Seeing Fetal Movement from the Outside

As of the time of this writing, I am 23 weeks pregnant with my first child, a little girl. I have been able to feel her kicks since Week 17, which is fairly early for most women to be able to detect fetal movement. We found out at our last prenatal appointment that the placenta placement is towards the back of my uterus; this means that there is less "cushioning" between the front of my tummy and the baby so I was lucky enough to feel her early on. And she is a wiggly little one!

Today my husband and I were relaxing on the couch when I felt the baby kick hard in my lower abdomen. Typically, when she is going through an active period, she will kick repeatedly in the same area. I put his hand on my belly to feel the kicks, which he has only recently been able to feel. This time, however, my husband noticed that he could actually see the kicks!

We spent the next several minutes anticipating and celebrating every detected movement. My husband would say, "There's another one!" and I would verify that I had felt the kick. There was so much joy and love in those minutes together, as we soaked in this intimate connection with our tiny baby, a chance to bond with her in-utero.

We are loving this new pregnant parent milestone that we get to share together and bond over! If you have any memories of your baby's first detectable fetal movements, please feel free to share below in the comments section.