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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

I can't tell if I'm feeling the baby move

15 replies

birdybirdbird · 20/05/2018 09:58

I'm coming up to 22 weeks with my first and it feels like the world and his wife is asking me if I've felt the baby move yet. Honestly? I have no idea! The whole 'bubbly, fluttery' description isn't helping. To be that just sounds like the sort of gurgly feeling you get around your belly as wind and food move around! I'm not really sure how to distinguish the two
I'm not worried as such - the 20 week scan was all good and the baby was flipping around in there like an acrobat. The sonographer (who was lovely) actually said 'You'll certainly be able to feel this one moving round soon'. I feel like I get some slightly pitying looks when I tell people I'm not sure, which in turn makes me feel like I'm doing pregnancy 'wrong' because I'm not all in tune with my body...
I assume at some point the movements will definitely feel like something more distinctive and 'baby like'. Any idea when that starts?I'm actually just starting to nod along when people ask me now because I'm fed up with people asking!

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scoutcat · 20/05/2018 10:24

I don't think I could feel my baby move at 22 weeks. It really does feel like gas moving around at first though! I think it was more like 24 weeks when I could distinguish between the baby and other internal movements.

Faintlinesquints · 20/05/2018 10:27

In all honestly, the only way I could tell dd was moving earlier on was when I had a rumble... which wasn’t followed by a fart seriously, they felt very similar!

I had an anterior placenta so the movements weren’t as strong as previous pregnancies.
If you have a cold drink and concentrate on your tummy you may feel these bubbles, I wouldn’t worry if you can’t yet, it’s still early days!

Cat12321 · 20/05/2018 10:28

Agreed with @scoutcat. I wasn't 100% until about 24 weeks too. I think at 22 weeks, it felt pretty similar to internal movements too.

Please try not to worry. I felt exactly the same.

I got asked at 18 weeks if I was feeling the baby move yet! It worried me silly.

Also, of course if you've got an anterior placenta it'll make things harder to feel.

Original poster

birdybirdbird · 20/05/2018 11:20

Thanks everyone, that’s really reassuring. Placenta is well placed, which I think also factored into the sonographers ‘you’ll feel a lot of movement’ comment. I know the baby is ok, it was more me feeling bad that I have noticed it yet! I think I’m just having the first real glimpse into the whole ‘other peoples comments aren’t always helpful’...

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littlelemonade · 20/05/2018 11:29

Ah bless you I had exactly the same. A girl at work would gleefully tell me she started feeling movement at 16 weeks - it took me until 24 weeks!! I have an anterior placenta (right at the front) which didn't help. The only description I have for baby's first movements was twitching. It literally felt like an eye twitch, but in my stomach! You'll soon come to distinguish it. Good luck

LisaSimpsonsbff · 20/05/2018 13:21

I was exactly the same - in hindsight I think I was feeling movement for about four weeks before I was finally (at maybe 22/23 weeks?) confident that's what it was. I actually think a big part of the variation in how early/late people feel movement is how confident they are labelling it - I swear there are people who label the slightest gurgle at 14 weeks baby movement, while it was only once I felt distinct kicks that I thought 'ah, that is what that is'.

BertieBotts · 20/05/2018 13:22

Don't worry, at some later point you'll definitely be able to tell it apart. It's normal not to be sure with your first earlier on.

PotteringAlong · 20/05/2018 13:24

I agree, it will become more obvious at some point. I felt movement earlier in subsequent pregnancies, but I think that was because I knew what I was looking for.

surreygirl1987 · 20/05/2018 17:08

Honestly it feels exactly like my tummy rumbling to me. I was feeling it since around week 17 without realising what it was. At around 19 weeks I finally realised what it was - only because my stomach was rumbling and I had just eaten so couldn't be hungry!! At my current 21 weeks I'm fairly sure some of the time when I feel the baby moving... but other times I don't know if it's just my body doing stuff. Don't be too hard on yourself!! You'll feel it at some point and tbh the weird rumbling feelings when I'm trying to get to sleep have started annoying me so try not to stress and enjoy the peace while it lasts - you'll feel it soon enough and I bet you already feel it without realising it's the baby x

BertieBotts · 20/05/2018 17:48

At first it felt exactly like wind - and when your tummy and intestines are starting to be squashed up by the baby then this is pretty prevalent. The only way I could tell it apart was that wind tended to be bubbles in a particular direction like it was going through a tube but baby movements were more random going in any direction.

kikibo · 21/05/2018 09:54

The first movements I remember feeling confident about were like the crack of a whip. That was only after my ob asked if I felt anything at week 16.

Never felt any rolling, gurgling or whatever.

ScurfyTwiglet · 21/05/2018 10:02

For me it felt like little rapid muscle spasms. As pp said a bit like an eye twitch.

Mousefunky · 21/05/2018 10:11

It feels like muscle spasms or wind to me at first. I have three DC but I honestly don’t remember when I first felt movements with them. I started to feel the gas like bubbles at about 11 weeks this time around which seems early but they were unmistakeable. It does feel like gas or a spasm but it’s in the uterus rather than abdomen.

I wouldn’t worry about it, you probably have felt it but haven’t realised that’s what it is. They become unmistakable around 24 weeks+ and you start to feel them from the outside too. Baby is still very tiny.

HelenSim33 · 23/05/2018 16:16

With first I think I was about 26 weeks before I noticed movements but my placenta was at the front which meant to couldn't feel much at first. I would say they were quite indistinguishable from normal stomach gurgles for a while. It definitely becomes more obvious as you progress through pregnancy so don't panic! Other people always seem to have the most useless comments when it comes to pregnancy so ignore them! This time round with number 2 I felt glittery movements from around 16 weeks but I k ow what they feel like now so know what to look out for and also, my placenta is at the back this time so movements will be more noticeable as the placenta isn't blocking them.

Spanglyprincess1 · 23/05/2018 19:15

I got told at 22weeks he was moving a lot at a check and I was like is he? I felt big movements but not any smaller ones really until 30weeks and over .

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