This week I passed a really special pregnancy milestone – I felt my baby move for the first time! Well, I think that is what it was (and it keeps happening), as my midwife had told me to expect to "maybe" feel something within the next few weeks. Having said that, she also warned me that sometimes women don't feel anything until week 22, so not to be too disappointed if it wasn't yet obvious.
Since my morning sickness has subsided and the bump become more and more obvious, I have to admit that I haven't really 'felt' pregnant. I mean, I know I have a belly now but was anything actually going on in there? Was the baby ok? In light of the fact that I could potentially feel something, I've been even more super-aware of my physical self lately, ever ready to ascribe the smallest hungry tummy rumble to a bub movement. As you can imagine, given the raging hunger I feel pretty much all the time these moments were plenty!
Anyway, it started off as sort of bubbles slowly popping – like small bits of air rising to the surface of a liquid and breaking – the liquid being the volume in my tummy. It didn't feel like a hunger pang of course, and despite the fact that it is quite small and infrequent, and only really detectable when I'm sitting or lying perfectly still, it still makes me smile to myself every single time I feel it. I've tried to get P to feel it as well – because now I know what it feels like it is so obvious to me when it happens and I want him to share it – but he hasn't been able to detect it yet, even when we sit on the sofa or lie in bed for hours with his hand firmly on my stomach.
So it looks like for now it's just private moments between me and the little one. I tap myself softly on the belly in return to each bubble pop and it feels like our own special communication has begun.
When did you first feel your baby's presence? How did it feel for you?