. I went in for my appointment where she put me on the monitor and we waited to see how my baby was doing. After a few minutes my midwife said, “I don’t like what I’m seeing.” Her heart rate was in the 170s when it normally should have been around 150, and there was no variation — it was all very flat.

My midwife called ahead to the hospital to let them know I needed to be checked out and for the next couple of hours I was having ultrasounds and further monitoring there without notable improvement. They had said the phrase, “we can see she’s conserving energy, and we don’t know why.” My midwife appointment had started around 5:30 p.m. and our Moushka was born completely healthy, thank G-d, via emergency cesarean section at 2:15 a.m. on Dec. 16 2025. 

My advice to expectant parents would be to get to know your baby during pregnancy. The more time you spend talking to your baby and connecting with them, the more in tune you’ll be and the more likely you are to notice when something’s not quite right. Because I had been talking to my baby when she moved, I could notice the silence. That absence of movement was what alerted me that something was off. You’ll be more aware if movements feel different or reduced, and that awareness can help you speak up and seek care.

Without the knowledge I had about getting to know my baby’s normal movement patterns in pregnancy, we wouldn’t have been able to save our Moushka’s life.” -Malka, Moushka’s mom

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My MFM taught me about the importance of feeling baby’s movements.  I later saw a video on Instagram about the Count the Kicks app and downloaded it immediately! I used the app many times, even when I wasn’t worried about my baby, but just to check on his movement and have a baseline of what it was usually like. 

On Dec. 5, 2024, I went to the hospital for potential preeclampsia symptoms. I was dizzy, had blurred vision, pain in my ribs, and swelling. Everything checked out fine though, so they sent me home.

Later that night I felt like something still wasn’t right. I hadn’t felt him move as much that day. I woke up in the middle of the night and used the app to count kicks, but I hadn’t felt a single one in 30 minutes. 

We rushed to the hospital just in case, and ended up in the operating room for a stat cesarean section very shortly after because of Non-Reassuring Fetal Heart Tracing (NRFHT). It turned out to be a placental abruption (I was bleeding into my uterus due to the abruption) and my baby was in distress. We had doctors and nurses come into our room throughout our stay just to tell us how lucky we were that our baby made it. 

Doctors said even minutes later it could have been a very different ending for both of us. I really owe so much to Count the Kicks. 

My best advice is to please trust your gut when you think something is off. And, of course, to download Count the Kicks! 

Mason spent 105 days in the NICU, but just recently turned 1! He is perfect and thriving and just the most incredible baby boy.” -Meredith, Mason’s mom

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One thing the app does really well is explaining that it is more than just the kicks but also the intensity and really knowing your baby’s typical movement patterns. My daughter was very active. Every night she would hit them within a couple of minutes and her kicks were very intense.

At 29.5 weeks I was having a day where I was not noticing a ton of movement and it just felt off. I knew you guys did not recommend doing this, but I ended up eating something sweet to try to get her to move.* I laid down only feeling a couple slight movements and I decided to just head into the ER and get checked. They hooked me up and said that her fetal movement was normal and sent me home. 

I came home that night and I was just in a funk because I still felt like the fetal movement was off and not her normal. I did another kick count that night and it took her maybe an hour when she normally would take 5 minutes. My husband assured me that everything was fine and I had already gone to the ER that day and they told me it was normal. I went back to bed and my family and I went to the pumpkin patch the next day.  

At the pumpkin patch I just started sobbing and told my husband that I need to go back. It was only 10 minutes away and I would be back in an hour. I just needed to insist on getting an ultrasound to clear my mind. When I arrived they hooked me and told me that her movement was normal and that she was reaching the 10 kicks in 2 hours. I insisted that they do an ultrasound. I told them that I knew my baby and I have never felt her this lightly and never takes this long. 

They did an ultrasound and the nurse looked at me and told me that I was 6 centimeters dilated and in active labor. I called my husband to get a neighbor to pick him up because I had left him there and that I was laboring. It all happened so suddenly. I wasn’t even at my normal hospital and they would not let me take the ambulance there.

I gave birth to Esther, and because I was able to be proactive, she was able to get both rounds of lung steroids shots and was able to start treatment for an infection. My pathology test came back and it said there was an infection in my placenta that caused the preterm labor. Because they were able to start us both on antibiotics so early, she was able to kick her infection rather quickly.

The Count the Kicks app is free and so easy to use. I would advise others to make this part of your routine and learn your baby’s normal movement pattern. Without having this data it can be so easy for someone to talk you out of your concerns. The visual will help support why you are there and helps allow the doctors and nurses to take you seriously. Every nurse after Esther was born asked me how I knew something was wrong and I had the app to show to them.

She is 32 weeks today and is doing so well, and it is 100% because of Count the Kicks. I don’t know what the outcome would have been without it.” -Lydia C., Esther’s mom

Editor’s Note: Research shows that fetal movement is best monitored without interventions like juice, candy, or drinking ice water.

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I noticed that she was most active after I ate breakfast in the morning and right before I went to sleep. The app was really helpful to have all the data from my past sessions to help me figure out when she was most active. 

