Movement at 18 Wks

Updated on October 22, 2009
T.W. asks from Yonkers, NY
13 answers

HI mama's
I am 18 wks pregnant and have started to feel little 'pops' of movement the last two weeks. At my 16 wk check up my dr. said that the placenta attached in the front of my belly and I might not feel a lot of movement there till the baby was older. I wanted to know what others experienced @ the 18wk mark in regards to fetal movement. I feel like I should be feeling much more movement that I am ( a few times a day but not always...). My last pregnancy was a twin pregnancy so as you can expect the movement almost never stopped:). I am feeling a little nervous and know I have a bit of anxiety ( I am being seen the typical amount for a normal pregnacy, but with the twins was seen every two weeks) so I would love a little feed back from other moms.
Thanks so much for your info!!!

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So What Happened?

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who responded to my call for reassurance about my baby's movement at 18 wks!!I can't tell you how great it was to read my email and see so many letters of support. I feel so much better hearing about all of your pregnancy experiences. I am planning on talking with my dr. about the frequency of movement, but I really think it is just a case of the baby having more room and not being as active as my twins were. I am planning on taking your advice and enjoying the peace while I can! Take care everyone and thank you for taking the time to reassure me- I really appreciate it!
T.

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G.B.

answers from Albany on

My son's placenta was also attached at the front of the uterus. I didn't know it until I had an ultrasound a couple of days before he was born. I remember feeling more movement on the sides than the front, and wondering why I couldn't really feel his body parts! Sounds like you might have to adjust to not feeling as much as with twins. Good luck!

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A.P.

answers from Dallas on

Hi T.! Congrats first and foremost :)

I remember starting to feel movement at 15-16 wks, but never felt anything consistent until I was about 22 weeks.

Best of luck to you!

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H.P.

answers from New York on

Hi T.!! Congratulations on your pregnancy! I was probably about 20 weeks along in my first pregnacy before I cosistently felt the baby move. In my second I would say about 18 weeks. Good luck and enjoy!!

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D.R.

answers from New York on

hi T., i had an anterior placenta with my 3rd, and i also felt a lot less in front, but remember that although you probably wont see as much movement or feel as much with your hand, you still feel the movements inside, they are just not ones that you can share so much ... keep them all to yourself :) oh i miss it so much! also, remember that as you get bigger, the placenta will kind of shift (not truly shift, but it will almost seem that way because the non-placenta area gets bigger, dont know if im explaining it correctly) and there will most likely be more area in front where you can feel the baby. enjoy it!

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P.C.

answers from New York on

Hi T.

With my pregnancy, I didn't feel my daughter until I was 22 weeks! Mostly b/c I had 3 huge Fibroids that were blocking her on all sides. Also, she being my first, they say you don't really know the baby is kicking until the movement becomes more pronounced in later weeks. But oh how I miss those little "pops" as you describe them!
I often times ENJOY little gas sensations in my stomach b/c they remind me so much of when I was carrying my daughter....and I did love that sensation so much!
Enjoy it all!

One thing I did do to ease my mind was to rent a doppler.
It cost me about $21 a month and it was the greatest thing to have!
I ordered it through "Dynamic Doppler" ....search the web if you'd like to get one.
You do not need a Dr's permission or prescription for one either. In fact, my Dr. suggested I get one since I loved to hear my daughter's heartbeat at visits to his office. ;)
Anytime I was in the slightest worry that I didn't feel her kicking or moving as much, I just got out my doppler and there was her heart beat loud and clear and beating nice and quickly as always. It was a huge relief and such a sense of reassurance.
I am sure it is just that you are so used to having a lot of activity in your tummy. This time around, your little baby has a lot more room to spread out and doesn't have the desire to kick as much and as soon as when you had your twins.
Congratulations on your pregnancy.
I am sure all will go well!
God Bless!
P.

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A.N.

answers from New York on

T., I had the exact same thing happen to me last year, and I am pretty sure I didn't feel regular strong movements until like 22-23 weeks, which was weird to me because I was all belly and pretty huge at that point! So hang in there and do not worry.

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F.A.

answers from New York on

Like you, I had an anterior placenta in my second pregnancy, and my best advice, if everything else is OK, is not to worry about the fact that you feel less movement than you did last time. I had 2 single pregnancies, and the difference between the first, with placenta not at the front, and the second, with placenta on the front, was huge - so I can only imagine that it will be an even bigger difference for you, if your last was twins.
I felt a lot less, a lot later with the anterior placenta, and even at full term the movement was mainly round the sides, rather than those big all-over movements I had had the first time. Also my second was a smaller baby which I think affects it. I also think that as children they are different - my first is a tall, very active sporty child, and her little sister is much calmer and a more indoor sort of kid - and I have a theory that the difference was apparent even before birth!
All I mean to say is that all babies and all pregnancies are different, and with you the twins/single thing plus the anterior placenta is going to make a big difference.
Try not to worry - I know I did worry, and all it did was make the pregnancy less enjoyable.

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K.P.

answers from New York on

I too had a front placenta and felt definite movement around 19 weeks and full-out flips and bubbles by 22 weeks. Also don't be alarmed if they have a hard time finding the heartbeat using the external monitor. My son is happy, healthy and napping right now and they had to hunt around each time because of the placenta placement!

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V.L.

answers from Sacramento on

oh this happened to me.
its one of those things where you never know.
there are so many forums on woman discussing all sorts of different times and at different weeks when they feel the movement. don't be scared. especially since you just saw your doctor a couple weeks ago and everything was okay. you can always call your ob and explain you are worried and need to know that it is ok. i assure you though. no worries. my baby wasnt very active till about 20-22 weeks. although he began moving every now and then at 13 weeks

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P.R.

answers from New York on

hello! with my first pregnancy, i felt movement at 17 weeks. felt like butterflies fluttering. quite an experience! good luck on your pregnancy!

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B.A.

answers from New York on

Hi T.,
Congratulations on your pregnancy!
What you are experiencing sounds normal to me.
With my first pregnancy I felt the first movement around 16 weeks and it was almost constant through the whole pregnancy. For entertainment in my last trimester, my husband and I used to sit on the couch and watch my belly because we would see huge ripples from my daughter moving around in there.
I am now 37 weeks with my second baby and with this pregnancy I didn't feel the first movement until about 18 weeks and they weren't even very strong until about 20 weeks. I don't feel this baby move nearly as much as the first, but every time I go for an ultrasound or they check the heartbeat, they comment on how much the baby is moving around. I guess she is moving, but I am just not feeling it. My placenta is not in the front, but I am still not feeling all the movement. I guess every pregnancy really is different.
I am feeling a lot more movement now that I am in the last few weeks of pregnancy. I can feel her arms and legs kicking around, but I don't feel the whole body roll around like I did with my first. I guess this baby is just really comfortable in there.
All the best!
B.

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C.P.

answers from Rochester on

I didn't feel movement with my first until after 20 weeks. With my second, movement started at 14 weeks, but it was very sporadic - a couple of times every few days and quickly built up the quantity. He was very active.

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E.S.

answers from New York on

My daughter's doctor also said the placenta had attached to the front of her belly, so that's why my daughter did not feel hardly any movements. Even much further into the pregnancy my daughter said she didn't feel too much movement. This was my daughter's first pregnancy, so she couldn't compare, but she was obviously concerned...however her doctor told her everything was fine. My daughter gave birth to a perfectly healthy beautiful baby girl.

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