At what stage can you feel the baby move during your second pregnancy?

Many women discover that they feel their baby moving a little earlier than they did with their first pregnancy when they are pregnant with their second child. This is frequently due to the fact that they are quicker to identify and are more accustomed to the feelings associated with fetal movement. Furthermore, each pregnancy can alter the uterus’s tone and elasticity, which can affect when movements are initially noticed.

Between weeks 16 and 20 of pregnancy is when most women start to feel the movements of the unborn child. If this is your second pregnancy, though, you may feel those little rolls and kicks a few weeks earlier. This early knowledge, which gives you a concrete link to your developing child, can be both thrilling and comforting.

Since every pregnancy is different, the precise time can change. It’s wise to speak with your healthcare provider for specific advice and reassurance if you’re worried about your baby’s movements or if you’re not sure what you’re feeling.

When to expect movements?

Arguments concerning the exact moment the baby begins to move seem erroneous because the infant begins to move well before the expectant mother experiences these shocks. Whether this is the baby’s first pregnancy or not, it begins to attempt to move its limbs at around week eight. By weeks eleven or twelve, it has perfected somersaults and turns. The uterus’s size and the umbilical cord’s length enable it to accomplish this entirely undetected by the mother.

The baby matures by the sixteenth week, at which point its movements are more conscious and under the control of the brain. It is already able to get to the umbilical cord and enjoys playing with, pulling, and sucking its fist while exploring the amniotic sac. It occasionally makes contact with the uterine walls.

The movements felt by a woman are special signals from the central nervous system sent by the nerve receptors of the peritoneum. Axons and neurons will be able to respond to the movements and changes of the baby in the mother"s womb only when the internal impact is strong enough. They are unable to detect weak touches in the early stages of gestation. There is an opinion that during the first pregnancy, fetal movements are felt later than during the second. And there is a grain of common sense in this. Multiple mothers usually begin to notice the baby"s movements a little earlier. Medicine does not differentiate pregnancies by number. In obstetrics, there are average statistical periods that are valid for both the first and second pregnancy. It is believed that a woman should begin to feel movements in the range from 18 to 22 weeks.

The baby typically starts to move for the mother in the womb a few weeks earlier in the second pregnancy and every one after that than in primiparous women. This indicates that at 17–18 weeks, the baby’s light, nearly weightless touches can already be felt. Some people assert that they felt the baby’s kicks and turns as early as 15 to 16 weeks of pregnancy. Twin pregnant women typically report feeling their first movements between weeks 14 and 15.

Second child – features

The main distinguishing feature of a second pregnancy is the previously acquired experience. It is precisely this that primiparous women lack in order to recognize the gentle and light first movements of their baby in time, in order to distinguish them from the fermentation of gases in the intestines during digestion. The first kicks are difficult to describe in words, most often such comparisons as "touching a fish fin", "movement of a butterfly wing", etc. are used to characterize a woman. . But no matter how difficult it is to describe these sensations, they are no longer forgotten by a woman. Therefore, a pregnant woman who has previously carried a baby and felt its movements will remember these indescribable sensations well. Often women who have given birth before even experience these sensations in their sleep, reliving them, even if they are not pregnant.

A woman who is expecting her second child does not know exactly what sensations to expect, so she recognizes them earlier than a woman who is going to become a mother for the first time because the second pregnant woman is open to experiencing these feelings and is physically and psychologically ready for them.

Many pregnant women expecting their third or fourth child claim that they felt their baby almost from the 14th or 15th week of pregnancy because during the third pregnancy, the sensations of movements are already so familiar that a woman can catch even the very first touches of the baby from the inside. Additionally, there are anomalies in anatomy and physiology. It is easier for the nerve receptors in the peritoneum to detect the "signals" that the fetus sends because the uterus’s muscular walls become thinner and more elastic after the first delivery, the uterus grows a little faster, and the tummy appears a little earlier.

It would be inaccurate to state that 100% of women who become pregnant again experience the same things. The onset of the movements is dependent upon a variety of factors, including personal sensitivity and the specifics of a given pregnancy. And when precisely a woman will be able to experience the eagerly anticipated touching and delightful sensations—which signify that contact between the mother and her child has now been established—depends on a number of factors.

Influencing factors

The woman’s weight and body type have the biggest effects on when she starts to feel movement. A pregnant woman may not feel her baby’s movements for a longer period of time if she has more fatty tissue deposits in her abdomen. This results from the nerve receptors’ sensitivity, which we previously discussed. As a result, women who are normal weight or thin have an opportunity to feel the baby’s movements earlier.

A lot in this matter is given to the share of personal sensitivity. Everyone knows that everyone"s pain threshold is different – one woman suffers from unbearable pain as a result of a simple cat scratch, while another calmly accepts dental treatment without anesthesia. It is this feature of the nervous system of a particular woman that determines the earlier or later noticeable onset of fetal movements. The mother"s feelings are influenced by her lifestyle. A woman who is busy from the very morning, works, studies, drives or rides public transport, communicates with others, experiences stress, invariably associated with work or study, can begin to feel her child later than an expectant mother who leads a leisurely home life and has every opportunity to lie down and rest at any time.

Usually, the first movements are noticeable in the evening and at night, when the expectant mother totally unwinds before going to bed. Because of the heightened brain perception of nerve impulses during this period, the expectant mother may experience her baby’s light movements and touches for the first time.

Predicting when the first movements will occur also depends on the fetus’s size and position within the uterus. The anterior wall of the uterus, which is sensitive to the peritoneum’s receptors, is typically where the fetus’s movements and kicks land when the placenta is attached to the back wall of the uterus. The woman’s motions then "open" earlier. The fetus will move inward, toward the mother’s intestines, when the placenta is on the anterior wall. As a result, the mother will be able to feel the movements of the baby later on, as it gets bigger.

