It feels like bubbles. The books say that experienced pregnant people can feel the baby move from around 16 weeks, but novices like me will just think it’s wind or something until more like 18/19 weeks, when the movements get stronger. We’re just coming up to 17 completed weeks now, and I’ve been feeling it for days.
It’s a fluttery, gentle bump inside and it feels like nothing else that ever happens inside that part of my body. How could I misidentify this? It’s weird and new, so it definitely goes with the other weird and new things that are happening. It’s the baby moving.
Movements have only been described to me before in terms of you wait until it hooks its feet under your ribs and sometimes it punches you so hard you can see the shape of its fist. I have not been looking forward to these experiences. So when it turned out to feel like a small cloud of butterflies, I can see why I’m not supposed to recognise it. Pregnancy is such a minefield of misinformation.
I do understand that the stretches and strokes will become more forceful, and that at some point it really will hook its feet under my ribs, but right now it’s a lovely, gentle feeling. The movements are so small that I can only feel it from the inside; it’s not yet discernible to the touch, so Pete can’t feel it yet.
It’s an awesome feeling to have this live thing dancing around inside me, and I have to remind myself that it’s not actually interacting with me. It has no concept of who I am. It makes me think of the whale in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: and what shall I call this warm goo that I’m floating in?
Imagine having no words to think with.
I found it to be a very cool thing indeed, that fluttering little life force. For me, feeling that life inside was the best part of being pregnant.
How about this….imagine a life with no words to limit your experience.
So long as you avoid watching any of the Alien movies until after the birth you’ll be fine.
Really nice post, and not much I can say about the post except it was lovely to read.
I have to ask, is the title a referance to the movie Highlander?
Having babies is indeed one big mystery, I for the most part think that if one really knew all of the ins and outs of it, one would quite simply run to the hills, hands flung up in horror.
They are flutters now, one can feel them as early as eleven weeks. It shall become some sort of South Park Sumo wrestling, later. Your movements rock the beast to sleep and when you lie down to snore life off, you will indeed note an elbow poking into your skin, yes, time to wake up, the rocking has stopped.
I detested every moment of gestation. I never, ever glowed. But my, …yes… let us just leave it there.
I have three after all.
And every one knows that I would have had more, could I have.
But I could not.
Sleep dear, best advice : sleep, nap, do not get up in the morning to make Pete’s tea.
It will be at least four or five years until you can sleep past 6am once more.
Revel in it , cookie.