From around week 28, your OB will ask you to track fetal movement. Sit somewhere comfortable, count until you reach 10. Most people get there in under 30 minutes.
Kick counts are a screening tool, not a diagnostic one. The two most commonly recommended protocols are "10 movements in 2 hours" (Pearson/Cardiff) and a daily count compared to your baseline — both work as long as they're used consistently. ACOG recommends fetal movement assessment from around 28 weeks onward in higher-risk pregnancies; the most reliable signal in any pregnancy is a sustained change from a person's own established pattern.
The evidence on whether routine kick counting reduces stillbirth in low-risk populations is mixed (Mangesi et al. 2015 Cochrane review). It clearly doesn't hurt, and the awareness it builds is valuable. The single most important rule, regardless of protocol: any persistent decrease in movement after 28 weeks warrants same-day evaluation. Trust your gut and call your provider — that's exactly what L&D triage is for.
Sources: ACOG Practice Bulletin 229, "Antepartum Fetal Surveillance" (2021); Mangesi L et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 10:CD004909 (2015), "Fetal movement counting for assessment of fetal wellbeing"; Pearson JF & Weaver JB. BMJ 1:1305–7 (1976), original "kick count" protocol.