When I was pregnant the first time around, I expected my baby-to-be?s initial movements to feel like a jolt. I was fully prepared to have a tiny foot boot me from the inside with a wee whap and I?d joyfully announce, ?The baby kicked!? I was waiting for the dramatic thump, but that?s not what happened.
Instead, one day about 19 weeks in, I got a subtle sensation. I was lounging on the sofa after dinner with the cat splayed across my belly when it suddenly felt as if I had swallowed a couple of drunken butterflies. The cat noticed nothing.
But was it the baby or just pregnancy gas" Some days, it was impossible to know the difference. And where were my big, powerful kicks" I asked Heather Bartos, an OB/GYN, mom of two and medical director at be. Women?s Health & Wellness in Cross Roads, Texas, to explain. When will my baby start to move"
Your baby-to-be flips and flops way before you can actually feel it. In fact, your healthcare provider can spot spontaneous fetal movements, like baby stretches or arm wiggles, around eight weeks’ gestation. This is a sign that your baby?s central nervous system is developing as it should. However, babies are still far too small (about an inch long) at this point for you to feel anything.

When will I feel my baby move"
For most first-time moms, those early flutters, also called quickening, can happen anywhere from 18 to 22 weeks into pregnancy. ?But that?s not a hard and fast rule,? says Bartos. ?I actually felt...