Kick Counting With an Anterior Placenta
If your baby's movements change, contact your care team immediately, whatever the position of your placenta. An anterior placenta, at the front of the uterus, can make movements harder to feel, and some sources say they may be felt a little later. None of the sources we read gives a different method of kick counting or a different number, and the RCOG's 2026 guideline and Tommy's warn against assuming the placenta explains less movement.
Written by the Bumpi Kicks team at Speed AI Labs LLP. Last updated . General information, not reviewed by a clinician, and not medical advice. How we write and check these pages.
If your baby's movements change, contact your care team now
Call your midwife, doctor or maternity unit immediately if your baby moves less than usual, you cannot feel movement, or the usual pattern changes, whatever the position of your placenta. The NHS says not to wait until the next day.
If you cannot reach them, or you are worried about your own health, call your local emergency number.
What sources say about an anterior placenta and movements
It can make movements harder to feel
The RCOG's patient information says that if your placenta is at the front of your uterus, it may not be so easy to feel your baby's movements. Its 2026 guideline says that before 28+0 weeks an anterior placenta may decrease how much movement a woman feels, an evidence level of 2- (a lower grade, with a significant risk the link is not causal). Tommy's says the placenta is like a cushion between the kicks and the front of your bump, and Health NZ says you may not feel movements as strongly.
Two sources say movements may come a little later
Cleveland Clinic says you may not feel movement until 20 weeks, instead of about 18, and that it can feel weaker or softer. Count the Kicks says it may take a little longer, in weeks, to feel movement.
Two sources give the same window wherever the placenta lies
Tommy's says most people first feel their baby move between 18 and 24 weeks wherever the placenta lies, and the Australian Stillbirth CRE says you will start to feel movement from 16 to 24 weeks regardless of where it lies. Cleveland Clinic's 20 weeks falls inside both windows.
Tommy's says it should not change how much your baby moves
Tommy's says an anterior placenta should not affect how much or how little your baby is moving, that you should still feel regular movement, and that what is normal for your baby will just be different. Your baby's own usual pattern is still the comparison.
Do not assume it explains less movement
Tommy's says never to assume the anterior placenta is the reason you cannot feel your baby move, and to contact your maternity unit straightaway if movements are less, weaker or have stopped, even if you were seen the same day. The RCOG's 2026 guideline says not to attribute reduced movements to an anterior placenta if a change in movement occurs, and the Australian guideline, written for single pregnancies from 28 weeks, says concern should not be attributed to anterior placenta or body size.
No source we read gives a different way to count
The sources that describe counting give no separate method, number or time window for an anterior placenta. Count the Kicks answers yes to counting with one, recommends sitting or lying down comfortably and focusing on the movements, and says to talk to your provider for additional advice. Its FAQ says counting times are similar from 24 weeks, but we could not check that against a study.
Common questions
Can I count kicks with an anterior placenta?
Count the Kicks answers yes, recommends sitting or lying down in a comfortable position and focusing on the movements, and says to ask your provider for additional advice. None of the other sources we read says to count differently, and none gives a different number. The NHS says you do not need to count. Follow the method your own midwife or doctor gave you. If you cannot feel movement or the usual pattern changes, contact your midwife, doctor or maternity unit immediately instead of counting on.
Will kicks feel weaker with an anterior placenta?
They can. Tommy's says the placenta cushions the kicks, Cleveland Clinic says movements can feel weaker or softer, and Health NZ says you may not feel them as strongly. Tommy's adds that what is normal for your baby will just be different, so a reduction from your baby's usual pattern still needs a call.
When will I feel movement with an anterior placenta?
Sources differ a little. Cleveland Clinic says you may not feel movement until 20 weeks instead of about 18. The RCOG's 2026 guideline says an anterior placenta may decrease how much movement you feel before 28 weeks. Tommy's gives 18 to 24 weeks and the Australian Stillbirth CRE 16 to 24 weeks, wherever the placenta lies. The NHS says to tell your midwife if you have not felt movement by 24 weeks.
My baby is moving less. Could it be my placenta?
Do not assume so. Tommy's says never to assume the anterior placenta is the reason, and the RCOG's 2026 guideline says not to attribute reduced movements to an anterior placenta if a change occurs. Contact your midwife, doctor or maternity unit immediately. The NHS says not to wait until the next day.
Is an anterior placenta a problem?
Tommy's says it is unlikely to cause any pregnancy complications, because the front wall of the womb is a normal place for the placenta, and Cleveland Clinic says it usually does not cause complications. Both note it can make some tests and the feel of movements different. Ask your midwife if you are unsure.
Sources
These are the sources behind the statements on this page. We opened each one and checked it on the date shown.
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Your baby's movements in pregnancy (patient information based on Green-top Guideline No. 57, February 2011)
The RCOG's patient information says that if your placenta is at the front of your uterus, it may not be so easy for you to feel your baby's movements.
