I often have moms come in during their gender determination ultrasounds wondering when they are going to feel their babies first kicks. Many haven’t felt those first kicks by 16 weeks and others feel as though thier baby is using thier bladder as a trampolin. Why is this and is it normal many moms ask. Every pregnancy is different and each mom and baby are different. As a mother of 5, (yes’s, you read that correctly!) I have felt my babies first movements as early as 13 weeks to as late as 18 weeks. That’s a pretty large time window, although completely normal. The truth is there is no exact time when you will feel your baby move. It is different for every mother. There are numerous factors that influence when you might be able to feel your baby move. One of the most significant factors is the location of your placenta. Women with an anterior placenta tend to feel the baby during the later part of their pregnancy. An anterior placenta is when the placenta is along the front part of the uterus. An anterior placenta acts as a barrier between the top of stomach and the babies feet. Those tiny kicks and punches are blocked from being felt by the placenta. Moms with a posterior placenta tend to feel those kicks and punches sooner. Posterior placentas are positioned in the back of the uterus behind the baby. There is no “barrier“ in this case between the top of moms stomach and the baby.
There are of course other factors that goes into feeling the first kicks such as size of the baby, size of mom, and how “in tune” you are with your body.
At Miracle In Progress Ultrasound while we are taking a sweet glimpse of your little one growing inside of your belly we can also show you your placenta during your ultrasound appointment and let you know it’s location.
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