Short Answer – You should feel your baby’s first movements (called quickening) between weeks 16 and 25. If it’s your first pregnancy, it may be closer to the 25 week mark.
The initial movements won’t feel like kicks exactly, more like butterflies in your stomach or a little twitch or nudge. Don’t worry, these movements get stronger in time as your baby grows.
By month 7, you’ll be feeling full-on kicks and punches. You may also notice the occasional flutter of a rhythmic tic (baby hiccups!) which is normal.
Months 8 and 9 you might start to feel like a mama-bongo drum. If the jabbing ever gets to be too much, try changing positions. That will also adjust the baby’s position and may get him/her to settle down.
Tracking Baby’s Kicks
To be sure everything is progressing appropriately, your doctor may want you to start counting kicks at around week 28. Tracking how long it takes your baby to make ten movements is usually used as a baseline.
Your doctor will let you know how to monitor the movements, so you can identify if the baby is ever less active than normal. In general, if your baby has started to move regularly and you don’t feel at least 10 movements within a two-hour period, or the movements have slowed significantly, it’s time to call your doctor.
