Second Trimester and Feeling Baby
QUESTION
Dear Midwife,
I am 17 weeks pregnant and at about 15 weeks I started feeling the baby (fluttering feeling). For the last 4 to 5 days I have not felt anything. Should I contact my provider or is it normal to only feel the baby intermittently this early on?
Thank you.
ANSWER
It is still pretty early for the baby to have a consistent pattern. I'm assuming this is not your first baby, but if it is, then what you were feeling before was very unlikely to have been the baby. I think you will know the difference once you have felt it! If it is not your first baby, I'd suggest reporting it to your provider with a call during business hours, but I wouldn't worry just yet. Good luck!
-- Cynthia, CNM
Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
