I’m now at that stage in my pregnancy where I am hanging on every kick the baby makes.

It has become something of a tonic for me to feel movement, like the baby is saying “Hey, I’m still here and moving about happily.”

So naturally when I don’t feel anything for at least twenty minutes I start to panic.

It means that my reading material of late has been on how to make the baby kick on demand. I tried poking and prodding and it seems to do nothing other than hurt. Apparently ice cold water can lull the baby out of its lazy relaxation. Or chocolate I have heard. Pregnancy booklets suggest lying on your side and keeping still. One I have tried when I have the time.

But sometimes, however much I will it to happen, nothing does. I know that supposedly the baby needs rest too, but this is only for about 40 minutes at a time and so why am I going for hours on end, sometimes even most of the day, without feeling anything?

I am even tempted into buying a home heartbeat hearer device thingy. (Correct name, fetal heart monitor) so I can monitor what’s going on. But that is a little obsessive. Isn’t it?

I remember someone saying to me at about the 12 week mark when I noted how I had spent the last 7 weeks of knowing I was in the family way worrying every moment and she said to me that this is only the start of it and I have a lifetime of motherly worry to contend with. Great. Looks like this is going to continue then just with different issues.

But in the meantime I wish this child of mine would cooperate a little and kick constantly. Please. For mummy.