Conference moira::parenting_v3

    Well, for my first it was closer to 6 months along - seems I was quite
    large with fluid.  With my second it was a little earlier - 5 months,
    but again I had lots of amniotic fluid.
    
    The only comfort I got in knowing everything was OK for a while there
    was hearing the heartbeat during my visits.
    
    -sandy
    

    Kate,
    
    If I'm not mistaken you a c-section with James?  I did also with RJ 
    (successful VBAC with Jaclyn) - and feel that this contributed to my
    not feeling movement until later while carrying Jaclyn.  (Scar tissue,
    etc).
    
    But, once I DID feel it, it was violent!! Now I know why, we call
    Jaclyn "Flipper", she *loves* to flip her feet!! 
    
    Don't worry - as long as the Doctor hears the heartbeat, you're ok!
    
    Meg
    

    My second one seemed much quieter than the first. Berk was constantly
    kicking and first movements/flutter were felt about 17 weeks along.
    This one was quiet as a mouse. First movements about 20 weeks and I now
    call it the "stretcher" - long stretching movements that last for a
    good 10 seconds, no prods, no kicks. Maybe Berk will be the soccer
    player and this one the ballerina (according to the doctor).
    
    So long as they have a heart beat I wouldn't worry. Don't forget second
    time around you will seem to be bigger giving the baby more room to
    move around in.
    
    Andrea

    
    
    	FWIW	...I probably started to feel what I *thought* was
    		merely gas around that same time.  It sure as 
    		shooting isn't a case of gas now!  YOWCH...
    
    	/Kim
    
    	PS... the first time my boyfriend felt the baby kick was while
    	we were lying in bed "spooned" (my belly to his butt).  The
    	baby kicked but I didn't say anything (up until now he hadn't
    	been able to feel it) and then he asked me if it did.  I said
    	ya, why?  ...it kicked him right in the tush. (8

    I first felt movement at about 20 weeks. They were very few and far
    between. But once I was further along they were much easier to
    recognize! The baby was not really active in utero, and after birth she
    is still not real active. It's funny, my sister-in-laws baby was real
    active inside, and now she's 6 months old and she's as active now as
    she was then.
    
    Sandy
    
    

    I first felt the twittering feeling bang on at 18 weeks. Since this
    is my first I had no prior expectations, only that sometime soon I was
    to start feeling something. Unfortunately, my husband had just left 
    for a business trip to Europe that he did not want to leave for, and
    I felt kind of bad telling him (via electronic mail) the next day after
    his arrival there that he'd missed the event.
    
    However, the baby hasn't stopped since then, and seems to like to dance
    for hours. My husband has felt the movements, although now at 24.5
    weeks we have yet to catch the movements visually.
    
    Monica
    
    

With my first, I first felt movement at around 20 weeks.

With my 2nd and current pregnancy, I first felt movement at about 17� weeks.
My doctor said that was kinda early, but OK.  This baby (I refer to as Thumper)
thumps me ALOT during the day.  I'm worried too, but for a different reason:
I'm afraid once this baby is born, it will be up ALL the time and never 
sleep (based on my experiences with him/her so far!)

� �ori �

    Part of the mystery may be solved today when I go for an ultrasound.
    
    At my regular preggo appointment on Friday, the doctor said I was
    small for my dates, that's why he wants me to have the ultrasound.
    I never had one with James.  
    
    My monthly cycle was so irregular this summer that I probably got
    pregnant later than everyone thought.  I think that that's all that
    it is -- I'm probably not quite as far along as I thought.  I think
    I'm about 2, maybe 3 weeks behind where the doctor thinks I am.
    According to my calculations (and my memory!), I think my due date
    is closer to July 1, not June 6.

    re .6
    Monica,
            If you want to see the movements visually try this little test.
    Put the remote control for the tv on your belly when lying down, you
    will see it move or jump. it's so funny to watch, sometimes the baby
    kicks so hard the remote control falls off your belly!
    
    Sandy 
            

    
      It sounds like we're both in the same boat.  I'm expecting my
    second child somewhere around June 8 so I'm about 18 weeks along
    and have also not felt any movement.  I get frightened even though
    I have heard the baby's heartbeat because my doctor does not do
    ultrasounds routinely.  I did not have one for my first child and
    most likely will not have one now.  If I remember correctly, I didn't
    feel anything until at least 20 weeks so I think I'll wait until
    my next appointment before I mention it to my doctor as a concern.
    
      Lorain
    
    

    Thank God for technology...
    
    Ultrasound yesterday revealed that I'm more like 16.5 weeks along,
    not 18.  That would put my due date at June 16, not June 6.  I still
    say I won't go before June 20...
    
    Anyway, I saw the baby suck its thumb, stretch and raise its arms
    high above its head (I remember James doing that when he was little),
    and stretch its fingers.  It has 10 toes and 10 fingers.  The spinal
    cord seems to have all its little vertebrae in the right places, and
    the kid has the deep Fagan chest -- what a rib cage!!  Its bladder
    tummy and kidneys seem to be functioning well.  The technician said
    that yes, I am small for 18 weeks, but since I'm 16.5 weeks, the
    baby's size is right on!  "That's a nice-looking baby you have in
    there," she said.  Can't tell yet what gender it is (not that I want
    to know anyway), but I think I'm having another boy.
    
