kicks and such

I got an email from the BabyCentre the other day, and the main topic was "can you feel your baby moving?" It listed guidelines for this stage of pregnancy in terms of movement, one of which said "If you are concerned your baby isn't moving very much, try a movement count period. Pick a time that your baby is active, and count the movements. You should be able to feel 10 movements (any combination of kicks, flips, wiggles, etc) within a 2 hour period. If you do not feel 10, see your doctor."

I'm not sure if this kid is just hyperactive or something, but during his/her active times, it is not uncommon for me to feel 10 strong, noticeable movements within about 5 minutes or less. The active times are pretty regular throughout the day too, i've been glancing at the clock when i notice movements lately, and they seem to be on a pretty regular schedule.

The first ones of the day that i notice are around 6 am when Tony gets up, these are pretty light and just last a few minutes. Then there's periodic movements through the morning, with at least one good chunk of activity around 10:30-11am. Next is the 1pm chunk, followed by another around 4, (these afternoon ones sometimes last up to an hour or so). Then one in early evening (7 or 8pm), and one around 11pm or midnight. I have not woken up in the night due to baby moving so far, but i'm sure s/he has another chunk of activity during the night sometime.

I've heard that baby's sleep/wake patterns after birth are often similar to those developed while in utero, if this is the case, this kid should pop out ready for lots of activity during the day at 3 hour intervals, followed by less activity at night. I guess we'll see!