There are two main ways of paying attention to your baby's movements, and they come from different guidance. Here's what each one asks of you, how to do a count, and the one rule they share.
Two approaches
Time how long ten movements take (ACOG · Count the Kicks): Count each movement until you reach ten, note how long it took, and compare it with your own earlier counts. The rule of ten movements within two hours has been the definition recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) when movement counting is done.
Know your baby's usual pattern (RCOG · NHS · Tommy's): There's no set number of movements you should feel — every baby is different. What matters is getting to know your baby's own pattern, and noticing if movements slow down or change.
Neither approach asks you to judge a count against anyone else's baby. Both come down to the same thing: your baby's own pattern, and acting quickly when it changes.
Timing ten movements
Count the Kicks, a US stillbirth-prevention programme, sets out the method simply: start a timer and record the time it takes to feel 10 movements. Pick a time when your baby is usually active, preferably the same time every day, and after each count compare the time with your earlier ones. Over a few days you'll see how long your baby usually takes.
Research articles describe the rule of ten movements within two hours as the definition of reduced movements recommended by ACOG and the American Academy of Pediatrics when movement counting is done (Tveit et al., 2009). ACOG's own patient information adds that there are different ways to do kick counts, and that your health care professional will tell you how often to do it and when to get in touch.
Knowing your baby's usual pattern
In the UK, the guidance doesn't ask you to count. The NHS says you do not need to count the number of kicks or movements you feel each day, and that there's no set number you should feel. RCOG says there's no specific number of movements that is considered enough — you need to be aware of your baby's individual pattern, and a reduction or change is what matters.
RCOG also says there isn't enough evidence to recommend the routine use of a movement chart. Some people still find that timing a count at the same time each day helps them notice their baby's pattern. Either way, the pattern is the point — not any single number.
What both agree on
If your baby is moving less than usual, or the pattern has changed, contact your midwife, doctor or maternity unit straight away. Do not wait until the next day — call immediately, even if it's the middle of the night (NHS). Do not use a home doppler or a heartbeat app to check on your baby instead (NHS, RCOG, Tommy's). Your baby should keep moving right up to and during labour (NHS, RCOG, Count the Kicks).
How to do a count
1. Pick your time. A time when your baby is usually awake — for many people that's the evening, or after a meal when you finally sit down. Around the same time each day. More in the best time to count. 2. Get comfortable. Lie on your side, or sit with your feet up and a hand on your bump. Movements are easiest to feel when you're still. 3. Start with the first movement. Note the time — or tap once on a counter, where the first tap starts the count. 4. Count every movement as one. Kicks, rolls, swishes, jabs and stretches all count. Hiccups don't — see what counts as a kick. 5. Stop at ten, and write down how long it took. That's one count. 6. Compare over days with your own earlier counts, not with anyone else's.
If at any point movements feel reduced or different, stop counting and contact your midwife, doctor or maternity unit now. You don't need to finish a count first, and you don't need a number to make the call.
Keeping a record
You can use our free web kick counter, a printable chart, or the Bump Kicks app, which keeps your history on your phone and can export it as a PDF to bring to appointments. A count is a note about your day, not an exam — a…