    So that's why I wasn't feeling much movement.  But it's active in
    there, I saw it!
    
    I found this ultrasound to be very -- well, moving, for want of a
    better word.  I really was awe-struck.  The discomfort of a full
    bladder really paled when I saw those first tiny movements on the
    screen.  I feel much better, and I am deeply grateful that everything
    so far is OK with the baby.
    
    Thanx to all for your support and encouragement!

    Got a good swift kick in the left side this morning about 5:30 a.m
    from my offspring.  Now I feel MUCH, MUCH better!

    I've been feeling kicking for months now (I'm at 33.5 wks), and the
    character of the  kicks has been changing to more moving than kicking
    in the last 3 weeks (I believe it's due mostly to the baby running out
    of extra space).
    
    This last weekend I have been very active, and when not running around
    we've been driving on rough roads. So, I figured the baby would be
    moving a little less. But when we finally arrived home yesterday
    evening and sat down to watch a little television, I noticed that the
    little one wasn't moving as it usually does when I am resting. At
    that point I could not recall having felt ANY movement for 24 hours (I
    could be wrong -- this is such a normal part of my life now that I 
    may just have ignored it). Well, the baby book I have says to sit 
    quietly for an hour and count kicks. I couldn't count ANY. (My 
    husband at this point is getting a little anxious...)
    Well, finally after we went to bed, I lay in such a way as to promote
    the baby's movement. I got a few very soft movements and we went to
    sleep much more relaxed
    
    Today, I think I may have felt once or twice soft movements, but
    nothing compared to last week (where I was 100% sure it was the
    child). I am also feeling much bigger in the last 2 or 3 days -- could
    it be that the child is not moving as dramatically because of space,
    or might this be the sign of something I should check into with the
    Doc? Anybody else have these lulls in fetal movement? 
    
    Monica
    

    Monica-
    
    I recall much the same situation as you are experiencing with
    a reduction in the amount/type of movement during the last
    couple of months of my pregnancy.  I attributed it to the fact
    that there just wasn't much room left for trampolining!  
    
    I do know that when I went in for non-stress tests the four
    days between breaking water and the onset of labor (!!), that
    they gave me a cup of caffeinated soda to jump-start the baby
    if he was sleeping.   This worked every time.   You might want
    to try it next time you get the worries.
    
    Carol   

    I got much the same suggestions from a friend just now, so
    I am enjoying a chocolate bar and a glass of milk at the moment,
    hoping this will make the baby more active than me anxious...
    
    Monica

    
    Are there any other first-time moms out there, or actually any moms
    at all that are/were amazed at how MUCH movement they felt???? I am 
    21 weeks along, and am "amazed" at how much this baby inside me has
    been moving around. I feel it lightly during the day, but then when
    I get home, and put my feet up for an hour or so, or sometimes later
    inthe evening watching TV, I can't get over how much this baby is
    moving!  It feels like its doing aerobics!  Its still hard for my
    husband to feel "all" the movements (cause some are deep inside)
    but even he was shocked yesterday at how much he could feel (and he
    missed 1/2 of them!)...  I'm afraid this kid is going to hurt
    themselves in there, maybe get caught in the cord...??   Is all of
    this "normal"....???
    
    Chris

    
    	I, on the other hand, have a very mellow baby (so far). I just
    don't seem to have the big movements that others talk about. The only
    time he gets a wee bit restless is if I've gone too long without food
    and then he starts his bopping. For the most part, though, I seem to
    get gentle waves and none of the hard kicks that others talk about.
    
    	I have read that there is no correlation between activity in the
    womb and how they act when they get out, but I can't help hoping that
    my baby will remain just as mellow after he is born as he is now
    (mellow babies seem to run about 50/50 in our family and the ones that
    were not mellow seemed to be very active in the womb).
    
    	Basically, I think that the babies are exhibiting personalities and
    are not likely to get into trouble inside there. 
    
    	Chris, how are you carrying? I seem to be all out in front, nothing
    at all on the sides and maybe my baby just doesn't have enough room to
    move around alot. Maybe your baby just has lots of room to play in.
    
    				Wendy
    	

    My baby seemed to be a combination of both of yours, Chris and
    Wendy.  Sometimes she'd go for a few days moving very little
    and other times, I thought she was doing the lambada with my
    pancreas or something.  One night something happened that I'll
    never forget.  I was about 8.5 months along and I was sitting
    up in bed reading a hard cover book.  I put the book down for a
    second on my belly (open, face-down) and Allyson kicked it clear
    off the bed.  I couldn't believe the force she had.
    
    - Kathryn
    

    
    Could be Wendy....I think I seem to be carrying all around, not
    directly out in front. And I also have a wide frame, so your right,
    maybe it has more room.  It literally goes from one side of my belly
    to the other in minutes!
    
    The movements haven't been TOO painful yet, except the pressure when I
    think it must be "turning around", or "turning over", then my stomach
    gets really tight with some pressure.  
    
    I've never been pregnant before, so this is all new to me...I just
    never relised it moved so much...
    
    I hope what youre saying about being active in the womb, and being an
    active baby isn't true...cause if so, I'm in for some trouble! :-)
    
    Chris
    

    Alex was very active (though not a book-launcher!) during the day.  I'd
    read that one should expect movement on an average of every 3 hours...
    I would have PANICKED if Alex were ever quiet that long; an hour
    wouldn't go by without slow rolls, hiccups and bladder-stomps.
    
