Where do you feel quickening in your belly? Quickening is typically felt low in your belly, near your pubic bone. Early fetal movements are subtle, and your baby is still tiny. At around 12 weeks in pregnancy, your uterus is low in your abdomen or at your pubic bone.
The type of movement you feel will depend on what your baby is doing and their stage of growth and development. Each baby is different, with some more active than others. The first sensations you feel may be a fluttering (like 'butterflies in your tummy'), swishing, rolling or tumbling sensation or a tiny kick.
4 months into your pregnancy, your baby will also feel it when you stroke the skin of your tummy: rub your hand against your stomach, gently push and stroke it… and soon your baby will start responding with little kicks, or by curling up into your palm!
If your baby is lying in your womb to your left, you'll see LOA (left occiput anterior) written in your maternity notes. If they are lying in your womb to your right, you'll see ROA (right occiput anterior) written in your notes.
Pregnant women might have pain in the left side of the stomach during early pregnancy due to the changes going on in their bodies. This pain usually occurs because the uterus and the body are trying to make space for the baby.
However, big changes happen in the second trimester, which allows your little one to feel touch and respond to it. Researchers have discovered babies as early as 21 weeks gestation show a response to their mother's touch from the outside.
In early pregnancy, a bigger belly or feeling of tightness is probably due to digestive changes. As your uterus takes up more room in your pelvis, it's pushing your intestines upward. In addition, hormonal changes are slowing your digestion, leading to increased gas and constipation.
"Gentle pushing on your belly as it gets bigger is fine," says Michele Hakakha, M.D., an OB-GYN in Beverly Hills and co-author of Expecting 411: Clear Answers & Smart Advice for Your Pregnancy. "Hard jabs, kicks, or punches can be dangerous, particularly as you get farther along in your pregnancy."
You should start to feel your baby move between around 16 to 24 weeks of pregnancy. If this is your first baby, you might not feel movements until after 20 weeks. If you have not felt your baby move by 24 weeks, tell your midwife. They'll check your baby's heartbeat and movements.
You should feel your baby's first movements, called "quickening," between weeks 16 and 25 of your pregnancy. If this is your first pregnancy, you may not feel your baby move until closer to 25 weeks. By the second pregnancy, some women start to feel movements as early as 13 weeks.
Month 1 – Week 1-4
After an egg has been fertilized and implants into the uterine lining, a sac grows around it. This becomes the amniotic sac and will hold the amniotic fluid and cushion the embryo. The placenta also forms during this month. This will bring nutrition and support to the baby from the mother.
You may feel brief lower abdomen pain. This is known as Mittelschmerz, a slight, one-sided ache or twinge in the pelvis caused by the release of the egg during ovulation. At two weeks pregnant, your belly won't show any signs of a bump yet, although you may feel a little more gassy or bloated than usual.
In women, the exam can also give information about the uterus and ovaries. When your healthcare provider presses on your belly, they are feeling to see if any of these organs are enlarged or painful. That might be a sign of problems that need more assessment.
Following the 12-week mark, the uterus expands to accommodate the growing baby, making the belly feel harder instead of soft [1]. On the other hand, a fat belly is softer and you'll also tend to see fat layers on the stomach rather than a protruding belly with a smooth dome as you would with a pregnant belly [1].
Mild stomach pain in early pregnancy (during the first 12 weeks) is usually caused by your womb expanding, the ligaments stretching as your bump grows, hormones constipation or trapped wind. It may sometimes feel like a 'stitch' or mild period pain.
A hard spot on your abdomen during the early part of the second trimester is likely to be your fundus, which is the top of your uterus. The uterus is a muscular organ, shaped like an upside-down pear, and the fundus is the curved upper part that's furthest away from your cervix.
In short, what does a pregnant belly feel like? Own your own experience, at first to touch, it may feel no different, then a bit squishy then firm, then hard like a ball as you approach your due date. Enjoy each stage and if you're anything like me, be in awe of what the human body is capable of!!
As your baby grows and the uterus gets bigger, this stretching can cause the round ligaments to go into spasm, causing pain in the lower abdomen or groin area.
Although 1 month pregnant belly changes are almost impossible to notice, the embryo does develop in your stomach. At this stage, you'll have missed your period, so you may suspect that you're pregnant, though your 1 month belly has barely changed.
From the first month of pregnancy, many mothers-to-be expect to see the first signs: they usually notice changes in the womb, although the uterus has not yet increased in size, and it may feel somewhat swollen, with discomfort and shooting pain similar to the sensations of PMS.