4 min read · Understanding your baby's first movements
A bubble.
A flutter.
A tiny flick somewhere inside your belly.
Then it happens again.
Those first movements can be so subtle that many parents spend days wondering whether they really felt their baby at all.
The first time you become aware of fetal movement is often called quickening.
When do you usually feel the first movement?
Many pregnant people begin feeling their baby move somewhere between 16 and 24 weeks.
If this is your first pregnancy, you may not recognise movement until after 20 weeks.
If you have been pregnant before, you may identify those early sensations sooner because you already know what they feel like.
What does quickening actually feel like?
There is no single sensation.
Parents commonly describe early movements as:
- tiny bubbles;
- butterflies;
- fluttering;
- gentle tapping;
- a swishing feeling;
- soft rolling;
- a small muscle twitch.
At first, the movements may be occasional and difficult to distinguish from digestion.
As your baby grows, they gradually become more recognisable.
Owloo Insight
The first kick may not feel like a kick at all.
It can take time before those tiny internal movements become strong enough to recognise immediately.
When will your partner be able to feel the baby?
Usually later than you.
You can feel very small movements from inside your body before they are strong enough to be detected through the abdomen.
As the pregnancy progresses and movements become stronger, your partner may eventually be able to feel them by placing a hand on your bump at the right moment.
Do babies have a movement pattern?
Early on, movements may feel irregular.
As pregnancy progresses, you will gradually become familiar with how your own baby tends to move.
There is no universal number of kicks that every baby should make. What matters later in pregnancy is knowing what is normal for your baby.
A Little Memory to Keep
Write down the first movement you are sure was your baby.
Date, place, time and what it felt like. One sentence is enough to preserve a moment you may otherwise forget.
What if you have not felt movement yet?
There is a wide normal range for when first movements are noticed.
If you have never felt your baby move by 24 weeks, contact your midwife, obstetrician or maternity care team.
Once you have become familiar with your baby's movements, contact your maternity care team promptly if movements become noticeably reduced, stop or change from your baby's usual pattern.
Do not rely on a home Doppler or heartbeat app to decide whether your baby is well.
Hello World Kit | 0–6 months
Today you are waiting for the next little kick. Months from now, those movements become stretches, reaches, turns and first attempts to explore the world. Discover the Owloo Hello World Kit for baby's first six months.
Explore the Hello World Kit
Frequently asked questions
What does the first baby movement feel like?
Early movements may feel like fluttering, bubbles, rolling, gentle tapping or a small twitch rather than an obvious kick.
When do first-time mothers usually feel movement?
Movement is commonly first noticed between 16 and 24 weeks, and in a first pregnancy it may not be recognised until after 20 weeks.
Is it normal not to feel my baby every day at first?
Early movements can initially be subtle and irregular. Movement becomes easier to recognise as pregnancy progresses.
What should I do if my baby's movements decrease?
Contact your maternity care team promptly if your baby's movements become reduced, stop or change from their usual pattern.
The Owloo approach
You waited weeks to see the bump.
Then weeks more to feel something inside it.
And one day, the tiniest flutter changes everything.
Hello from the inside.
Written by Tina Krapez, Owloo Co-founder & COO
Tina Krapez is the Co-founder and COO of Owloo, where she helps create thoughtful products and resources that support families from pregnancy through their baby's earliest stages of development.
Sources and further reading