    But, she never bothered me at night (the time everyone told me would be
    the MOST active).  And when she "got out" she was a good nighttime
    sleeper - through the night at that magical 11-pound mark.
    
    Leslie

    I thought that my three children were pretty much similar to the way
    they seemed prebirth.  
    
    My new observation is this:  from what I've been reading, the  baby
    really settles down in the last month of pregnancy because of lack of
    space.  Mine is rolling, waving, hiccuping, kicking, and flailing away
    more than ever!!!  Has this happened to many of you?
    
    Due 4 weeks from today!
    Dale

    My experience, which might well be aberrant, is that the level of
    activity continues in the child. 
    
    I used to feel like Kat was running track laps around the inside
    of my belly.  
    
    That was 18 years ago, before they worried about caffiene, and
    once I realized that avoiding coffee didn't help my constant
    nausea, I went back to my six-cup-a-day habit.  I thought maybe
    that had something to do with her being so active. and when I quit
    drinking coffee while I was pregnant with Steven, I expected him
    to be calmer. 
    
    Wrong.  Once when I was pregnant with him, I was sitting on the
    couch with the cat on my lap, and Steven kicked so hard the cat
    jumped off my lap with a screech and hissed at my stomach.  The
    doctor said that since he was face forward, his spine and mine
    didn't have much cushioning between them, so the baby was
    uncomfortable.  
    
    Both continue to be very active -- the kind of kids who can't sit
    still even when they're concentrating.  Kat has been a gymnast and
    a dancer, besides a straight-A student with an active social life;
    Steven has never walked anywhere at any time except under threat
    of deprivation of ice cream.  
    
    After those two, when David was mellow as Wendy describes I kept
    worrying that there was something wrong with him.  He continues to
    be mellow -- strong and active, but calmer, less easily upset.
    
    --bonnie

Elise scared the cat once too.  I was lying down and the cat was draped across
my belly.  Elise really let her have it....

She was pretty active inside and is active outside too.  She always passed the
stress test within the time minimum (20 minutes) without juice or food to
encourage her.

    
    	What is the stress test?
    
    		Wendy

    I think that .59 meant a non-stress test??
    
    A Stress test is when they induce contractions, and monitor the baby's
    response to stress while in the womb.  This is usually done near the
    very end of the pregnancy, and the results are used by the Dr.
    _usually_ to determine if the baby can withstand the stress of a
    vaginal delivery, but also sometimes to determine the strength/health
    of the baby.  I had a few of these with my second child.  The
    contractions aren't too bad .... if you can stand the pitocin I.V.
    
    A Non-Stress test is much more common, and much less intrusive.  Again,
    the baby's hearbeat is monitored, but in a 'non-stress' environment.  
    They hook you up to the heart monitor which prints out the baby's heart
    rhythm on a graph-type paper.  You push a button when the baby moves,
    and they (usually later) look to be sure that the heart rate increased
    after the baby moved.  Usually they require 3 good movements w/in 20
    mins.
    
    With Christopher, he wouldn't move at all ... UNLESS (and this is true)
    I had Chicken Nuggets beforehand.  It was the ONLY thing that worked.
    
    With Jason, he had a heart arhythmia (heart stopped beating), so they
    were more concerned about that then the movement part.  He had quite a
    few stress tests ... ugh!
    

    My daughter used to move alot more than this baby seems to.  She would
    kick, roll, and punch me regularly.  
    
    With this pregnancy (20 weeks) I have not noticed nearly as much
    movement.  
    
    I wonder if how you carry the baby has anything to do with the movement
    because I carried all over with Alicia and only up front with this
    one.  I also figure it's still early to get the harder movements.  My
    husband has not been able to feel the baby's movements yet.
    
    Angie 

    
    Okay...another "movement" question...  Actually, just a reassurance I
    guess.  
    
    I know the baby is suppose to move alot in this time (6 1/2 mos), but 
    is it really suppose to HURT and make you sick...?  I think yesterday
    my baby decided to change positions (one side to the other), and I was
    geting cramps, and felt nausea all night...my stomach was very tender
    and still is today, and now his/her kicks are hurting more today than
    normal...  I seem to be bulging on the right side now, and its very
    hard there (I'm assuming the baby has moved to this side) .  Will this
    pain/tenderness start to subside when its been there for a couple of
    days...??  (Maybe the muscles on that side need to stretch some more?)
    I can't imagine  going through the next 3 mos like this...?  Can the
    doctor maybe "move" the baby to a more comfortable position manually,
    or will it just move again when it wants to??
    
    Its just all so new to me...  
    Chris
    

    Baby's kicks can hurt, a lot, and that's probably all it is, but I
    think  I'd call my doctor on this one just to make sure it isn't
    something more serious. 
    
    --bonnie

    I've heard stories of broken ribs from fetal movement, glad I never had
    one that active.  AJ used to just his "something right", and it would
    send me scurrying to the bathroom to empty whatever was in my stomach,
    or bladder, depending on which end he stretched just then.
    
