Alex Jones - "If in doubt mammas, ALWAYS check!"

We commend TV presenter Alex Jones this week for posting about attending her maternity unit after feeling concerned regarding her baby’s movements. She echoes our messages in her Instagram post saying “If in doubt mammas, ALWAYS check!” Yes, yes, yes to this!

You don’t need to wait a few days if you feel worried though. From 16-24 weeks you should feel your baby move more and more up until 32 weeks. Movements then stay about the same until your baby is born. Although a change in your baby’s movements could be nothing to worry about, if you notice your baby’s movements have slowed down or stopped from 28 weeks, you should call your midwife straight away. Baby’s movements should not slow down towards the end of pregnancy and not even during labour.

What will happen when I call?
You should be invited in to be checked, no matter how many times you need to call. Rather than just a normal doppler listen in, like Alex, you should be monitored over a period of time to check both the heart rate and movements of your baby. If all is well, you can then go home and relax.
NEVER EVER RELY ON HOME DOPPLERS / DEVICES! – You may be falsely reassured and only a midwife / trained health professional can fully check your baby’s wellbeing

I’m worried that I am not receiving the care that I should be
If you are worried at all about any aspect of your care, you can ask to speak with the head of midwifery to report your concerns.

I don’t feel very confident to call my maternity unit
Have you got one of our Wellbeing Wallets? If not, take a look here. They take the guesswork out of when you need to call your maternity unit. Instead of feeling unsure, you can confidently call saying that it says to do so on your wallet.

If in doubt, always get checked out!