Too much movement too early? Too big too soon?

[iWILLdothis]

Ok, I don't know how to put this. Am worried baby is growing too fast. I'm 19wks tomorrow and think bump is HUGE already, have lots of comments like "can't understand how it's so big so early" etc. I felt the first swishy faint movements at 9 wks, the very faint kind when you're not sure if it might only be wind. At 11wks was feeling the butterfly-like flutters. And they have been getting stronger and stronger every week, moving on to the "popping" feeling and now already big kicks that make me jump! This is baby no. 2 by the way. Someone suggested I might be further ahead than I thought, but at 6wk scan all was normal for that stage, ditto 8wks scan, ditto 12 wk scan. At 16wk midwife check-up, she said I was measuring 17wks just by feeling bump. Since then I feel it's growing at double the rate it should be and feel embarassed when people ask me when I'm due, expecting me to say "next week" or something and I say "not til October". This sounds silly but I'm worried there's such a condition as over-grown-baby-itis or something scary like that. At about 16wks, lying in the bath, I could see the skin on my bump moving as I felt baby move. When I was 18 +2 I was lying in bed and felt baby moving so I grabbed DH's hand and put it on my bump and he even felt it. Surely this is FAR too early to experience any of that??
Anyone else feel baby THIS early or see baby move under bump this early? How soon can DHs usually feel baby when they place hand on the bump?
If I google-image pictures of 19wk bumps, I see one about the size of my bump and I think, oh it must be normal enough. but then I notice the picture is of bump with twins. I've had 3 scans so far and none picked up more than one baby in there. Heartbeat was picked up at last MW appointment and only one HB heard, so it couldn't be twins....... so WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?! Pregnancy hormones not helping here, but I'mworried. Please reassure me. Tia.

It's fine. Absolutely fine. You're having a different pregnancy this time round. You will probably find that the growth slows down. And yes it's perfectly possible to feel the baby move from the outside at 18 weeks. Ditto seeing your stomach change shape as the baby moves.

If you're under midwife care and attending appointments and they're not worried, then I don't think you should be.

Sounds really normal.

DH was able to feel DD from 17 weeks maybe earlier, just know it's been a few weeks already (am 19 4). I know loads of second timers on the Oct thread are saying they feel huge already. I'm already in mat clothes this time around as well.

It all sounds really normal, especially for a second pregnancy :)

Everything happens that little bit earlier and bumps seem bigger because the first pregnancy slackens your stomach muscles. Last time round they acted sort of like a natural corset and held your bump in check until late on in the pregnancy, this time round they get the faintest whiff of hormones and think to themselves "we remember what to do!" and out pops a huge bump seemingly overnight.

Position of the baby, amount of amniotic fluid, placenta position, and an array of other things all affect bump size and shape and how much movement is felt and when. I don't think I've ever seen two pregnant women with identical bumps. Someone I know had a huge bump and had a 6lb baby whereas someone else had a titchy bump that was barely there and had an 8lb baby. It's all relative :)

You sound like me! I am 21 weeks and huge. Felt this one move at 14 weeks (second pregnancy). Also have had cringy moments when people ask when i'm due. My midwife not at all worried, so i'm not (well apart from wondering how i will make it through the summer, also due Oct!)

My friend was just like this with her second baby, he was due at christmas and she was so big in the summer everyone was wondering if they missed a twin!

But no one baby. He was on the larger side, but she didn't have any problems giving birth or anything!

If you're worried just keep talking to your midwife, but from what I've read everything seems to happen earlier/get bigger quicker with second babies... maybe that means it slows down at the end!

Thank you all, you've really put my mind at ease. Good to hear it's normal. Phew. :)

My MW said the second baby you feel and experience everything quicker because the muscles are already slack (reassuring).

I'm feeling jolts and I'm 13 weeks with dc2.

With ds1 I was HUGE, yet gained only 2 stone...you couldn't see I was pregnant from the back! You might be growing in spurts and find it slows down.

Most people I know have felt their second babies much, much earlier that their first, and found they got bigger faster with their second baby, because the stomach muscles already had a bit of give in them and remember what to do when they feel a growing uterus. :)

I, and DH, could feel DS1 in the outside at 17w, really obvious, could see it too. Couldnd't till later with DC2 I presume due to anterior placenta.

On size - my bump got big really quickly with DC2, really embaressing as due same time as girl at work and it was always pointed out how HUGE my bump was compared to hers (cheers everyone!). But then by about 32 weeks we swapped over and by the time we went on maternity leave she was quite a bit bigger than me (and measuring big, whereas I measure a bit small, the midwives say that is due to running after DS1 the whole time!).

I've been wondering the same thing! I first felt flutters at around 15 weeks. I'm nw 18w, DH can feel it and I can see it moving about under my skin. It also seems to move a lot! I'm also quite bit I think.

I had a mmc last year so this is technically my second pregnancy and the mw said that explains why I'm feeling things earlier than normal. She also said the amount of fat you have in that area makes a huge difference as fat absorbs the vibrations stopping you from feeling/seeing things so early.