    Last week it my on-call day with the ambulance, we had to rush a woman
    to the hospital with "severe abdominal pain", it was near her belly
    button.  She was fine, the baby had decided to shift into a new
    position and it created some pretty nasty pain for her.  This was her
    third child, she's due the end of Sept, and was fairly petit thing.
    She was sent home a couple hours later.  I just felt so bad knowing
    there was nothing anyone could do for her, but sort of glad there was a
    female (me) on call that day.
    
    Lyn

    
    Thanks for the responses Bonnie and Lyn....the pain has subsided
    a bit since last week, and I think the muscles on that side (right)
    have now stretched a bit more to accomodate the little one now. Its
    still not as comfortable as the position it was in before this major
    move, but, its a bit bearable. The only thing thats still really
    bothering me, is, in this new position, the baby has very good access
    to my cyatic (sp) nerve...and it has been acting up quite a bit.
    If it gets too bad, I will call my OB, if not, I am going to wait until
    my 7 mos visit on the 15th (only 10 days away)...and see what he says
    then.
    
    	Thanks again for the responses..
    	
    		Chris
    
    

    
    
    OK....one question....HOW DO YOU STAND THE WAITING ??
    
    I'm 18 1/2 wks now and can't stand the waiting....I get a thump or 
    flutter and then 5 or 6 days pass and then I'll feel another.....of 
    course your mind starts wondering if anything is wrong....when do you 
    feel movement consistently?  My ultrasound is 1 1/2 weeks away and I'm
    going nuts!  
    
    (I guess I'm overly anxious and will probably laugh at this question
     this time next week after it kicks me in the kidney....)
    
    Thanks....
    Kristen

    That's around the same time I first felt it. Yes, relax,
    and look forward to a lot of dancing when the baby gets bigger.
    (patience? I couldn't wait to HAVE the baby.......)
    Now, I am impatient for everyone else in this conference to
    post their baby announcements....8-)
    
    Monica
    
    (great feeling isn't it? I look forward to having it again someday
    real soon!)
    

    
    youre movements should pick up very soon inthe next few weeks. be
    patient. cause once they come, they KEEP coming. I felt the same way
    inthe begining, then as the weeks went by, I looked forward to going
    home every day after work to lay down and feel my baby move. Now at
    almost 30 weeks, they are no longer "little movements or kicks", they
    are massive rolls, bulges, kicks etc.! I'll be walking down the hallway
    at work, or be in a meeting and an uncontrollable "ugh" comes out of me
    due to the severity of the blows! I have to apologize to the people
    around me, you should see the looks I get. Some of these kicks can
    really hurt.  
    
    I was just telling my husband yesterday, that I think this baby is at a
    stage where it is awake more than it sleeps now. (compared to in the 
    beginning) .   And its favorite time to give some really good "punts"
    are just as I turn out the light, fluff my pillow, and close my eyes!
    Wham! Its been taking them over 1/2 hour to stop enough for me to fall
    asleep lately.  (does this mean I am going to have a hard time with
    this child about bedtime in the future???!! :-)
    
    Good luck...and it will come sooner than you think!
    
    Chris
     

    I amazed at how different the movements are between my first the the
    second.  My daughter didn't move till 20 weeks but this one started at
    17 weeks.  My daughter would have a lot of big movements while I was
    awake, this one likes to move when I am lying down.  I also have
    noticed that this baby likes to move when it is quiet and I am still.
    So when the baby is kicking up a storm I will call my husband or
    daughter to feel it and it will stop (never fails).  I really believe
    that the baby enjoys listening to my conversations. It also likes to
    keep me up at night.
    
    Have patience.  The movements really become an anticipated part of your
    day.  I really missed the movements when I had Alicia.
    
    Angie 

    
    Angie,
    
    Our babies sound alot alike. (and we're both at 30 weeks!) Mine does
    most of its moving when I'm lying down, and also stops when I call my
    husband in to feel it move. I swear the baby knows his voice and stops
    purposly. Last week it was kicking up a storm as I laid bare bellyed 
    on the bed watching it. My husband came to the door, and I said "shhh"
    and he started watching it too. As SOON as he started talking out loud
    it stopped.  It was funny.  So now hubby tries sneaking up on it all the
    time.  I keep telling him that when this child is born, and it starts
    to cry, I'll just be able to give it to him, and it will stop. (yeah,
    sure it will!) :-)  
    
    Chris
    

    
    Hi Again....
    
    Any imputs on when the babys movements settle down???  I have been told
    that the further along you get towards the birth, the movements should
    settle down??  I am at (geez, I've lost count..uummm) 33-34 weeks
    along, and the last few days, I swear this child is trying to
    *climb out* the side of my stomach, and is climbing up my ribcage! Its
    getting really odd...and I am wondering if I should bother calling the 
    doctor about this???  Is there such thing as a baby being TOO active???
    
    I was trying not to worry, but these movements are getting so strong,
    so massive, and pretty frequent also, I'm actually getting a bit
    scared.   (it was awful trying to finish grocery shopping yesterday, 
    wincing down every ailse to myself).    I haven't found any connection
    between the food I've eaten at the time etc either...
    
