When Will You Feel Baby Kick and What Does it Feel Like?

Feeling baby kick for the first time is an exciting and memorable milestone in pregnancy. I can still remember where I was and what I was doing when I felt my first baby kick for the first time (in my car, driving to the grocery store). I also remember wondering when I would feel it and what it would feel like -- it's hard to know what you're looking for when it's never happened before!   

I felt my first baby kicks in my first pregnancy around 17 weeks, but the reality is that you can feel baby kick almost anytime in the second trimester, from around 16-25 weeks, on average. A smaller percentage of parents will feel kicks earlier and later than that time frame. Babies begin moving from very early on in pregnancy, but when you actually feel those movements depends on different factors, like whether this is your first pregnancy, the position of your placenta, and your ability to recognize what you feel as baby's movement. 

If you are 25 weeks and still do not feel movement, it's a good idea to talk to your care provider. It could be that you have an anterior placenta, which makes movement significantly more difficult to feel, or there could be another reason. 

So what do early baby kicks feel like? When I felt movement for the first time, it felt like little bubble pops or tiny muscle twitches in my lower abdomen. Others describe first baby kicks to feel like flutters, gas bubbles, tumbling, a light tickle, a painless "zapping" feeling, a light flicking, or a gentle thud or tap. 

As baby grows, movements will become much more pronounced and you will feel them more frequently. Instead of tiny pops, you'll feel jabs, punches, rolls, and pokes. As for feeling movement on the outside, you'll likely have to wait until late in the second trimester or early to mid third trimester. 

When did you feel the first baby kicks? What did it feel like? Do you remember where you were when it happened?