Decreased Fetal Movement at 38.5 Weeks: Seeking Urgent Medical Attention

Question
I am 38.5 weeks pregnant right now and i have a question about the movement. My daughter has always been very active inside me, today i barely felt her move 8 times in hours... normally she's crazy when i eat and drink juices.. but she's just not moving, i went to the hospitial and they don't seem to be listening to me. they told me to come in with decreased fetal movement.. and i do and they blow me off.. nobody is hearing what i am sayin they send me home like it's no big deal. i don't feel right about it.. i sense something is wrong.. what should i do? am i right in this is this a bad sign when i can't feel her move?

Answer
You should feel some fetal movement at least 10 times within 10 hours. It does not have to be kicking. It can be rolling or hiccups or rolling. If you believe that you are having decreased fetal movements, you should be checked. They will put you on a monitor. If there is a good fetal hearbeat and there are accelerations in the heartbeat, all is well and they will send you home. First try eating or drinking some juice. The baby will have periods of sleep and periods or wakefulness. If you eat the baby will get nourishment and will start to move more. As long as you have a good fetal heartbeat and have not seen any bleeding, you have nothing to worry about. It is quite common for a baby, at your stage of pregnancy, to move less due to the baby's size in relationship to your uterus. Don't worry.