    Concerned,
    Chris
    
    
    

    Chris,
    If you are really concerned, certainly call your doctor.  But I can
    relate my experience that David never stopped moving except during
    labor!  He moved all day, all night, kicking, pushing, punching, etc. I
    was sore most of the last trimester. I remember walking down the aisle
    in the supermarket, laughing and saying "oooph" as he performed
    gymnastics.  My Mom and sister both swore an active baby  before birth
    meant a sedate baby after birth.  Wrong!  David, at 21 months, is still
    swinging from the chandelier!
    Sarah
    

    
    Well, thanks Sara for the reply....Its nice to know you're son was
    as *active* as this baby seems to be. (I'm not alone).  I did end up
    calling the doctors office Friday afternoon after all, with my usual
    "I know this is probably a stupid question..but...?" and the nurse
    tried to reassure me that I shouldn't worry about TOO much activity,
    and that I should only worry when theres not ANY activity. I was a bit
    embarrassed after the call, but felt a bit better after talking to
    them.  I will be seeing my doctor this Wednesday, and will talk more to
    him then about it, see what he says.  He's already assumed (through
    measurement, and ultrasound) that this may be a big baby, so maybe its
    just needing extra room these days. ???
    
    First time mom-to-be (can't ya tell!) ,
    Chris
    :-)
    
    

    Steven didn't stop moving even during labor.  He was face up,
    and he kicked my bladder several times during delivery -- I had
    bruising that took weeks to clear up. . .
    
    --bonnie

    This might sound like a silly question, but it is really worrying me at
    the moment...
    
    I am about 18-19 weeks pregnant with my first, and haven't really felt
    kicking from the baby yet. The sunday just gone I felt what must have
    been one - it was a real hefty one too, not the
    "butterfly-type"movements they tell you to expect - but nothing really
    since then. I had one scan 3 weeks ago, and have another scheduld for
    next week; everything looked fine on the first - the baby looks as if
    it could well grow up to be a boxer!
    
    But when will I start feeling regular kicks ? Please put my mind at
    rest !
    
    Angela.

Hi Angela,

	We have an 18 month old and another due at Christmas...my wife
didn't feel anything with the first until around 24 weeks - she worried
too, but I'm sure there's no need - some people just feel these things earlier
than others, I guess ! Even with the second, she felt nothing until around 
22 weeks, but now it's moving so much that she can hardly sleep at night.

	Rgds, Chris

    Mine were at 20 weeks to the day just about.  With my first it was
    Thanksgiving (can't forget that) and he had been conceived in late
    June.
    

Angela,

With your first pregnancy it is not uncommon to feel the kicking later.  You
don't know what it feels like and you often mistake gas or gurgling for kicks.
I think it is about 20+ weeks that you KNOW it is kicks.  (With your second
you know it much sooner, usually).

Best wishes,
Kristen

    
    Angela,
    
    I know how you feel.  I  think I was around 19 weeks.  I had a
    dtr's appointment and she asked if I had any fetal movement
    and I said "no" and she could tell that I was pretty worried
    about it.  She said not to worry, that by the next time I
    saw her I would have had fetal movement.  Sure enough, the
    next day, I felt the baby kick!
    
    The movements went to a slight "butterfly type" feeling to
    a "rumbling" kind of feeling.  I am almost 26 weeks along
    and the fetal movements are definately there and often but
    I haven't actually felt the baby turn or have seen one side
    of my stomach stick out more than the other side like a lot
    of the expectant moms here.
    
    Last week, when I was in a store looking at cribs, all of
    a sudden I felt like someone had just stabbed me in the stomach.
    I was really scared because it definately didn't feel like a
    fetal movement.  I walked "slooowly" to my car and went right
    home.  I called the doctor because I had pains all nite but
    they weren't as sharp and they believe that the baby was
    laying on my nerve endings and since I'm carrying low she was
    almost sure of it.  After a day of resting I felt like a million
    bucks and was fine.
    
    What's really weird is when the baby starts moving, I will put
    my hand lightly on my stomach to see if I can feel it.  As soon
    as my hand is on my stomach, the baby will automatically stop
    moving.  If the baby is moving and I am talking, the movements
    will stop again.  Boy, what an influence I have!  My husband
    tried to feel for movements but he couldn't feel anything so
    I told him to put his ear against my stomach and when he did
    he got a slight kick in his ear!
    
    Is it true that you can sometimes feel your baby's heartbeat?
    I had both hands on my stomach yesterday, I was laying down
    flat and was being very quiet, to try and feel any fetal
    movement.  I swore I felt the heartbeat in my stomach and it
    didn't feel like it was my heartbeat.  I know that sounds weird
    and maybe it was my pulse in my hands but I swore I saw my stomach
    slightly going up and down (just a little).  Wasn't sure if this
    was movement or my wild imagination.
    
    -Chris

    I don't know if you can feel the heartbeat (I don't know much !) but
    Lester, my SO, was laying with his head on my tummy last night, and he
    said he could hear the baby "swimming!" I said, was he sure it wasn't
    just my tummy rumbling, but he said no, it sounded different. 
    
    I also think I may be feeling things now...but only if I am lying flat
    on my back. I thought it was wind at first, but it definitely doesn't
    feel like that now. I don't feel anything when I'm just sitting down /
    walking about.
    
    Thanks you all for your replies so far, I am (a bit!) reassured, but I
    have another scan on Wednesday, so I should be feeling much better
    then!
    
    Angela.

    
    I posted a note just like yours not too long ago...finally around 22/23
    weeks I could feel movement regularly...
    
