Taps and Thumps and Kicks, Oh My!
Tue, Oct 6, 2009
It started when I was about 15 weeks – this feeling in my stomach. Â I wasn’t sure what it was at first. Â It didn’t hurt, in fact, it tickled. Â It felt like little flutterings, like a butterfly flapping its wings. Â It would come and go at various times of the day and each time, it would make me smile. Â
A few weeks went by and the flutterings turned into little taps. A tap here and a tap there. Always random and unpredictable, these little taps often startled me as they caught me by surprise. But again, there was no pain involved, only a sense of the surreal.
In the past week, those taps have turned into thumps. Sometimes I feel a little bang against my insides or a swat against my belly. And sometimes, if I’m really lucky, I feel like my stomach has completely rolled over.Â
I realize it’s not my stomach though, it’s my baby. Our little guy is in there moving and stretching and doing the things that in utero babies do. I like to think it’s his way of letting me know that he’s okay and he’s just busy checking out his surroundings.Â
I realized recently that I feel him mostly when I’m sitting down, often in the morning and the evenings as I’m parked in front of my computer doing my blogging thing. He seems to enjoy this quiet time and I already look forward to these moments that we share, just the two of us.Â
But soon enough, the thumps will give way to kicks and punches and it won’t be just the two of us anymore.  Before long, my husband will be able to enjoy feeling these movements too. Just last night I lay in bed feeling soft movements against my hand and I knew it won’t be long now.Â
I can hardly wait. Â
Do you remember when you first felt your baby move? Â What did it feel like?
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October 6th, 2009 at 4:49 am
Those first movements are so tiny. Now my husband can *see* baby flip from across the room, in what used to be loose maternity shirts.
I hope that you’re enjoying a comfortable phase in your pregnancy right now.
October 6th, 2009 at 5:28 am
I started feeling her around 20 weeks and at first I wasn’t convinced it was her. I thought it was indigestion. But then the feeling kept coming back and getting stronger until there was no denying that Ruby was letting me know *I’m in here and the water’s great!*
Enjoy!
October 6th, 2009 at 5:31 am
This is so cool and exciting. I can’t wait for times like these.
October 6th, 2009 at 6:33 am
It is the most amazing feeling. I loved the fluttering in the beginning but even more when it became stronger kicks that he could feel too. Later on, if I was laying on my side on the couch, I could lay the remote on the side of my belly and the baby would kick it off. It was so funny.
Cherish every moment! (it will be important to have those memories when they are teenagers. 
LOL)
October 6th, 2009 at 6:39 am
the very first time i knew it was my son moving was when i was driving along on the highway, going up to visit my mom, and garth brooks was playing. i was dancing around, singing at the top of my lungs, and all of a sudden there was a definite kick in my belly. I hadn’t felt a THING up until that point, and it was SOOO incredibly shocking to realize what the heck it was!!!
Soon, though, he was acting up like crazy in there, and he would be quiet all day, until JUST when i started to relax, and get ready for bed. Then he would go NUTS kicking me when I was trying to fall asleep. Towards the end, I had to get back up, and walk in circles for a half hour to get him to go back to sleep, so that I could sleep. A hint of things to come? Oh yeah!
October 6th, 2009 at 6:58 am
The thumps are one of my favorite parts of pregnancy. Even as I type this, I’m getting pummeled from the inside out from my little ten-inch Tyson. It’s a great way to know things are “OK” and I love that it’s just me and the baby. It’s fun when Phil can start to feel too, but even then it’s not the same as the near constant tapping the baby and I get to enjoy. And, Oh yeah…sometimes I poke back.
It’s also fun to see how those taps are kind of able to predict their personalities.
October 6th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Those taps and thumps are awesome! For me, though, the baby hiccups were the best. I felt like if the baby could do something like hiccup, then it was doing just fine =)
October 6th, 2009 at 7:19 am
I’m laughing at Sarah’s hiccups! I wonder if babies have the same trouble with them that I do – once they start, even if they stop temporarily I seem to have them multiple times that day.
This is a fun topic for someone who’s never been pregnant. It’s like being an outsider looking in at a really cool club!
October 6th, 2009 at 7:23 am
Oh that was my very favorite part of being pregnant – and the ONLY part I miss. Enjoy!
October 6th, 2009 at 7:47 am
So exciting! I can’t wait to feel it someday.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:53 am
I miss that the most! I loved all the movement of my babies and felt them really early. I remember being 6 months pregnant with my first and Tony and I laying down for a nap. I slept great…Tony, not so much. He had his hand on my belly and Colton kept kicking so hard it woke him! (yes, I’m a deep sleeper!) ENJOY every moment of it!!!
