Pregnancy. First movements What kind of special and indescribable sensations does the expectant mother experience when she begins to feel the baby’s first movements?! Of course, a woman experiences many new emotions and states during the process of pregnancy and motherhood, but the first movements of the unborn child are a special state. “As if something had turned over,” “as if a fish had swam by,” “it seemed like something was knocking quietly,” “like a feather moved several times”, “as if something gurgled” - this is how mothers describe their first sensations from listening to their own tummy, when they finally manage to master the first sensual connection with the baby. Indeed, the first movements are felt as very light and incomprehensible, “probably it seemed,” but very quickly, every day such communication with the baby will become more clear and sensitive. And by the end of pregnancy, women already say this: “Oh, wait a little, it seems he stuck his heel under the ribs,” trying to calm down the child who was jumping up and down in earnest, causing pain. But this is still far away, but for now, the first connection with the child is the first movements only bring pleasure. After all, now the mother feels her baby (he exists!) every day, which means that her little miracle is really growing, developing and even playing inside her! Usually, expectant mothers attach great importance to the date of the first movement, looking forward to it and listening to themselves in the evening and tummy. Doctors also turn out to be “not indifferent” to the first movement, so by the middle of pregnancy they begin to ask the expectant mother if she feels the baby’s movements. And why are they so interested? It's simple, the date of the first movement is an important milestone - a certain parameter of the gestational age, according to which the doctor will determine the date of birth (in combination with other parameters). Therefore, be sure to write down when you felt the first movement; doctors will ask you about this more than once (your obstetrician-gynecologist, ultrasound specialist, doctor at the maternity hospital). Well, when does this event usually happen?! I think that it is quite possible to start listening to the baby starting from 16 weeks of pregnancy. Typically, first-time mothers begin to feel the baby in the womb at 20 weeks of pregnancy, multiparous women - at 18 weeks of pregnancy. But as with everything, you should take an individual approach to your feelings. It is quite possible to meet expectant mothers who felt the first movement at 16 weeks, as well as at 21 weeks. All this is quite normal. Do you think that after the baby began to move (more precisely, after the mother felt it for the first time), a joyful and calm life begins, pleasant communication with the baby? On the one hand, of course, yes! But on the other hand, expectant mothers begin to have new questions and reasons for worry. But what about without them? “It seems that my child moves very little, is this not bad?”, “But mine jumps from morning to morning, maybe he wants to get out of there as quickly as possible, maybe he’s missing something?”, “ I was told that monotonous, monotonous kicks are the baby’s hiccups, but is this not harmful to him? How can I help him?”, “Mine sits like a good boy all day long, but as soon as I lie down on the bed, my stomach starts shaking!” Yes, some questions and experiences go away, but some, on the contrary, appear. Next time we will finish this topic by answering the questions “How, when and how much should a baby move?” See the end of the article here Useful tips and practices in the selection Pregnancy, childbirth, recovery after childbirth Katerina Istratova is a clinical psychologist, author of books. I help you become a mother! 🧡Record via WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber +7(929) 9020234