    As far as feeling the heartbeat...highly unlikely...I'm 29 weeks now
    and we try to hear the heartbeat through my husband's stethoscope and
    we still can't hear it.  What your probably feeling is your own heart 
    beat through your hands.  
    
    At 26 weeks the baby is only around 1 lb and still is very small in
    relation to his/her space in the womb (nevermind the size of the heart)
    ...it would have to be one heck of a huge heart to feel it...I think 
    at about 30-31 weeks is when the baby finally fills its available 
    space...
    
    I'll be glad when we can hear the heartbeat on our own....and not
    have to wait for the dr's ob stethoscope...
    
    Kristen 
    

	I searched through the "Pregnancy_misc" keyword and didn't
	find a note on this - mod's please relocate this if I missed
	the place!

	I'm curious when women have felt their baby's movements.  I
	know what the books say, I'm just interested in what people
	have experienced.  So, when did you :

	o feel the "quickening" - butterflies, etc ?

	o feel the baby kick ?

	o feel the baby kick externally ? (ie, daddy can feel it, too?)

	
	How noticeable were the movements ?

	I've been feeling the butterflies occaisionally, haven't felt
	kicking yet (but I'm looking forward to it!)

	Karen, 19.5 weeks

    Karen, along with the feeling of kicking coming at different 
    times to different mothers, there is also the knowledge of what
    it feels like.
    For my first pregnancy, I felt what I was sure was the first kick
    at 17 weeks, or there abouts (I remember it well, since my husband
    had left just the day before for his first business trip to
    switzerland, and I was composing an e-mail letter to him the next day
    when I felt it. (I was trying to decide whether I should tell him,
    since he had not wanted to leave me in the first place!)
    For the second one, I actually thought I felt something as early
    as 13 weeks, but I was not sure, and only occasionally felt something
    until about 2 weeks later, when I was convinced.
    Now, at 21 weeks, both Mom and Hubby have felt the kicks by pressing
    hard against the lower part of the belly (below the navel) and waiting.
    Usually this is when I sense the baby is active (sitting and reading
    or watching TV is a good time). 
    Sometimes you may not recognize that the baby is actually the initiator
    of the fluttery feeling (it CAN be mistaken for regular
    gasto-intestinal noises).
    
    Monica
    

    For my first I did not feel anything until week 18. But for my second
    (due on June 5th) I felt movements from week 13-14. My doctor says that
    is not possible but I could swear :-) that I did. Now at 17 weeks I can
    feel them even during the day while I sit at my terminal , like right
    now. I guess for the second you know what to look (or feel) for. For
    the first I did not what to expect.
    
    Shaila

    I'm 18.5 weeks with my first, and have felt some movements since week
    15.  My doctor was skeptical and said it is probably gas, but I have
    never felt anything like this before in my life!  It is very faint, and
    I only feel it every 4-5 days or so. 
    
    Stephanie

    Well, I put in a small reply (.56) before but since I'm home right now
    with Alex's photo bum within reach, lemme tell ya:a!  I had posed every
    few weeks, with a signboard for captions, in front of a tripod-mounted
    camera with shutter release.
    
    16 wks 7/31/84 "A toast to quickening" (drinking milk from an "uncola" 
                    glass) - my pedi/books said not to expect quickening 
                    (first notice of baby's movement) til 20 weeks, mostly 
    		    because you won't know what to "look for".  My mom had
    		    said it'd feel like a grasshopper's jumps when you hold
    		    it trapped in your cupped hands--she was right.
    
    24 wks 9/23/84  "The Amazing Human Sleeping Bag, Zipper Not Included."
    		    (The ironic thing is that Alex was a C-sec, and now I 
    		    have the zipper mark!)  She was doing double-gainers-
    		    with-a-twist at this point.  Absolutely unmistakeable
    		    baby calisthenics.
    
    28 wks 10/22/84 "Hiccups, stretches, slow rolls & bladder stomps!"  She
    (6 1/2 calendar  was getting too big for the spectacular speed
      months)	    aquabatics.
    
    7 mos  11/19/84 "180#... all of it elbows & knees"
    (8 lunar!)
    
    40 weeks 1/12/85 "('Due date' yesterday) still 186#, 50% effacement,
    		     1cm dilation & holding... (since Jan. 4)"
    
    I "held" til the C-sec on 1/19/85 (4 days after the due date as I
    figured it, 8 days after the due date figured by the doctor)
    
    Leslie

    I first started feeling Chelsea move at about 18 weeks.  The way I
    would describe it was the "nudgies"...she would gentle roll up against
    my skin and then swim away.  
    
    Now at almost 23 weeks, I'm not sure what it is I'm feeling.  I am 
    starting to get in my lower abdomen these twitch/spasms along with what
    feels like a burst of air.  At first in reading my "What to Expect"
    book, it looked like it might be fetal hiccups.  After talking with
    many mothers, they have said their first faint kicks feel that way.
    
    All in all, I'm glad just to be feeling something new.  Its been kinda
    quiet this last month and I live for my OB appointment to get to hear
    the fetal heartbeat.
    
    Anybody out there who would like to share on what there first faint 
    kicks felt like (not the good swift one in the ribs) or fetal hiccups,
    I would really appreciate the feedback.
    
    ...Lori

    Hi,
    
    I'm 22 weeks along and I'd say from about week 17 I'd been feeling
    these long stretches in my lower abdomen, and sometimes I could feel
    that one side kide of bulged a little more than the other.  I figured
    it was the baby stretching or changing position.  
    