Around 38 weeks I noticed one night she was not as active as she was normally. I dismissed it at first and went to sleep. The next morning I had a large breakfast and drank a bunch of orange juice and there was no activity. I knew I needed to do something because of the information the app had educated me on. 

I called my OB right away and they told me to come in for monitoring. Soon after I got checked in was when they noticed I had high blood pressure and sent me to labor and delivery right away. After some tests, they decided it was best to deliver her. 

After delivering Madeleine, they found out that I also had hypertension, which caused distress resulting in the low movement. Thankfully delivery itself was smooth sailing for Madi and I. We were both safe at home within a couple of days after her delivery. 

My advice would be to always trust your instincts, listen to your body and cherish every second you have with babies because time is really a thief.” -Michelle A., Madeleine’s mom

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My health team took really good care of me and my baby. They took care of not only me physically but also my heart after the loss. I was at a regular scheduled appointment when my sonographer asked me about my daughter’s movements. That was when I realized that while she had been moving, her movements were not as intense as they had been before. Because of your education and advocacy, I knew to trust that instinct. Thanks to the Count the Kicks app I had the data to show and back me up on this change. 

My health team took action right away and did a biophysical profile (BPP). She technically passed, but she barely made it. My medical team decided they would feel better if they sent me to the hospital for more testing. Once we arrived, they tried to do a non-stress test (NST), but Aria was moving like crazy. I knew from the education I received from Count the Kicks social media that was also not good. 

I was being monitored and I had just fallen asleep and within 10 minutes a bunch of nurses began rushing in. Her heart rate was dropping and they were frantically calling my OB-GYN and getting me ready to give birth. Aria was born safely, fully wrapped in her cord. My OB-GYN informed me if she were to move any more than she did, she would have not made it here today. 

For those who are expecting, the one thing I would advise would be to download the Count the Kicks app. There is so much more to counting kicks than we are told. This easy-to-use tool could help save you and your baby. If I had not found Count the Kicks, I truly believe Aria would not be here today.” -Jessica S., Aria’s mom

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The app brought a sense of relief during my pregnancy. With her being my first, my mental state would have deteriorated because I was always thinking there was something wrong. It gave me a piece of mind every time she would reach her kick count. I would have not been able to make it through my pregnancy without it. 

A day before I turned 34 weeks, I was in an accident and fell through my apartment floor. At first, I thought I was fine, so I didn’t go in to get checked right away. After some time had passed, I noticed Gemma wasn’t moving like she normally would. I opened my app and realized she was not moving at all. 

I decided to go to the hospital to get checked. After Gemma failed her stress test and heart rate began to drop my providers decided it would be best to deliver her immediately by emergency c cesarean section. Later, they confirmed it was because of the trauma of my fall. 

Gemma was born not breathing and after some complications and a NICU stay, today Gemma is happy and healthy.

My advice to others would be to trust your instincts and count your kicks. Even if your baby is really active, make sure to count. It saved both my life and my daughter’s life. The doctors told me that if I had waited even a couple more hours, she would have not made it here safely.” Aliyah K., Gemma’s mom

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I used the app almost every day during the last three months to monitor his kicks. One important feature in the app — and something I hadn’t been taught to monitor elsewhere — was the strength feature, which prompted me to rate the intensity of Arlo’s movements after each tracking session. Arlo was a strong kicker in my belly every single day since I first began feeling him.

Only three days prior to Arlo’s due date, I was sensing something was off. Using the app, my husband and I recorded the session in the early morning and we noticed something was very different. It took longer between kicks and even though he reached the number of kicks in a similar time, Arlo’s movements were definitely not as strong as usual. Since the app recorded and saved all of our past sessions, it was easy to see that there was something wrong when we compared the last session. After seeing the difference between this session and our past ones, we immediately called the hospital and rushed over. 

Once arriving at the hospital, I was able to show my provider the difference in movement and it alerted them to fully investigate. My medical team determined that Arlo was having some complications. The umbilical cord had wrapped around Arlo’s neck and it would tighten when he tried to move so it would be safest for the baby to have an emergency cesarean section. Arlo was born healthy, and incredibly happy. He’s been our super active little sunshine guy ever since.

I would advise other moms to trust your intuition. You know you and your baby so don’t worry about bothering the medical providers because you’d rather be safe than sorry. If it wouldn’t have been for counting and recording kicks, I don’t know how it would have gone but I’m so grateful for everything that went right that day.” -Celine O., Arlo’s Mom

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That night, I started googling what was considered normal and when to call the doctor. That’s when I came across Count the Kicks. I downloaded the app and started reading through the website. It was full of information I didn’t even know I needed. It was easy to use and honestly made me feel so much more confident. I felt empowered to talk to my doctor and ask better questions.

I started really paying attention to her movements, not just how many, but how strong they were, and when during the day she was usually active. Over the next week, I noticed a real change. She was still moving, but it wasn’t the same. The movements were less intense, and she wasn’t as active during the times she normally was.

