I’ve been trying for 3 weeks to feel some movement of the baby, and I’ve had some weird feelings that I haven’t been able to identify. They didn’t feel like the fluttering or bubbles that people describe, and so I put it down to stretching of ligaments as what I was feeling was more like little pains than anything else. On Sunday, however, I felt something a bit different. It was like little twitches, or maybe pokes, so the only thing I can think it might be is the baby moving!! It was very exciting, and when I told Andrew he was so happy and he got a grin on his face that lasted the rest of the day!! I felt the same thing again yesterday, just briefly.
Info from Birth.com.au:
You are now 19 weeks pregnant, which is the beginning of week 20. Your baby now measures about 22 cm from head to toe and weighs about 340 grams. The bones in your baby’s inner ear and their nerve endings are now developed to the point where it is possible for them to hear sounds (although their ears are not structurally complete until 24 weeks). Studies carried out on the reactions of unborn babies to sound have shown that a few babies start responding to noise as early as 19 weeks, but by 26 weeks all babies will respond. The sounds an unborn baby can hear include your heartbeat and breathing, the wind sounds from your intestines and the sound of your voice, as well as other sounds around you. It is thought that if a pregnant woman is constantly exposed to very loud noises, this may have an adverse effect on her baby’s hearing.
Aches and pains. Many women experience sharp groin pains during the middle of their pregnancy. These are usually caused by straining the round ligaments that support the growing uterus. Walking, sudden movements, coughing, sneezing or exercise such as swimming can trigger pains. As the pregnancy progresses into the middle months, various emotions can surface in both positive and negative ways. For a few women, their pregnancy feels like just an essential physical process they must endure in order to have a baby. These feelings may come as a surprise if you expected to enjoy being pregnant but in reality have found this not to be the case. Despite society’s expectation that all pregnant women should feel happy and ‘glowing’, for some women these feelings are far from the truth.
Childbirth preparation classes are not compulsory and you may prefer just to read books, talk with friends and relatives or use Internet sites to prepare for your baby’s birth. However, many prospective parents choose to attend face-to-face classes to help them prepare, as well as to meet other pregnant women and their partners. Childbirth classes fill up quickly, so we recommend booking them soon, even though they may not start until 28 to 30 weeks. In more recent years, childbirth classes have incorporated early parenting, breastfeeding and perhaps techniques for settling a crying baby. Often separate classes are provided to specifically address special areas.
