Being pregnant is exciting, but by far one of the most exciting parts of being pregnant is feeling your baby kick. This is when you can really begin to imagine the wonderful little person that is growing inside of you. If you’re wondering when you can feel baby move, it might be sooner than you think!
When will I feel my baby kick?
Like so many things in pregnancy, everyone experiences their baby’s first movements at different stages in pregnancy. Most doctors say you can expect to feel what they refer to as ‘quickening‘ somewhere between weeks sixteen and twenty-five, in the second trimester. If it’s your first pregnancy, it may be more towards the twenty-week mark. Movements in a subsequent pregnancy can be occasionally felt as early as thirteen weeks.
What will it feel like?
Don’t expect to be feeling big kicks and rolls straight away. Bub is still comparatively tiny in the second trimester, so initially, you’re more likely to feel little flutters as opposed to big movements.
Many women describe early sensations of movement as being similar to feeling butterflies in your tummy. They’re also easy to confuse with hunger pangs and gas bubbling in your tummy – which you’re probably also experiencing a lot of while pregnant!
Is there anything I can do to feel my baby move sooner?
Not really, but babies do tend to be more noticeably active when you’re at rest, particularly when you go to sleep at night. This is thought to be due to a change in your own blood sugar levels, but some studies also suggest that babies actually have their own circadian rhythm of sorts, even in the womb. Bub might just be getting you ready for the fact that nighttime is going to be their party time for the next little while!
You’re also more likely to notice your baby’s movements when you’re calm and resting, as opposed to when you’re distracted with day-to-day tasks. If you’re in the right stage of your pregnancy to begin expecting movement, try and take some quiet time out to yourself to sit or lie on the couch and just see what happens.
When will my partner be able to feel baby’s movements?
Once you’ve felt those first few flutters, your next big question will probably be, when can I share this with my partner? It’s fairly unlikely that your partner will be able to see or feel your baby move until towards the end of the second trimester, or sometimes even the start of the third.
Once again there are a number of factors that will influence this, but women who have an anterior placenta (at the front of their uterus), or are a larger build to begin with may find it less likely that others will feel their baby move until much later in pregnancy. Your baby’s position at the time will also influence how much movement is felt and where you can observe these movements.
One way or another you’ll very soon find that your growing bundle of joy will be finding their own happiness playing soccer with your tummy. Many women say the thing they miss most about being pregnant is feeling their baby move so enjoy every little movement while you can!
About to have a baby?
You’re nervous, excited, worried, terrified and counting down the hours, minutes and seconds till you meet the love of your life. You’re not alone, in fact, thousands of other Aussie mums due at the same time as you are already supporting each other in our private Pregnancy Groups – and you could too.
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