Every kick counts!

A mother's natural instinct is the most powerful weapon that you can have in your arsenal!

I know so many mums who just 'know' when something isn't right with their baby and I was so worried that I would be in the minority that didn't. Luckily as soon as Leo entered our world I would have taken a bullet for him and knew right away when something was wrong. 

This instinct was more important than ever when I was pregnant. During my nine month stretch (where I went from looking like a chunky monkey to a complete beached whale!)I had a few different occasions when our baby stopped moving for one reason or another and I have never felt more scared in my life. 

I first felt my little one tell me he was here with a tiny flutter at 14 weeks (nothing like the boot to the ribs that came later on)and since that day I made a mental note of each time he did. It is the most surreal, fantastic feeling you can have and one that, when we were struggling with fertility, I never thought I'd be lucky enough to experience. The first time I knew  something was wrong it took me all day to do something about that as I didn't want to waste people's time over nothing and if there's one thing that you should take away from reading this post it's that you should never wait! 

I've heard every old wive's tale in the book:

"Baby is just having a nice long sleep"

"You've made it so comfy in there he doesn't want to wriggle"

"Baby's just running out of room"

My one and only bit of advice if you notice reduced or lack of your baby's movements is to ring your midwife straight away and insist on getting checked out. I was in hospital on an ECG monitor at 30, 36 and 38 weeks pregnant and luckily each time our monkey was just having a quiet day and the second the wires touched my bump to get me hooked up, he began kicking like a footballer! 

However it's not always a false alarm and at 39 weeks I had to be induced with Leo because his movements had slowed so much. He had meconium during labour, a sign of stress and was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck with a knot tied into it. I hate to think what could have been had we not delivered our baby there and then but I'm so thankful we did!

Count the Kicks is a charity whose aim is to lower the UK's stillbirth and neonatal death rate by raising awareness of baby's movements in pregnancy. It is a brilliant cause that is so important to support, they do fundraisers, awareness campaigns and have an online store. Browsing their shop I came across their 'Kick counter' wristbands which you wear when you are expecting and can monitor your baby's kicks. The thought behind this is not to get paranoid and panic but just to be aware of what is normal for you and your baby. On their website you can buy a 'Mum-to-be starter kit' for just £7.99 which includes their kicks wristband, a pen and lanyard. 

If you are pregnant or know someone that is what better gift to buy from such a worthy cause!