I had a low risk pregnancy with no complications but would describe myself as relatively anxious person (it was my first pregnancy) and I was quite worried about monitoring my baby's movement and what was 'normal'.
I monitored the cycles of movement of my baby. Often I would find it hard to keep track so used one of the wristbands to keep track. I found it helpful and for several weeks was quite happy.

As I neared my due date I had an incident of what I felt was changing movement. My baby was still moving as regularly as before but the periods he moved seem shorter (5 mins rather than 10 for instance). I wasn't sure if it was just in my head or something had actually changed but something in my gut didnt seem right.

It happened twice more as I got closer to my due date ... each time I questioned myself. Was it just in my head? He was still moving and just about as regularly so surely it was fine? But still something didnt feel quite right but I couldn't be 100% sure. I followed the guidance of calling the hospital each time and went in - the monitoring was fine but as they said this only showed the baby while they monitored me.

After the 3rd visit to the hospital with reduced movement they offered me induction (after another scan to check the fluid and baby which we were fine). We really struggled with the choice to induce. What if it was all in my head and i put us through that for no reason?

We decided to take the view that something had been telling me something wasn't right with the movements and it wasn't worth the risk of waiting.

I had a difficult labour and ended with an emergency c section (for reasons unrelated to the movements) but when the doctors looked at the placenta post birth it had begun to abrupt during labour (come away) which they said had explained my baby's raised heart rate in labour (one of the reasons I had a c section). They also suggested that this indicated something had been not quite right with the placenta and likely that is why I had had the change in the movements.

I now have a lovely baby boy and I'm so glad that I followed my gut instinct that something wasn't right when the movements were diferent even though they didnt reduce or stop in the classic way.