Counting Kicks

I read recently that at this point in my pregnancy, I should start counting the baby's kicks and if I don't get to a certain number within an hour, then something might be wrong. 

Seriously, I think this is another one of those things that can be added to the long list of ways to make pregnant women paranoid.

I asked my doctor about this at my last appointment and he said he personally believes that's unrealistic because women are too busy and they simply lose count. Also, the baby could very well have long sleep cycles. Phew! This was such a relief because one day last week, I didn't feel him move for several hours. Of course, this happens right after I'd read the article on counting kicks. I'd also been told by my doctor that if this should ever happen, then to put something really cold on my belly, like a bag of frozen vegetables. Babies don't like the cold so this would cause them to react by kicking. So I tried this, but I only felt the tiniest of movements, so small that I wasn't sure if I'd actually felt them or if it was just my paranoid mind trying to convince myself that they were real kicks. At this point, I became completely panicked and alerted John. He insisted on calling the doctor to see if we could swing by quickly and listen to the baby's heartbeat, but for some reason, I refused. I honestly think I was in denial. I was trying to convince myself that nothing was wrong because I seriously wouldn't be able to face it if something was bad (ignorance is bliss right?) As the day wore on, I did finally feel him move a bit, but still not his usual active kicks. But by the next day, everything was back to normal. I asked my doctor about this and he said generally, the baby should be moving throughout the day and if that should ever happen again, then I should call the office and they'll be able to get me in to monitor the baby. That day has still gone unexplained (maybe he was just having a lazy day?), but the doctor says it's good that he's back to his normal self. And boy, is he! His kicks have gotten so hard and frequent lately I can actually see my stomach moving around a bit. I took the video below of my belly, hoping to capture some of these movements.

Can you kinda see it? I know it's subtle. You'll see more movement on the right side of my belly. And I'm not referring to my belly rising and falling - that's just me breathing :)

I read online today that at 33 weeks pregnant, my amniotic fluid level is maxed out, meaning there's less fluid to cushion his pokes and kicks. The other night, he pushed out so hard that John joked it hurt even him. I'm not complaining though. I LOVE feeling him move around. It's really the best feeling in the world.