    Around week 20 I started to feel tiny little tickles and since last
    week I've been feeling the occassional ping or pop, which feels like a
    small kick.  I haven't had any punts to the ribs yet, although, I think
    this kid is having a blast with pushing up towards my stomach since
    I've been getting wicked heartburn.  
    
    I just love feeling the baby move.  Some days it's really quiet and
    others I think it's trying to decide whether to be a drummer like dad
    or a runner like mom.
    
    My husband's bosses wife is 2 weeks ahead of me.  His boss was saying
    that he has just started to feel the kicks this past weekend.  Michael
    can't wait for that!
    
    Susan

    This is my second pregnancy so I know what to feel for. It was
    different the 1st time around.
    
    At around 14-15 weeks the movements felt like a bubble moving around
    the lower part of the uterus. I knew it was not gas just from
    experience. At about 16 weeks the kicks were distinct. I felt them
    lower in the uterus. Then 2 days after Christmas my hubby and I went to
    see a movie and the kicks were more high up in my tummy.
    
    Now I am almost 18 weeks and I can feel the kicks (soft ones) even
    during the day while I work. At night just after dinner while I  relax,
    seems like the baby pushes up against my tummy and I can feel a bulge
    at one spot for a while and if I gently rub that area the baby moves
    away. But now I can feel the soft kicks if I put my hand on my belly.
    
    For my first I did not start feeling even the bubbles until week 18.
    
    Shaila

    
    	I was thinking about this note last night. Remember in reply .53 to
    this string, I mentioned that I thought my baby was going to be very
    mellow based on the movement he had while he was inside me?
    
    	It's absolutely true in this case. Spencer is a really mellow
    little guy who cries very little. He is very content to be held and
    loves to fall asleep against my shoulder. We can give him a toy and he
    will spend a long time (in baby years) playing with that toy instead of
    immediately getting bored and requiring something else.
    
    	I know of another baby from our birthclass who is so very different
    from Spencer (aren't all babies different and special though?) and his
    personality is so active and almost frenetic. Sure enough, that little
    baby was a rock and roller inside of his mom.
    
    	Nothing scientific here, just another story for the books.
    
    			Wendy
                                                           

    
    
    There may be something to it Wendy...As I said in my previous replies
    to this note, Michael was very active in the womb, and it turns out
    he's pretty active outside too. He's got one heck of a "temper" when he
    gets going....(not sure where he got that from)..when he gets mad he
    kicks and screams, grabs at your chest..etc..  And besides being in 
    his swing, he gets bored easily....  Also, I can see now why he caused
    me so much pain when he moved around inside me...cause he's got the 
    strongest head I've ever seen. He very rarely will put his head on your
    shoulder...its always jacked backwards to stare at the ceiling.
    
    They told me this would happen if I named him "Michael"...everyone said 
    Michaels were always active...???  (But I wouldn't trade him for
    anything in the world!)
    
    Chris
    

    Sounds good to me Wendy, so far Chelsea is pretty much on the mellow
    side.  Sometimes I get kinda anxious because a few of my girlfriends
    that are just a couple of weeks ahead of me talk about how active their
    babies are...kicking all the time, etc.
    
    I'm still not sure  what I've been feeling this week...so much of this is
    such a mystery the first time around...a wonderful mystery, but it
    sure stirs up the brain activity!  At first it seemed like a lot of 
    twitch/spasms in the very low abdomen....now it seems (hope I can
    describe this without getting to graphic!)...but it seems like air
    being expelled thru the canal....am I going crazy?!?
    
    ..Lori
                 

    Hmmmmmmm .... this is pretty interesting!!  Chris was I guess you'd say
    "under" active, and was an under-active baby.  Jason used to go
    crazy kicking me, EVERY morning, between 2:30 and 3:30 am, he'd go a
    little crazy for about 1/2 hour, and almost constant all day long too. 
    We couldn't (and still can't!) keep him down!  Chris is coming up on 7
    now, and seems to be making up for lost time, but as a baby, he was
    DEFINITELY on the 'mellow' side.  I think he's only gotten hyper from
    his brother.  And he'd still prefer to sit and draw, while Jason would
    prefer to jump and run and see how many things he can break, and
    holler, and be incredibly rambunctious.  
    
    Anyone else's experiences??  Maybe there's something TO this!!!?
    
    Patty

    
    	Well,
    
    	I thought I'd put in some answers to my own questions..
    
    	I started feeling soft kicks about 1-2 weeks ago.  I feel
    	movement just about every day.
    
    	Last night, the baby kept kicking me in the same spot.  A couple
    	kicks seemed strong, so I put my hand on my belly to see if I
    	could feel it externally.  A minute later, I felt a good,strong
    	kick.
    
    	I had my husband put his hand there and leave it there, but the
    	rest of the kicks were too soft for him to feel.
    
    	I'm just beginning my 22nd week.  
    	
    	Karen (baby kicking as I type!)
    

    Hi, this is the author of .76 back again !
    
    I thought I would add an update...
    
    I started to feel the "nudging-type kicks" at around 21-22 weeks, and
    they rapidly progressed to the "Hey look mum, I'm doing cartwheels in
    your belly"-type kicks !
    
