With a cephalic baby, when do you start feeling the higher up kicks?

[HeadFairy]

I realise at 25 weeks my baby is still all over the place, but from 30 weeks onwards, ds was breech and didn't once move. I always had very low down kicks, never once felt anything above my belly button.

This time, I still haven't felt anything higher than my hip bones.. I'm starting to think I might be on course for another breech baby. I do have a retroverted uterus with a slightly odd shape (not quite bicornate) which may have contributed to ds being breech... but I don't know what a cephalic baby feels like. I hear lots of people talking about being kicked in the ribs. At what point would I start to feel kicks higher up?

[alfiesmadmother]

Hi! With mine (all head down ) I normally felt kicks in the side as the bum was more under the ribs. I did feel tickling on my bladder though which was probably elbows and hands!

[HeadFairy]

Alfiesmadmother - can you remember roughly when you started to feel things further up? I've had a couple of kicks to the side, but really low down, kind of where I think my appendix is.

[alfiesmadmother]

At the moment I am 23 weeks and I feel most movement in the bottom left hand corner. Absolutely no idea how the baby is lying nom, think it was across my stomach at the scan. But I do feel movements about an inch above my belly button at times, and also the tickly movements very low down. Am sure this doesn't help you a bit!!!!!

[HeadFairy]

Well it does a bit... I'm 25 weeks and still haven't felt a single movement above my belly button, most if it is considerably lower. I wonder if height has anything to do with it (I'm 5'10") but it was exactly the same with ds. I won't start to worry just yet, but I was just curious, esp as just about everyone I know goes on about being kicked in the ribs. I've never had anything that far up at all.

[alfiesmadmother]

Yes it could be because you are taller! I am 5 feet 7 and carried low, i occasionally got kicked in the ribs when I was sitting down and hunched over. If you have a longer torso I guess there is more room for the baby to grow upwards, maybe the baby could be lying across you. Or ask you midwife for advice in helping the baby into the right position? I had back to back babies so desperately looking for ways to avoid it this time!!

[HeadFairy]

I tried everything to get ds turned, but to no avail, but then he's always preferred being upright, even after he was born he preferred being held with his head resting on my shoulders rather than being held in my arms.

I wonder if sitting at a desk all day makes it worse?

[e3chick]

Well I am carrying twins, and twin 1 is on my left and was head down at 20 weeks and 24 weeks. Ever since I first started feeling kicks they have been ONLY on the low left part of my stomach. I decided that maybe the legs were bent right up so the feet were at the baby's shoulder level, either that or I only feel punches.
The other twin is breech and I ONLY feel kicks/punches up on my upper right part of my bump, so again the same sort of thing must be happening there. I am going to speak to my midwife this week to get her opinion.

[funtimewincies]

I'm watching this thread with interest as my baby was breech at the 28 week appointment. I'm now 30 weeks and still getting most movement at belly button and below. The heartburn has got a lot worse in the last couple of days though so I'm hoping that's a good sign.

Ds had his foot wedged in my ribs from 26 weeks so this all feels so very different.

[HeadFairy]

e3chick at your folded twins!

When ds was breech his head was really right under my ribs, he was a footling breech so perhaps that's why all my movements were so low, he had his feet resting on my cervix. I can see how if he'd been more folded I'd have had more kicks higher up. It was the head that gave it away for me, tucked right under my right rib cage, wedged fast - I know because I nearly expired when they tried to move him!

[HeadFairy]

funtime, when your ds had his foot wedged in your ribs did you feel the movements higher up then?

I must say I had terrible heartburn with ds, but I'm sure the head thing was the cause of that. I don't want to disappoint you, and make you think heartburn is common with breech babies too...

[funtimewincies]

Yes HeadFairy, his bottom used to move across my bump from side to side (about half way between belly button and ribs) like a cresting whale. He also liked to headbut and punch me in the bladder.

It was really freaky to watch !