The mother will be able to feel the baby sooner than a woman carrying a tiny baby if the doctor states that there is a tendency towards a large fetus and the baby’s size on ultrasound exceeds the norm by two or more weeks. Women with narrow pelvises feel the anticipated feelings sooner than women with wide pelvises.

You may feel the baby move earlier in a second pregnancy than in a first. Fetal movements usually become noticeable to women between 16 and 20 weeks, though this can vary. Your body is accustomed to the sensations of pregnancy, so you may notice the movements earlier—typically around week sixteen. Since each pregnancy is different, some women may experience these movements a little later than others.

First kicks – characteristics

The baby moves erratically and somewhat chaotically when the mother notices them for the first time. During the 20th and 22nd week of pregnancy, babies are known to move up to 300 times a day, but only 5 percent of these movements can be felt or understood by the expectant mother. Many expectant mothers are aware that it’s not necessary to count or document the initial jolts and kicks until they become consistent.

There is usually no need to document the movements until the 28th week of pregnancy, at which point this occurs. Even if the woman feels her baby every day, that will be plenty.

By observing the movements in the early stages, it can be challenging to diagnose any fetal disorders or pregnancy complications. Babies can be more energetic at times and content to sleep through the majority of the day at other times. The initial movements will become increasingly distinct and noticeable with each passing week. Therefore, at 27 or 28 weeks, not only the mother but also those in her immediate vicinity can see and feel them. This is because the baby can visually change shape, toss and turn, and stretch, and the skin of the abdomen can clearly show off the different parts of the baby’s body.

Sons and daughters start to respond more consciously to sounds, their mother’s singing, fairy tales, touches to the belly, and bright light shining on the belly starting in the 26th week of pregnancy. It is advised to begin recording the baby’s activity episodes on a daily basis starting in the 28th or 29th week. This turns into one of the crucial diagnostic markers for the health of the expectant mother and her unborn child.

When to see a doctor?

There are moments when kids don’t feel the need to move in order to make physical contact with their mother. Usually by the 18th or 19th week, women who have given birth twice start to wonder if they are not feeling any movement. In the event that there is no movement within the allotted time, you should not bother the doctor at the 18th or 20th week. Recall that the typical gestational age ranges up to 22 weeks.

Because of this, you don’t have to worry or rely on the helpful advice of other expectant mothers that they kindly share online.

If, during your second or third pregnancy, the first movements do not start after 22 obstetric weeks, you should make an appointment with your doctor, either planned or unplanned. An unplanned ultrasound will be necessary for a pregnant woman in order to evaluate the fetus’s condition and level of development. The lack of movements can have pathological causes, such as a frozen pregnancy, where the fetus has stopped developing due to genetic disorders, unfavorable circumstances, or developmental defects. The uteroplacental or placental-fetal blood flow disorders, pathologies of the placenta, or a marked delay in the fetus’s development could also be contributing factors.

But such reasons are not so common. If the fetus has total anomalies, it most often dies and is rejected in the first trimester, and a number of pathologies with a high degree of probability can be diagnosed as early as 12-13 weeks of pregnancy, when the woman undergoes the first prenatal screening. It is possible that there is no movement due to an error in determining the gestational age, that is, the actual period is less than that indicated on the exchange card. This can also happen relatively rarely – mainly in women with menstrual irregularities, as well as in women who have never had an ultrasound before the 16-18th week of pregnancy. Remember that the doctor would definitely pay attention to the discrepancy between the size of the fetus and the stated gestational age.

Should I mention my lack of movement to the doctor? Naturally, I ought to. This could suggest that fetal hypoxia is present. Chronic oxygen starvation of the fetus, indicated by a reduction in its movement intensity, can coexist with placental abnormalities, poor maternal behavior, and Rh-conflict. To identify and eliminate the causes of fetal distress, a consultation is required. In most cases, hypoxia makes it possible and necessary to assist the child.

In any event, no sooner than the 23rd week of pregnancy should the topic of examination be brought up.

Useful tips

You will be able to sense the movements earlier if you follow the straightforward and practical advice that women pass down through the generations. The woman needs to take more frequent breaks in order to feel the baby, especially if he is not in a rush to show his presence. Children become noticeably more active from sweets in the evening, before they lay down on the sofa, drink a glass of warm milk, or eat a piece of chocolate.

Listen carefully to your feelings, especially in the evening. It is possible that you are so busy during the day that you simply do not realize the slight movements with which the baby makes himself known. Evening walks in the fresh air before bed, oxygen cocktails, and proper nutrition will help. It should be remembered that in cloudy and rainy weather, babies move less often and less than in sunny and clear weather. If the mother is in a good mood and positive frame of mind, the chances of feeling the baby are higher, because the baby becomes more active under the influence of serotonin – the hormone of joy, produced in the mother"s body. Stress hormones produced when a woman is nervous, worried, have a depressing effect on the movements and activity of children in the womb.

Experiencing your baby’s movement during your second pregnancy can be comforting and unique. When compared to their first pregnancy, many women experience these movements a little earlier. This is frequently the result of their bodies being more accustomed to and sensitive to the sensations of fetal movements.

It is common to experience those tiny wiggles and kicks between weeks 16 and 20 of your pregnancy. But each pregnancy is different, and there are differences in timing. It’s normal not to feel anything by this point, so try not to worry too much. Just remember that the movements will get more pronounced and regular as you advance.

In general, the most important thing is to trust your body and relish this amazing phase of your pregnancy. Do not be afraid to ask your healthcare provider for advice and reassurance if you are worried about the timing or type of movements.

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