[sasha_1]

Hi,

I am 21 weeks pregnanat. I have been asked by my doctor and friends if I have started feeling the baby move. I have not yet. This is my first baby. My dr says it's fine. Is it normal?

Sometimes I feel a throbbing, kind of like a heart beat at different positions in my tummy. Is this my baby's heart beat? How do I make out baby's movements?

[homebirthmom]

You are quite a ways not to feel the baby move, but there are women who never feel their babies move, so you aren't alone. The important thing is that your doctor sounds like he/she is comfortable with what you are reporting. The flutter that you feel is more than likely the baby moving, even though it may be very faint. When I first felt my son moving it simply felt like butterfly wings brushing my insides. A lot of women also report only the feeling of "gas".
Be happy, if your doctor was worried, then that's when you should worry. Your baby is still pretty tiny in there, so it's not to surprising you aren't "feeling" it. Also, if you are a bigger statured person, as I myself am, then this too can be cause for not feeling it. Even 10-20 lbs overweight can attribute to lack of feeling.
Also, and this is HUGE... this is your first child, so don't be alarmed.
Hope this helped a little. Enjoy your pregnancy, and may your delivery be as painless and stressfree as possible.

[sasha_1]

Hi homebirthmom,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, this is exactly I feel, like a butterfly fluttering sometimes. As per weight and stature goes, I am petite, 5,2" and my pre-pregnancy weight was 100 pounds. So I am not overweight.

I had a lot of vomiting and nausea, so I put on 12 pounds till now, so haven't grown that big either. Thanks for your wishes.

[homebirthmom]

Well, it sure sounds to me like you are having a fairly "normal" pregnancy. I say normal only in the general sense, as everyone's "normal" is different.