What does a baby moving feel like?

The full narration of the video.

A baby starts moving at seven or eight weeks. But mom won't feel it for another two or three months. And that first one? Lots of moms think it's just gas. So what does a baby moving actually feel like? The very first ones don't feel like kicks. More like a tiny bubble popping inside, or a little fish gliding past.

Some moms say it's like a butterfly flapping, or a gurgle in the tummy. Everyone describes it differently, but it's always faint. So it's easy to mistake for gas, or hunger. This usually happens between sixteen and twenty-four weeks. First-time moms often notice it after twenty weeks; moms who've done this before, a bit sooner. It's easiest to catch while lying still. But if the baby's been moving all along, why does mom find out so late?

Try a little experiment: put your hand under a thick pillow, and have someone tap the top of it with one fingertip. You probably won't feel a thing. At sixteen weeks, the baby weighs only about a hundred grams, about as much as two eggs. Each little push has to travel through the fluid around the baby, through the womb wall, and through mom's belly, before she can feel it. For some moms, the placenta sits at the front, like one more pillow in the way. Movements show up later and feel softer, but the baby is moving just as much.

The pillow stays the same, but the baby keeps growing, and every push gets stronger. So the feeling changes too. In the twenties, it's like someone flicking you from the inside. Sometimes one spot jumps in a steady rhythm, bump, bump, bump, for quite a while. That's usually the baby hiccupping. Later, it's kicks, jabs, and full rolls, like a kitten tossing around under a blanket. You can even see a little bump rise on the belly, then slowly slide away.

By now, dad can put his hand on the bump and feel it too. For many, that's somewhere between twenty-four and twenty-eight weeks. Near the end, it gets crowded in there, so the big rolls happen less. But the baby shouldn't move less. The idea that babies go quiet before birth is a myth. You don't have to count to a magic number. Just learn your baby's usual pattern. If one day the movements clearly slow down, don't wait until tomorrow. Call your doctor right away.

So the first movement usually isn't a kick. It's a bubble. From bubble, to little fish, to kitten: what's changing is the baby's strength. So what did you use to think: was the first movement a kick, or a bubble?