Not feeling movement at 22 weeks?

[AprilBaby2025]

I am 22+4. Anterior placenta but tall and thin. When I was 21 weeks, I don't think I was feeling my baby at all. So a week ago (last Monday) I went to the midwife freaking out. She checked the heartbeat and there was a strong heartbeat. Measured my stomach and said I was measuring ahead.

I also had the anatomy scan at 19+2 and all was well.

I think I started feeling her the day of the midwife appointment last week. But not sure since I am a first time mom. It felt like air/gas moving through my intestines. Like a rolling feeling. But without the farting. I have realized I have been feeling that VERY occasionally since 19 weeks. And at 21.5 weeks, it became more frequent. Still not 100% sure it is baby since I doesn't feel like popcorn lol. But I haven't felt that feeling at all today and a lot less yesterday.

On the weekend I actually felt that rolling feeling once from the outside!

So 1) does this sound like the baby? 2) Is it normal to have days of nothing at this gestational age? I am so worried!

Is it your first baby?

That’s very normal, if so, it could be a few weeks yet - and it does sound like you’ve got movements, rolling and flutters, and they are the early movements. Just perhaps not as strong as you’d like!

Movements should settle into more of a routine by 24/25 weeks, so you’ve got some time yet, and baby is still small enough that they can somersault in there.

Hi OP, I had an anterior placenta in my first pregnancy and my experience was very much like yours.

I never had really strong movements, nor did I ever identify any discernible pattern and I still had quiet days right up to giving birth despite having an extremely active baby. What I did have instead of a regular pattern were certain 'triggers' which would normally get baby moving such as having a cold drink and lying on my left side - on the occasions when this didn't set her off and I hadn't felt anything for a while, I always went in to get checked as I'd rather be safe than sorry.
By the end of my pregnancy, I was actually on daily monitoring because of the number of times I'd been in regarding reduced movements.

What i will say is that this is all more of a third trimester thing though. At 22 weeks your baby is still teeny so can move around into different positions and tuck themselves away into little nooks and crannies. My trust advises paying more attention to patterns of movements from 26-28 weeks onwards as before that movements can be very infrequent and change regularly.

My first was anterior and it took a while for movements. Possibly 22 weeks for soft gentle movement every few days. I hardly felt movements until 28 weeks and then became regular but only every evening between 7-10pm. Nothing during the day. At 30 weeks I had an evening with no movements so I ended up going in for reduced movements. The ctg would show movements but I felt nothing. I had this a few times but the following times I was in for me for preeclampsia/high bp medication rather than for reduced movements. However while in for the 1-2 days they would still do ctgs and I would still hardly press it because I couldn’t feel them most of the time.

I’m pregnant again and currently 20 weeks. This time the placenta is posterior and it makes a big difference. I have felt movements from 18 weeks, and it feels so much more active- although I don’t believe it is I think it’s just that there isn’t a big placenta cushion in the way this time.

If you are ever unsure about movements or feel it’s reduced contact the assessment centre/hospital and they would rather help and reassure that everything is ok. As pp said it is quite tiny at the minute but it will eventually get a bit stronger and hopefully some pattern for you, even with the placenta. I felt DS in the evenings by 28 weeks.