The short answer. From about week 28, count once a day at your baby's busiest time: lie on your left side, tap every kick, roll or flutter, and stop at ten. Most people reach ten well within two hours. There is no universal pass mark — the thing to watch is your own baby's pattern. If ten movements take much longer than they usually do, or movements feel fewer or weaker, call your maternity unit the same day. Babies do not move less before labour.
How to count properly
Pick the right time
Babies have active and quiet periods, and a quiet period is not a warning sign. Count when yours is usually busiest — for most people that is after a meal, after a cold drink, or in the evening.
Be still
Lie on your left side or sit with your feet up. Walking around masks movement: you will feel far fewer kicks doing the washing-up than lying down, and that difference is you, not the baby.
Count movements, not kicks
Rolls, swishes, stretches, flutters and jabs all count. Hiccups do not — they are rhythmic and involuntary, and counting them will make a quiet day look busy.
Stop at ten
Ten is the end of the count, not a minimum to beat. The number worth recording is the time ten movements took, because that is the figure that can be compared with yesterday.
What the number actually means
The count-to-ten method is not a test with a pass mark. Its whole value is the comparison with your own baby's normal, which is why one count in isolation says very little and a week of counts says a great deal.
| What you see | What it suggests | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Ten movements in the usual time | Your baby's normal pattern | Nothing. Count again tomorrow. |
| Ten movements, but much slower than usual | A change from your baby's own pattern | Call your maternity unit today |
| Fewer than ten in about two hours | Reduced movement | Call your maternity unit now |
| Movements feel weaker, though still ten | Also a change worth reporting | Call your maternity unit today |
| A quiet hour, then a normal count after a cold drink | A quiet period — very common | Nothing, if the follow-up count is normal |
Call your maternity unit the same day — not tomorrow morning — if:
- You cannot reach ten movements in about two hours at your baby's usual active time
- Movements are clearly fewer, weaker or different from your baby's normal
- You have had to "check" more than once because something felt off
- Movements stop suddenly, at any gestation
You will not be wasting anyone's time. Maternity units would far rather see you for a normal trace than not see you at all, and reduced movement is the one symptom they never want reported late.
Three myths worth deleting
"Babies move less near the end"
They do not. What changes is the character of the movement — more rolling, stretching and pressing as space runs out, fewer sharp kicks. The frequency should not drop. This myth is the single most common reason a reduction gets reported late.
"I'll check with a home doppler"
A heartbeat you find yourself is falsely reassuring: it says nothing about how the baby is coping, and it can turn a same-day call into a wait-and-see. If movements have changed, be seen instead.
"There's a magic number of kicks per hour"
There is not, and any page that gives you one is inventing it. Ten movements is a practical stopping point, not a threshold — the comparison that matters is with your own baby's usual pattern.
When to start, and how often
Start from around week 28. Before that, movements are too irregular for a count to mean much. Once a day is plenty — pick the time your baby is usually most active and keep it roughly consistent, because a count taken at the same time each day is the only one that compares cleanly with yesterday's.
If you are in the last weeks, the third trimester guide covers what else changes, and the contraction timer is the tool that takes over once contractions start.
Inside Baby Novum: every count saved with its date and duration, a chart of how your baby's pattern shifts week to week, and an optional daily reminder from week 28 — alongside the contraction timer, breathing techniques and the full week-by-week guide.
Related guides
FAQ — Counting baby movements
When should I start counting kicks?
From around week 28, when movements have settled into a pattern you can recognise. Before that, movements are still irregular enough that counting tells you little. The Baby Novum app unlocks its counter reminder at week 28 for the same reason.
How long should ten movements take?
Most people reach ten well within two hours, and often much faster. There is no universal pass mark — the useful comparison is your own baby's usual pattern. If ten movements normally take twenty minutes and today they take two hours, that change matters even though two hours is "within range".
What counts as a movement?
Kicks, rolls, swishes, flutters and jabs all count. Hiccups do not — they are rhythmic, repetitive and not a voluntary movement. If you feel a burst of several kicks together, most people count it as one movement.
What if my baby is not moving?
First, do the obvious things: have something to eat or a cold drink, then lie on your left side somewhere quiet and count again. If you still do not reach ten movements in about two hours, or if movements are clearly fewer or weaker than usual, call your maternity unit the same day. Do not wait for the morning.
Do babies move less towards the end of pregnancy?
No — and this is the most dangerous myth in late pregnancy. Movements change character as space runs out: more rolling and stretching, fewer sharp kicks. They do not reduce in frequency before labour. Any real reduction is a same-day call, at any gestation.
Should I use a home doppler to check instead?
No. A heartbeat you find yourself is falsely reassuring — it tells you nothing about how the baby is coping, and delays that matter have been traced to exactly this. If movements have changed, be seen.
Does this counter save my sessions?
Only for as long as the tab is open. Nothing is written to your phone and nothing is sent anywhere. If you want a history to show at an appointment — which is far more useful than one count — that is what the app is for.
Kick counting — at a glance
From around week 28, once a day, at the time your baby is usually busiest: lie on your left side, tap every kick, roll, flutter or stretch, and stop at ten. Hiccups do not count. Most people reach ten well within two hours, but the two-hour figure is a backstop rather than a target — the number that carries information is how long ten movements took compared with yesterday. That is why a daily count at a consistent time is worth far more than an occasional one. Call your maternity unit the same day if you cannot reach ten in about two hours, if the count takes much longer than usual, or if movements feel weaker or simply different. And ignore the two myths that cause delay: babies do not move less before labour, and a heartbeat found with a home doppler is not reassurance about how your baby is coping.
Baby Novum is an informational and tracking tool, not a medical device, and does not provide medical diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your doctor or midwife about your pregnancy.