My doctor thinks it is to early to feel the baby at 14, weeks.. but that guy swims right into my uteran wall..

Question

and I feel it, have felt him for 6 days now and he is getting stronger... Sometimes I am not sure if it gas.. but many times there is no question... that was IN my uterus and it feels like baby. Maybe I am further along by a few weeks? Or do other woman find this also?

Answer 1

One thing you have to realize is that doctors are not always right. I personally didn't feel my son until around 4 months along. But I'm sure it's possible to feel them before that. There's nothing wrong with disagreeing with your doctor.

Answer 2

My doctor told me the same thing at 14 weeks, when I absolutely knew I was feeling my baby move. I felt all three of mine this early, so I knew what I was feeling. It's your baby - enjoy!

Answer 3

yes i could feel a fluttering sensation as early as fifteen weeks, and im sure it was the baby not gas or anything, i think its "normal" to feel movement around 18 weeks or so, but then again what is a "normal pregnancy??" every single one is diff, and many people report that they have felt movement as early as 14 weeks.

Answer 4

I felt movement at 15 weeks so you may be right, but sometimes what you are feeling is gas or something because your whole digestive system is "off".

Answer 5

I felt my second child at that age... I love it

Answer 6

You could be, but take a Watch & Wait approach, all the best

Have a look at the Week Calender, where you could find more details.

From conception to 12 weeks. Before 12 weeks of the pregnancy the uterus is contained within the bones of the woman's pelvis and cannot be felt through her belly. After about 12 weeks, the uterus begins to grow up and out of the pelvis and is able to be palpated by your caregiver (and you), usually by just being able to touch the very top of the uterus (or the 'fundus').

Some women with subsequent pregnancies will have a uterus that is a little more 'bulky' from previous pregnancies, making it move up out of the pelvis earlier (possibly after about 10 or 11 weeks). This may also be the case if you are having twins or more. If you feel you are 12 weeks pregnant or more and your uterus cannot be felt by your caregiver, it may be that you are not as far pregnant as you first calculated, or perhaps it is one physical sign of a missed miscarriage.

From 12 to 20 weeks. From 12 to 20 weeks of the pregnancy your caregiver will feel your belly as part of every routine pregnancy visit. During this phase the baby is not large enough for your caregiver to detect their position, so the main aim of palpating before 20 weeks is just to ensure that the uterus is actually growing, hopefully at a progressive rate.

By about 16 weeks of pregnancy the top of the uterus (or 'fundus') will usually have grown to about halfway between the pubic hair line and the belly button or navel (when lying down). By about 20 weeks of the pregnancy the fundus should be closer to the level of the belly button. Your caregiver may start using a measuring tape during this time to measure your fundal height, but it is not essential at this stage.

From 20 to 34 weeks. From 20 to 34 weeks your baby is growing much larger and is now big enough for your caregiver to feel where their head is lying. Babies change position frequently during this phase of the pregnancy and are quite often in a breech position (bottom down) or lying across your belly in a 'transverse' position. Your caregiver may be able to guide your hands during this examination so you can feel your own baby's head. Ask them if they can do this at your next pregnancy visit.

The size of your uterus should continue to grow at a progressive rate, being approximately relevant to how far pregnant you are (ie. the baby feels about a '32 week' size). Guesses on the baby's birth weight cannot be estimated until the last 2 to 3 weeks of the pregnancy. Many caregivers will use fundal height measurements as part of monitoring the baby's growth during this phase of the pregnancy.

From 34 to 37 weeks. After about 34 weeks your baby will more than likely move into a head down position (however a few babies will still remain in a breech position). Women having twins will often find that one baby is head down, while their sibling is breech. Your caregiver will feel for your baby's head and perhaps detect which side of your belly their back is laying on (right or left). Your baby will not usually move their head from being down now (because their head is much larger and heavier), but their back can move frequently from one side of your belly to the other. At this stage, it does not really matter if your baby's back is 'anterior' (towards your front) or 'posterior' (towards your back).

The size of your uterus should continue to grow, reaching the base of your breast bone (or 'sternum') by about 36 to 37 weeks. Again the baby should be growing at a progressive rate but estimates on your baby's birth weight are not really possible yet (although many caregivers will try!) Your caregiver may continue to use fundal height measurements, but after 35 to 36 weeks they tend to become irrelevant, because the baby cannot move much further up than the level of your breastbone.

From 37 to birth. Your baby should definitely be head down now (or you are having a breech baby or perhaps are scheduled for an ECV to turn the baby to head down position). Although not common, a few babies will continue to change position frequently even at this late stage of the pregnancy, being referred to as an unstable lie.

Your caregiver will feel your baby's head and try to determine if it has engaged yet. The baby's head can engage anytime from 1 to 4 weeks or so before the birth. Although it can be normal for some women's babies not to engage until they start labouring, especially women having a second or subsequent baby, but also in some first pregnancies.

Your caregiver will also try and determine how they are now lying. This may be in an 'anterior' position (with the baby's back being towards the front of your belly) or 'posterior' (towards your back), or 'lateral' (towards your side). You can see images of how unborn babies look when they lie in these positions in class 5. Once your baby's head engages they are less likely to move their back from one side of your belly to another (although some very active babies still manage to do this). However, they can still move from being in an 'anterior' position to a 'posterior' and visa versa quite readily before labour. You can read more in posterior baby.

The size of your uterus will not grow upwards any further, mainly because there is no more room to do this. However, your belly usually grows outwards more. If your baby's head engages, the fundal height will usually 'drop' lower, although fundal measurements are not generally used during the final weeks of pregnancy.