Movements – Not an April Fools!
by Christa
There is this wonderful part of pregnancy that we all hear about, and we all know these little stories from the people around us about alien elbows popping out of a giant pregnant belly, or feet where you can see the outline of the foot as it presses through the uterus and indents the skin of the belly. On March 31st, 2012 I became sixteen weeks pregnant – and this is when the search for movements, the forced patience, and finally the excitement over final pay off all began.
On Saturday’s my week flips to a new week and I have the habit of reading off BabyCenter’s pregnancy tab and finding out how my baby is growing and how my life is changing, as well as reading the questions and answers for the week, and the activity that they suggest. As I was reading the 16w’s information I began reading the ‘How your life’s changing:’ text and it stated, “Soon you’ll experience one of the most wonderful moments of pregnancy — feeling your baby move” (BabyCenter).
My overwhelming excitement over anticipating the feeling of the baby growing inside of me moving would not be contained, and I could not wait for Patrick to wake up to share the news. I sat atop his sleeping form, woke him up while telling him excitedly that soon I should feel the baby move, and then I sat there stone quiet and waited. After a few moments of silence, he asked me if I was actually trying to feel the baby move. When I nodded, he chuckled and told me that it was not going to happen right away. At this, I discovered that although I could just sit there, for weeks, waiting to feel the baby move – I had a life to live, and it would happen when it happened, so I would need to exercise some patience.
On April 1st, 2012 Patrick and I uploaded the heartbeat of the baby onto YouTube, and then posted the video on Facebook for our friends and family to see. The first comment on the Facebook post was from my sister who stated, “You should start to feel kicking within the next few days to 5 weeks :)” (Emsun). As I was in the middle of my response to her, about to explain that I was aware and was trying to be patient and wait it out without thinking too much about it… I felt the first movement.
The first movements were so small, and so rare that I was not entirely sure that I was accurate in my assessment of linking them to the baby. I went down the checklist in my head, and out loud (at times) to try to determine what it could be, if not the baby. I thought about gas, stomach growls, digestion, etc. – none of these happened to be correct though, it just did not feel like anything I had ever felt before. It felt quite a bit, as I had heard it described, as if popcorn was popping way down by my pelvic bone.
By April 5th, 2012 I had a very regular experience with the baby’s movements and they had changed from feeling like popcorn pops to feeling more like kicks or headbutts. I could feel them sitting down, or laying down – but in no other way. On April 6th, 2012 I was sitting down at the desk at my new job, typing up some information into a document, when out of absolutely nowhere I felt a solid hard kick! Now, let us keep in mind that I was bridging on only seventeen weeks so when stating that this was a ‘solid hard kick’ – I am talking about compared to the tiny popcorn pops from several days prior. At any rate, this kick scared the bejeezes out of me, and I must have jumped a few inches before realizing that it was the baby. A moment or two after this scare, I felt (in the same exact spot) a sort of wiggling, rolling feeling. It was as if someone had put a jar of worms in my belly. It was over in a moment, but it was a rather disturbing feeling that I cannot say I enjoyed all that much.
Yesterday, April 7th, 2012, marked 18w and I am still feeling the baby move at all times of the morning, day, and evening while sitting down or while laying down. I find the little kicks, movements, head-butts – whatever you would like to call them, extremely reassuring and each time I feel them I am happier and more excited. I cannot wait until I have my own movement story to share about an alien elbow or a stray foot.
What is your movement story?