Limits: UK patient information published February 2019 and based on the 2011 guideline; the RCOG still had it online on 17 October 2026. The guideline's second edition (April 2026) says to report any decrease or stopping of movements and finds insufficient evidence for counting to set numbers. Advice elsewhere differs, and your own midwife or doctor comes first.
Checked . Read directly from the source.
- Tommy's, Anterior placenta, last reviewed 6 March 2026
Tommy's says never to assume an anterior placenta is the reason you cannot feel your baby move, although it can make movements a bit harder to feel because it cushions the kicks.
Limits: UK charity advice, reviewed for clinical accuracy by a Tommy's midwife manager, as the page says. The page adds that an anterior placenta should not affect how much or how little your baby is moving, and that most people first feel movement between 18 and 24 weeks wherever the placenta lies. It also says an anterior placenta is unlikely to cause pregnancy complications, because the front wall of the womb is a normal place for the placenta.
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- Tommy's, Baby movements in pregnancy, last reviewed 30 January 2026
Tommy's says there is no set number of normal movements, that you do not need to count a specific number of kicks, and that you should get to know your baby's usual movements from day to day.
Limits: Tommy's is a UK charity. The page lists the clinicians who reviewed it for clinical accuracy and says it is certified under the PIF TICK for health information. It also says that with an anterior placenta you should still feel regular movement, and what is normal for your baby will just be different.
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- Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand and Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, Clinical practice guideline for the care of women with decreased fetal movements with a singleton pregnancy from 28 weeks' gestation, version 2.4, March 2023 (recommendation 2D)
The Australian and New Zealand guideline says maternal concern about decreased movements should not be attributed to anterior placenta or body size.
Limits: A guideline for clinicians, for singleton pregnancies from 28 weeks. It says its recommendations are consensus-based. It was due for review by October 2025, and we found no newer version.
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- Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth (Australia), Safer Baby Bundle: Decreased Fetal Movements (DFM) #2, no date shown on the page
The Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth tells parents to contact their midwife or doctor immediately about a change in movements, that there is no set number of normal movements, and that you will feel movement from weeks 16 to 24 wherever your placenta lies.
Limits: The page does not mention counting. It says you are not wasting their time by contacting them.
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- Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, Pregnancy and your baby's movements, last updated 22 July 2026
Health New Zealand says that if you are a larger person, or your placenta is at the front of your uterus, you may not feel your baby's movements as strongly.
Limits: The page adds that some people may not feel their baby move as much as others even though they are doing well.
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- Cleveland Clinic, Anterior Placenta, last updated 05/20/2026
Cleveland Clinic says an anterior placenta may make it harder to feel kicks, that you may not feel movement until 20 weeks instead of about 18, and that movements can feel weaker or softer.
Limits: The page says an anterior placenta usually does not cause complications and that you should talk to your pregnancy care provider if you are unsure about fetal movements. It gives no different counting rule.
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- Count the Kicks (Healthy Birth Day, Inc.), Frequently asked questions, no date shown on the page
Count the Kicks answers yes to counting with an anterior placenta, says it may take a little longer, in weeks, to feel movement, and says to ask your provider for additional advice.
Limits: It recommends sitting or lying down comfortably and focusing on the movements. It also says counting times are similar to other placenta positions from 24 weeks, linking a 2023 review of fetal movement conversations; that review's abstract does not mention placenta position, and we could not check the claim.
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- Whitworth M, Fisher M, Heazell A, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Reduced Fetal Movements, Green-top Guideline No. 57, second edition. BJOG 2026;133(8):e70-e92, first published 27 April 2026 (section 5)
The RCOG's 2026 guideline says not to put reduced movements down to an anterior placenta if a change in movement occurs, or to a raised body mass index.
Limits: Graded C and B. It says that before 28+0 weeks an anterior placenta may decrease how much movement a woman feels. After 28 weeks one study found no reduction and another found more women with an anterior placenta presented with reduced movements.
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- NHS, Your baby's movements, page last reviewed 8 July 2024
The NHS says there is no set number of movements you should feel each day, that you do not need to count your baby's kicks, and that you should get to know your baby's usual pattern.
Limits: NHS advice is written for the UK. Advice elsewhere differs, and your own midwife or doctor comes first.
Checked . Read directly from the source.
- NHS, Your baby's movements, page last reviewed 8 July 2024
The NHS says you should start to feel your baby move between 16 and 24 weeks of pregnancy, and to tell your midwife if you have not felt movement by 24 weeks.
Limits: NHS advice is written for the UK. Advice elsewhere differs, and your own midwife or doctor comes first.
Checked . Read directly from the source.
- NHS, Your baby's movements, page last reviewed 8 July 2024
The NHS says to call your midwife or maternity unit immediately if your baby moves less than usual, you cannot feel movement, or the usual pattern changes, and not to wait until the next day.
Limits: NHS advice is written for the UK. Advice elsewhere differs, and your own midwife or doctor comes first.
Checked . Read directly from the source.