So apparently you are meant to start feeling flutters (quickening) when between 17 and 20 weeks. That's quite a wide range there! I didn't start feeling anything until about 19 weeks and even then I wasn't sure if it was the baby or indigestion!
I read all the forums and articles to understand what I was meant to be feeling but it was confusing! Most people mentioned that it would feel like a butterfly flutter - how am I meant to know what a butterfly flutter feels like?!! I felt a couple of tickley moments - was that it? I spent many moments trying to concentrate very hard on what was going on in my tummy, but mostly getting frustrated because I couldn't distinguish what was movement and what was my food! I could say I was feeling the baby, but was I really??!! Who knows!!
I decided that whatever was happening was happening but not to get too excited as it could easily be indigestion!
Come around 22 weeks however and I was now pretty certain it was a movement! More like a hiccup than a flutter, but a definite movement! It mostly comes in the evening when I'm settling on the sofa after dinner, or when I'm in bed and trying to find a comfortable sleeping position each night. It's like the baby's trying to say 'you know you're not meant to sleep like that so why are you even trying it??!!'
Sometimes when it's all a bit quiet in there I will try and pat my tummy to see if it wakes up or I will sit forward a bit to try and make it do a flip to get comfortable. A bit mean I know, but these movements get a little bit addictive! I know, for any mum with experience I'm sure you're thinking that I will get tired of it and it's about to get a lot more painful sometimes, but for now I'm still in the novelty phase :-)
Our obstetrician said that once I feel definite movement, Jay should be about 2 weeks behind me. I was a bit late feeling anything and I am assuming that we will be a bit later when Jay can feel anything too, due to my anterior placenta. It's basically between my belly and the baby, so even though it's a bit of added protection for the baby, it makes it more difficult to feel the movement as easily. I feel bad when i can feel the kicks and Jay can't - I really want him to be able to feel it and have this experience. I get him to just keep his hand on my belly sometimes when watching tv or put his ear to my belly just in case the baby can sense it and try kicking it away lol but he can't feel anything so far. Worth a shot. He will be able to feel it soon enough - I just wish that time would hurry up!
I've said it before and I will say it again - wow, it's just got that little bit more real, again!! There's a little person in there moving around! I wonder if there is anything in particular that makes it move at particular times? One thing I know, is that it has a mind of it's own already - moving around more when I'm trying to rest or go to sleep, and perfectly well behaved when I'm up and about - let's hope this isn't a sign of what's to come!
We wait in anticipation....