October 6th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
This post makes me excited. Although we are kind of far off from having children, it makes me excited that reading about having a child or preparing one makes me excited. Another stage in life that I’m looking forward too. Thanks for sharing.
October 6th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
this is so sweet
October 6th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
How wonderful for you!
I first felt Hannah at about 17 weeks, and like Sarah I liked the hiccups best as well. Some people say they are annoying but they never were to me. I did not realize they were hiccups until our childbirth instructor described them to me: they are usually in one spot (Hannah was head-down from about 20 weeks on, so it was near my left hip), and just rhythmic little jumps. The CPA will probably be able to feel them, too. Brian did.
And like the other Erin, I sometimes poked back too. Towards the end I could kind of squish my belly with my hands and she would wiggle back at me. It was great.
October 6th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
PS Is that your belly?? Because that is such a sweet photo.
October 7th, 2009 at 11:05 am
You explained it perfectly.
Fluttering and light tapping or thumps at first… Soon enough you’ll feel what I used to call Rolling – and then get ready, because not only will you feel your baby, you will SEE your baby move inside your tummy. I remember one time when I was expecting our oldest son, I was laying on the sofa in my jammies and all of a sudden my shirt moved without me! My husband couldn’t believe it. I remember thinking to myself, “Why is he so surprised?” because it was happening all the time by then!
Enjoy every minute of this phase of your pregnancy. It gets a tiny bit less comfortable later. Wink, wink…
October 7th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
What a special post.
I just offered this info to someone else, and it occurred to me that you may be registering for baby stuff soon as well (if you haven’t already). Here is a great website that explains which toys are safe and which are unsafe for baby’s motor development- and most importantly, why they are unsafe. Many of the toys that look like they would help a baby’s motor skills will actually hinder their development, so it’s a great resource for soon-to-be and new parents.
Enjoy,
Heather
http://www.childrensmemorial.org/depts/rehab/motor_development.aspx
October 7th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I felt our little girl move on Monday for the first time. It felt like something kinda slid down on the inside of my belly. I haven’t felt anything since then, but I know that’s what it was! I have NEVER felt anything like that before in my life. Ben can’t wait to be able to feel it, but I have a feeling it will be a while before that happens.
October 7th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing the first time I felt my daughter move. I was 21 weeks along and had felt nothing to that point. Then all of a sudden I felt a thump from inside… it was as if someone had flicked me with a finger. Incredible. I started feeling flutterings with my son around 13 weeks, but I was able to recognize the sensation with him much better. I loved being pregnant… mostly.
October 7th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
some of my kids made it feel as though they were playing the xylophone on my ribcage.
ok, question…have you noticed that you manage to be first commenter on PW AND Smitten’s blogs lately?
oh, and you may want to become familiar with this website- http://www.babysteals.com keep an eye out for the aden + anais swaddling blankets. Be still my heart….
October 8th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I was about 17 weeks pregnant and it felt like someone was making popcorn in my belly. I cried and called my mom.
October 8th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
It’s so exciting to feel them kick. When I was farther along I remember feeling like a foot would come bursting thru at any moment…….. I loved to watch as my stomach was the jungle gym…. Enjoy your pregnancy!!!
October 9th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
I don’t specifically recall the first time – but I do remember one incident when my husband and I were in bed next to each other, I on my side facing him, and out of nowhere a fist – clear as day – popped up. My husband was completely mortified, saying it was like something out of “Alien”, but once he calmed down, we reveled in how amazing it truly is to not just know you are pregnant, but to feel/experience it. He still brings that up.
Enjoy every moment.
October 10th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
So since I left my note on the 7th, I have been feeling kicks and movement like crazy. And, Ben was able to feel her kick this morning. I thought it would be a long time before that would happen, but I was way wrong!
October 17th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
isn’t it wonderful? And liberals want to say that there is no baby in there, it’s just a blob! Come on! I am 20 something weeks pregnant, my 4th one and the baby girl is thumping away. Mostly when I am sitting watching Tv, scrapping or on the computer. It’s such a joy!! Wait until she is a bit bigger and she begins kicking my ribs!! LOL
October 18th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Such a sweet post – I’m SO happy you’re enjoying this special phase of your pregnancy….there’s nothing else like it. Treasure these times between you and your little guy. You’re right too in that the two of you are bonding now in a very special way, you’ve taken him into your heart completely and your feeling of love will just grow and grow just as he is growing physically. Heavenly Father gives you this time to learn to love him so strongly during your pregnancy in preparation for a life time of loving him through every day of his life. There is NOTHING like a Mother’s love and I’m thrilled you are feeling him more and more each day.
I well remember your movement and let me tell you – you loved to stretch!!! I know the CPA is looking forward to feeling him when he gets to kicking…..