When Does the Baby Start to Move? A Guide for Moms and Dads

last updated on: 03.06.2025 | Medical review by:

Dr. Mariana Grecco

Gynecologist and Obstetrician

Is there anything more delightful in the world than feeling your baby move? For those still waiting for this magical moment in a couple’s life, you can imagine how rewarding it is to feel the baby’s movements. Knowing when the baby starts to move can also be very reassuring for moms, especially first-timers.

Many women want to know at how many weeks the baby starts to move, or how many months until the baby moves. But in reality, they start moving very early. As early as 6 weeks, when the baby can already be seen on an ultrasound, it’s possible to spot their movements¹.

The question is when does the mom start to feel these movements. Most of the time they’re not as obvious as we might think, or just the sensation of the belly trembling. Some moms get worried when pregnancy reaches a certain stage and the movements haven’t been noticed yet, and this is the secret. Identifying the baby’s movements as a first-time mom can be a difficult task, made more complicated by a lack of experience.

When does the mom feel the baby move for the first time?

Normally, women can clearly feel the baby move for the first time between the 18th and 21st week of pregnancy. Before this period, the baby’s movements feel more like little flutters, sometimes like butterflies flying in your tummy.

These subtle movements, before a woman really perceives them, can be confused with other familiar sensations in the body, like gas or even internal organs moving. That’s why they may go unnoticed by the mom-to-be.

Around 12 or 14 weeks, the woman will only feel some discomfort from gas. Around the 18th week a pleasant tickling may appear or sometimes a pulse as well. This can be a sign that the baby has the hiccups²! At this point, they’re already moving a lot. Feeling the baby is easier and clearer when you’re lying down.

By around 24 weeks (sixth month), the movements become much more obvious and can be felt at any time of day, even when standing. From this moment until the end of pregnancy, the movements become more and more noticeable.

IMPORTANT: Normally, in a second, third, or later pregnancy, the movements are clearer. Because of experience from previous pregnancies, it becomes easier to pick up on the signs.

Tip to help you feel the baby move

Here’s a great tip for anyone anxious to feel their baby, or who is concerned about their baby’s health:

After lunch (eat a good meal) and have a little sweet for dessert, the mom-to-be should lie on her back. If possible, do this on the bed without a pillow and with your feet hanging off the bed, so your belly will be closer to the wall of the uterus, making you more sensitive to movements.

The secret to feeling the baby move is just that: to reach a position where you’re more sensitive so you can feel it. As the baby is surrounded by water in the uterus, the chances of feeling movement early on are lower, especially for first-time moms.

For dads, the baby’s movements can be felt from the 25th week. When the baby starts to move, moms can feel it, and dads may feel a bit frustrated at first. But when that moment comes and they feel the baby alive in mom’s belly, it’s an emotion like no other for the couple!

To stimulate movements, put on some good music close to the belly³. Babies like it and can even remember it after birth. Talking to your baby can help a lot in making them move. Affection is the best way to interact with your baby while they’re still in the womb.

Questions from readers:

I’m 19 weeks along and can’t feel the baby move yet, is this normal?

Yes, every pregnancy is different, even for the same woman. Just because you felt it at 17 weeks in one pregnancy doesn’t mean you’ll feel it at the same time in the next. After 24 weeks, the movements are more noticeable. Before this, the movements can easily be mistaken for gas or even bowel movements.

In a twin pregnancy, do you feel them move earlier?

Just because there are two babies doesn’t mean you’ll get to feel them move before someone expecting a single baby. The expected time to really feel movement in a twin pregnancy is about the same as in any other, from around the 18th to 21st week.

I’m 9 weeks pregnant and already feel the baby move, is that possible?

No, at 9 weeks the embryo is still very small, and even though they’re moving and may be seen on an ultrasound, it’s not possible to feel those movements in your belly. Usually, sensations at this stage are due to gas or bowel movements.

References:

1 Frøen, J. F., Heazell, A. E., Tveit, J. V. H., Saastad, E., Fretts, R. C., & Flenady, V. (2008, August). Fetal movement assessment. In Seminars in perinatology (Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 243-246). WB Saunders.
2 Pillai, M., & James, D. (1990). Hiccups and breathing in human fetuses. Archives of disease in childhood, 65(10 Spec No), 1072-1075.
3 Gebuza, G., Zaleska, M., Kaźmierczak, M., Mieczkowska, E., & Gierszewska, M. (2018). The effect of music on the cardiac activity of a fetus in a cardiotocographic examination. Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 27(5), 615-621.

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