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When Will You First Feel Your Baby Move?
That magical moment when you first feel your baby move is called quickening. It’s a clear sign that your baby is growing and getting active. Quickening usually happens between 16 and 25 weeks of pregnancy. If this is your first pregnancy, you might not notice it until closer to 20 to 25 weeks.If you’ve been pregnant before, you may recognise those flutters as early as 16 weeks. This is because you know what to expect, and your uterine muscles are more relaxed, making you more sensitive to movement.
These early movements are subtle and can feel like:
- Gentle flutters
- Soft tapping or tiny pulses
- Bubbles popping or a light tickle
- Small muscle spasms or a feather brushing your tummy
What Does Gas Feel Like During Pregnancy?
Pregnancy brings many changes, and gas is one of the most common. During pregnancy, progesterone levels rise, slowing digestion. As a result, air can get trapped in your stomach or intestines, leading to bloating or gas.As your uterus grows, it can press on your intestines, making things even more uncomfortable. What makes it tricky is that this gas can sometimes feel a lot like early baby movements, so it is easy to mistake one for the other.
Gas during pregnancy might feel like:
- A rolling or gurgling sensation in your stomach
- Quick, popping feelings that come and go
- Cramp-like pain or a sense of heaviness
- Pressure that shifts and disappears after passing gas or a bowel movement
How to Tell the Difference Between Gas and Baby Kicks
It can be hard to tell the difference between gas and your baby’s movements in the beginning. Both can feel like light flutters, so it is easy to mix them up. But if you pay attention to where you feel it, how long it lasts, and what seems to bring it on, you can usually tell which is which.This is how you can spot the difference:
- Location: Baby movements usually start low in your belly during the second trimester, near your pubic bone. As your baby grows, you will start to feel the kicks higher up, around your ribs or sides. Gas tends to stay in the lower abdomen and can shift around as air moves through your intestines.
- Pattern and timing: Gas is random and tied to meals or digestion. Baby movements become more regular over time and are easier to notice when you are resting, after meals, or when you have something sweet or cold.
- Response to touch: If you gently press or rub your belly and feel something in return, that is likely your baby. Gas does not react to touch.
- Accompanying symptoms: Gas usually comes with bloating, cramps, or the urge to pass gas. Baby kicks feel light or strong but are not painful or uncomfortable.
- Consistency: As your pregnancy moves forward, your baby’s movements will become stronger and follow a pattern. Gas will stay irregular and linked to digestion.
What Factors Affect Your Baby’s Movement?
Several factors can affect when you feel your baby move:- Previous pregnancies: If you’ve been pregnant before, you’re more likely to notice movements earlier.
- Placenta position: An anterior placenta (between your uterus and belly) can cushion the movements and delay when you first feel them.
- Baby’s activity: Some babies are more active than others, which can affect how soon you notice them.
- Body shape and amniotic fluid: People with higher body mass index (BMI) or less amniotic fluid may feel movements later.
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FAQs on You Might Feel the First Flutters: Is That Gas or Baby?
- How to know if it's bloating or a baby bump?
Bloating usually comes and goes and can change with meals or digestion. A baby bump grows gradually over weeks and feels firmer and more consistent. - How to tell the difference between gas pains and pregnancy pains?
Gas pains are sharp, move around, and often improve after passing gas. Pregnancy contractions are usually rhythmic and grow longer, stronger, and closer together.