How does Hilary Erickson’s method of kick counts outperform traditional techniques?

Hi, I’m Hilary Erickson from The Pregnancy Nurse.

When I teach kick counts, I’m not really inventing a brand‑new medical method; I’m taking the evidence-based approach and making it practical and clear so more moms will actually do it. Here’s how what I teach often “outperforms” the old-school, vague advice:

• Pattern-based, not rigid rules: Instead of “10 kicks in 2 hours and that’s it,” I focus on learning your own baby’s normal—how long it usually takes to get 10 movements at the same time each day. That makes changes easier to spot and act on quickly.

• Tools that create real data: Using something like the Count the Kicks app gives you timestamps, strength ratings, and a visual graph over days and weeks. That’s way more powerful than, “I think the baby’s quieter than usual,” when you’re trying to explain concerns to your provider.

• Built for real life: I emphasize picking a time of day when baby is usually active, using reminders, and planning for distractions (other kids, work, etc.), so kick counts are realistic and consistent—not something you only remember once in a while.

• Clear red flags and next steps: I’m very direct that any significant change (slower or weaker movements, or suddenly way more frantic) is a “call or go in now” situation, not a “wait till morning, don’t bother your doctor” situation. That urgency can save hours, and hours matter in pregnancy.

• Advocacy with providers: I encourage you to bring your app data or notes to appointments, bring up kick counting if your provider doesn’t, and see it as a way to check how seriously they take fetal movement. That communication piece is often missing from traditional, one-sentence instructions.

In short, the underlying science is the same, but I package it in a way that’s:

• concrete instead of vague
• data-driven instead of memory-based
• action-focused instead of “wait and see”

That combination tends to catch changes earlier and gives moms much more confidence and peace of mind.

Would you like me to walk you through exactly how to do a daily kick count step-by-step, the way I teach my patients?