I called my provider, but they didn’t seem too concerned. They told me if I got 10 movements in an hour, that was enough. But I just knew this wasn’t normal for her. 

By the end of the week, I had another scheduled ultrasound. I went in with all the information I’d tracked, my notes, the app data, everything. I was nervous, but I knew I had to speak up for her. Because of that, they paid closer attention, did more thorough checks, and found that my amniotic fluid was low.

They admitted me for special monitoring on Friday, and I was put on an IV. When my fluid was still low about 24 hours later, they said we would need to induce. Sydney was born midday Sunday. She was not showing signs of distress, thankfully, just a lot less movement and less intense movement than before. 

I honestly believe that using Count the Kicks made all the difference. I knew something wasn’t right, and because I didn’t let it go, my baby is here and healthy. My advice to other moms would be to follow your intuition and don’t let anyone be dismissive of what you know is right.” Kristen G., Sydney’s Mom

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When I used the app she always met the minimum kick count in the time she was supposed to, but it was always just barely. We found out in my third trimester that she had turner syndrome and had a 98% risk of stillbirth! That coupled with her not moving a lot was enough for them to allow me twice weekly non-stress tests (NSTs). 

The morning of her failed NST, I noticed she wasn’t moving much at all. They gave me juice, ice water, had me move around and she still ‘borderline failed.’* The doctor came and asked me if I wanted more monitoring or if I felt like her movements had been OK and that’s when I was able to tell her that she hadn’t been moving anywhere near as much as she typically did. Because of that I got extended monitoring and a biophysical profile (BPP) and that’s when we were told I was going to be induced that day at 37 weeks 2 days! 

When my daughter was born her placenta was about 350 grams, her cord was short and thin with two vessels and basically no coils. On her placenta pathology report they found chorionic villi with patchy delayed maturation and increased syncytial knots. 

I feel extremely lucky to have my daughter here, and I’m so glad I was able to use the app to notice when her movements had started to change! The biggest thing for me was making sure to do it consistently before it ever became a problem so I knew what her normal was. Having that baseline to go off of made it a lot easier to tell when something was wrong!

I genuinely believe that if I hadn’t been counting her kicks with the app that she would have been in the 98% statistic.” Breanna P., Elowyn’s Mom

Editor’s Note: A change in a baby’s movement may indicate potential problems before actual changes in the heart rate are detected. Expectant parents should only use a Doppler device under the guidance of a healthcare provider.

The post Meet Elowyn appeared first on Count the Kicks.

I was 37 weeks pregnant and everything was going well. The baby was kicking and moving a lot. Then, one Sunday, something changed — the movements started to be less and less and not as powerful anymore. I started to become worried and waited for the night, when he would usually be more active, but even then the situation did not improve. The next morning, on Monday, I contacted the doctor and she immediately made an appointment with a specialist.

The same evening I went there and I was told that there were problems with the placenta and that the baby was not receiving enough oxygen. I was already 3 centimeters dilated and could have a normal birth if the situation improved, but I was also told to be prepared for a cesarean section. 

I was given a supplement and told to monitor the kicks and see if there were improvements. I took the supplement, but the improvements were minor. I talked to my doctor again and Tuesday she scheduled another appointment to monitor the baby’s heartbeat and it was again not very good. 

Because I have ulcerative colitis they wanted to avoid a C-section as much as they could and told me to eat something sweet and they repeated the test. I ate three bananas and the heartbeats improved, but the doctor decided it was too much of a risk to wait and decided to schedule the operation the next day. 

Although she had many patients, Ms. Pelin was always in touch, she called me again the same evening and told me she wanted to do the C-section at 11 a.m., on Wednesday, and for that she wanted to clear part of her schedule. After a few more questions about the kicks she assured me that the baby was going to be fine until the next day, but I was in such distress because I only felt him weakly that she decided to do the operation that night.

I was asked when I last ate, which was about 2 hours ago (at 6 p.m.) and she said to drop everything and go to the hospital. My doctor waited for me at the hospital and I was quickly prepared for the C-section. I barely had time to process what was going on. 

My son was born at 10 p.m. that Tuesday, just two days after noticing the difference in his kicking pattern. The doctor and hospital staff were amazing. They let the father sit with our baby at the NICU and then brought the baby to me and tried to help him latch, but he was weak. After seeing that they asked for permission to do some tests and found out that he had an infection. 

The reason was not known. They could only guess that I might have caught a cold, a virus or something similar and while it did not affect me, it did affect the baby. The doctor had one mother who had a similar problem. She had recurring UTI’s during pregnancy and had to take antibiotics because of it. She healed, but the baby was affected by the infections, so it is something to be wary about. 

My son had to stay in the hospital for 10 days where he was given antibiotics and my doctor told me that my case is one she does not usually have and that my baby was saved by my monitoring of his kicks, considering how quickly the situation changed and evolved. 

I cannot thank Count the Kicks enough for everything you do and I believe that it was because of this information that I can hold my son in my arms today.” -Ana B., Petru’s mom

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