Feeling Your Unborn Baby Move

I still remember perfectly the first time I felt my unborn baby move. I was lying on my stomach in bed talking to my husband. We were being lazy. In those days, the days we now wistfully refer to as the "pre-responsibility days", we stayed in bed until ten or so talking and romancing. Suddenly I felt a tiny flutter very low in my abdomen. I gasped, "What was that?!" I said, even though I knew that what I felt was my first tangible contact with my unborn son. Sure, I'd been sick, tired, moody and emotional for the past five months, but this was a different kind of proof that a miracle was on its way, and this I came to realize was the kind of evidence I preferred!

Almost from the first days I felt the baby move I would have my husband put his hand on my stomach to see if he could feel it. Of course, it was several more weeks before that was possible. As my baby grew, his movements gradually became bigger and more consistent. Some of my favorite pregnancy memories are of lying in bed at night watching my stomach. The baby preferred to be on the right side of the womb, but with some gentle (OK, sometimes not-so-gentle) coaxing from me he would move completely over to the left side. The appearance of him moving reminded me oddly of surfing.

Here are a few tips to get the most enjoyment out of your baby's movement: If you are over twenty weeks and still waiting to feel your baby move for the first time, spend time laying on your stomach first after breakfast in the morning or in the late evening (10:00PM or so) as these are the times when your little one is especially active. Also, if you are in your eighth month or later and your baby is in a position that is making you uncomfortable, don't hesitate to try to move your baby! Even a good deal of pushing and cajoling your little one will not harm him in any way. If you are still nervous about it, watch a video of an external version maneuver and anything you are doing will become minor. Try getting on all fours and rocking or switching the side you are lying on. Looking back at my pregnancies, feeling the baby move is what I miss most. Enjoy!