Feeling Baby Move

[Anonymous]

When's the latest or maybe better question is how late can someone go before feeling the baby move? I'm starting week #21 and am constantly asked if I feel anything yet or when was the first time I felt the little squirt move. I haven't yet, or at least not to my knowledge. Everything seems to be going well. We went to the 20 week ultrasound and the little guy had a strong heartbeat and measured out ok. Granted, he was a bit miffed at being poked and prodded and preferred to sleep during the whole procedure. Other than that, I don't want to be nervous, but as a first-timer, sometimes it's hard not to when the questions come and you suddenly feel like odd man out because you haven't experienced what it seems every other mother has by now. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Every pregnancy for everybody is different. You may find that you're the "odd man out" on a lot of things- other people got sick, you didn't. Or other people craved a beer, you just wanted milk. Other people...fill in the blanks. Don't start beating yourself up over it (I say with a grain of salt....I'm on pregnancy number two right now and it's vastly different from the first time around, so I keep thinking "agh is this bad? Good? Normal? what's up!") Anyway - I think I remember it around 20 weeks the first time, and with this one it started around 18 weeks. BUT I've heard that some folks don't notice it until much later, or don't realize it's a kick (that's a very common situation). As long as everything checks out on your dr visits, don't worry about it. Yes, it's a very exciting feeling and I know you'll love it when it happens...until he/she starts kicking you in the ribs

[Anonymous]

I started feeling my son later (around 22 weeks) but my doctor told me that the position of my placenta was absorbing some of the kicks. If he looks healthy, I wouldn't worry about it. Even now at 26 weeks, there are days that I feel him a ton and days when I hardly feel anything at all. I think it depends on the direction that he is sitting and where he is kicking. If it makes you feel better, when I went to my 20 week appointment, we could see him moving all around on the ultrasound and I still didn't feel a thing and we could even see him moving!

[Anonymous]

I'm having my first and I didn't start feeling movement until 22 weeks. Even at 22 weeks, most of the movement was very subtle but there was one day where I could actually feel it from the outside. I would say it felt like a rolling sensation more than a kick.

[Anonymous]

I second 15:14. I just hit 21 weeks a few days ago and only in the last few days have I felt him move....and the best way I can describe it is like a big slow bubble that popped. It isn't like butterflies (as many describe it) at all for me. In fact I'm not even 100% sure that it's the baby, but when I saw the doctor yesterday he seemed to think it was.

I also saw the little dude moving around yesterday on the sonogram and didn't feel anything, even though his foot came right up to where my belly (and placenta) are.

Also, the times when I feel him the most are when I'm sitting on my couch, sitting up or lying back, around 10 or 11 pm watching television. If you're lucky enough to not have a husband who makes you stay up late to watch movies , you may asleep by what is supposedly baby's most active time.

[Anonymous]

I'm 20 weeks. First time pregnancy. And I *think* I've finally felt the baby. Like one of the PPs, I never felt any flutters, but am fairly sure I've felt a few kicks now. It's certainly not consistent, and I'm not always confident that what I'm feeling is kicks.

[Anonymous]

I'm also having my first pregnancy and I didn't feel anything until about 23 weeks. So try not to worry -- it will come.

[Anonymous]

It very may well be there, but it can be hard to notice. It feels almost like gas moving through your lower abdomen. For me, it was closer to the center/front than I had ever noticed gas. I would also agree with the PP that said it was more like rolls than kicks. It is not that precise until later. I cannot feel it when I am up and moving around.

I was almost 20 weeks when I noticed it with my first and 15 weeks this time around. This time, I know what it feels like and I can recognize it.

[Anonymous]

Do you ever get that little muscle twitch near your eye, or maybe in your thigh? When I started getting that sensation in my lower belly (inside, not on the surface), that's what I called feeling the baby for the first time. I wouldn't have described it as butterflies, either. (My SIL had a charming description-- like a goldfish in a bag-- but that wasn't it for me either.) It may be that you've been feeling him for weeks, but chalked it up to something else, such as gas, like a PP said. Or, he's just a chilled-out little guy. This may be a good sign, as my OB said "active on the inside means active once he's out!"

[Anonymous]

I second 20:10. It felt more like twitches to me when it started. It also didn't start for me until around 21 or 22 weeks. My placenta is also on the front, so it took a bit longer. I also couldn't feel any movement on the outside until I was about 26 or so weeks. I wouldn't worry if everything looked good on your sonogram.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I agree with 20:10. I started feeling what felt similar to muscle spasms at around 22 weeks. It was hard to determine whether I was actually feeling the baby.