    I am now in my 30th week and the baby has continued to be very active.
    The other night I laid on the beanbag with my belly showing, and my
    husband and I watched it move like a plate of blancmange ! I am now
    being woken up 4 - 5 times a night with kicks and love every minute of
    it.
    
    My thanks to those noters who reassured me that I was normal !
    
    Angela.

    Well it has been almost a month since anyone has entered a note in
    here, but here goes...I am pregnant with # 2 and I will have to say
    that with # 1, she kicked a lot enough to wake me up betweem 2 and 3
    am, and until she slept through the night, this is when she always 
    woke up to be fed. Also, I always felt 1 leg kick in the same spot
    always and to this day when she is sitting in her booster/car seat
    her right leg is always bouncing up and down, but not her left one.
    
    I will have to say tho, that I am kinda a little teeny bit depressed.
    With Alicia, I felt kicks at 18 weeks, never felt flutters. I guess
    I just automatically assumed that with this one I would feel it sooner.
    I am just starting my 18th week and have not really felt anything yet. 
    I had my ultra-sound this week and the Dr. said everything looked ok.
    
    So I am not worried, just for me I don't get super happy about being 
    pregnant until I can feel that little tike!
    
    Anyone else ever get this depresses feeling with their 2nd child?
    
    Charlene

    Can't offer an opinion on the second cuz I'm still working on the
    first, but I can relate to what you said.  I'm 28 weeks and even
    though I have felt the flutters from 18 weeks on, its just been since
    last week that I started feeling Chelsea kick me....and she's just
    a light weight kicker right now.  I keep dreaming of that first good
    punt to the ribs that will make me go "OH!".
    
    I had the usual worries and expressed them to my doctor and he just
    reassured me that she was a sweet content baby girl and everything
    looked great.
    
    I treasure each one of these little kicks and can't wait to they get
    harder or she gets more active...maybe she will and maybe not.  I've
    heard some of my friends talk about having pretty mellow pregnancies
    as far as activity level and so far that fits my pattern.
    
    I've also had 4 major abdominal surgeries and am missing about 15 feet
    of intestine...so I wonder if she just has a bigger playground to play
    in than if I had all of my intestines.
    
    Either way its just now starting to get really fun and exciting with
    her moving and kicking some...I love being pregnant!
    
    ..Lori

    
    
    	I have read this whole string in bits and pieces, but I can't
    remember if this was covered before...
    
    	I am now 35 weeks pregnant with my first, and I have felt quite a
    bit of movement since 16 weeks.  Even my doctor had a hard time
    believing me!  My husband can feel the baby move if we're only sitting
    next to each other.  Sometimes one good kick (or two) will shake the
    whole bed!  I have PLENTY of the kicks that make me go "OOF!" - and
    although I LOVE to feel the movement, frankly, it does hurt and is
    often uncomfortable.
    
    	When I had my ultrasound, the technician told me that I had (I
    think this is the terminology she used) post-attached placenta - the
    placenta was attached to the back of my uterus.  She told me then that
    I would be feeling a LOT of movement.  A friend of mine, who is due the
    same week as I am, feels flutters, and occassionaly kicks, but nothing
    TOO strong and her husband hasn't been able to feel thd baby yet.  Has 
    anyone else's doctor/technician told them where the placenta was, and how 
    that would affect how much movement they felt?  It seems to be SO
    different for everyone!  I think I'll be disappointed next time if the
    placenta is in a different place and I don't feel as much movement.
    
    	Justine

    I had to reply to this since my wife has been worried about not feeling
    movement with this pregnancy (our second) and she is now just over 19
    weeks.  She felt sure that she would feel this baby sooner than our
    first (she remembers feeling Chelsea/first baby at about 17 1/2 wks). 
    And..she lost about 45 pounds last year, so being a second baby and
    being much thinner, she felt sure she'd feel this baby sooner.  In
    fact, she has gone in for a between-visit heartbeat check just to make
    sure everything was okay.  We have had two recent ultrasounds, one for
    our first amnio try (couldn't do because of anterior placenta) and
    another during our second amnio attempt (which was successful) and the
    baby was kicking and moving a lot.  Paula says it is very weird to see
    the baby kick on the ultrasound monitor but not feel a thing.  She has
    been reassured, in fact, again just today, by her doctor, that every
    baby/pregnancy is different, the heartbeat is strong, etc, and she will
    probaby feel the baby in the next couple of weeks or so.  But....it
    does drive her crazy sometimes and she does worry about it...and spends
    a lot of time at night lying in bed with her hand on her stomach and a
    preoccupied look on her face!  And PS:  I guess this is our
    announcement that we are pregnant again...due July 10!
    
    Mark

    	I wonder if that has anything to do with nerve damage?

    	I've noticed that since I've given birth, I don't feel bladder
    pressure anymore. Everything works fine in that department, except that
    I don't feel pressure and that urgency to go. I have to push on my
    abdomen to feel that my bladder is full. (after going to the bathroom
    every half hour while pregnant, this is one side effect that I don't
    mind).

    	Did your wife have a tough deliver or even a C section?

    			Wendy who is just wondering 

    Wendy,
    
    I experience a similar condition...and wonder if it is nature's way of
    allowing Moms to deal with the demands of a baby!  They don't always
    let you go when you "need" to!!!!
    
    beth