The first time I really felt and knew that I was having a fetal movement in my tummy was about 6 months into my pregnancy. I probably did feel the baby move earlier, but I just wasn’t sure if it was the baby kicking or just gas..lol I would feel these early fetal movements when I was sitting or lying quietly. When I started feeling them more regularly, I pretty much knew that it was the baby kicking in my stomach. I will know for sure if I am having any pregnancy fetal movement earlier the next time around because I will know what to expect and because my uterine muscles will be laxer. The first fetal movement I experienced felt like a fluttering in my abdomen, and as time progressed it felt like bumping or nudging in my stomach. Being in my third trimester, I am noticing an increase and more consistent fetal movement which is a joy to feel. My friend Carla has wanted to feel the baby kick for sometime now, and she finally got to last night!
Once you’re feeling your baby kicking regularly, you should pay attention to it and let your practitioner know right away if you ever notice any decreased fetal movement. Feeling less movement in the fetus may signal a problem, and you’ll need a non-stress test or biophysical profile to check on your baby’s condition. My next prenatal appointment is tomorrow and since I am in my third trimester, I will ask him if he recommends that I spend some time each day counting my baby’s kicks.
Posted by Nancy as general info at 3:02 AM EDT
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Hubby and I started to try to get pregnant after our trip to Italy in August of last year. It was close to automn by the time we got back home from vacation, and we were on a mission!…lol. We were lucky and got pregnant fairly soon and found out through a pregnancy due date calculator that our doctor gave us, that our due date was July 16, 2006. How to calculate your due date for pregnancy at home without the use of a pregnancy due date chart is quite simple. Just use a calendar and calculate 40 weeks from the first day of when you got your last period. You can also take the date of the first day of your last period and add 7 to it. From that date, count back three months and you have your due date. Of course this is only an educated estimate to determine the date, especially if your cycle is irregular. Normally the due date is within 2 weeks before or after the date predicted. There are also different procedures that your doctor does to figure out a more accurate date which include an internal exam to figure out the size of your uterus, determing when the first time the fetal heartbeat is heard (at about 10-12 weeks with a Doppler device), and the doctor feeling for the top of the uterus at each prenatal visit.
As you get closer to your delivery date, there will be other clues to the date of the big event. Painless contractions may become more frequent (and possibly uncomfortable), the fetus will drop into the pelvis (engagement), and your cervix will begin to dilate. There is no 100% guarantee that any or all of these calculations will give you your exact pregnancy due date, they are only helpful clues - only your baby knows for sure what his or her birthday will be. 
Click here for an easy to use pregnancy due date calculator
Posted by Nancy as general info at 6:01 PM EDT
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