Conference moira::parenting_v3

    Hi there!
    Wendy, Dave's wife here,  borrowing his account.
    
    Yes, indeed! I am now 19.5 weeks pregnant with #4, and have felt
    movement for at least 6 weeks now. I met with quite a bit of skepticism
    from others, who probably thougth I was imaging this, but I wasn't.
    Even my doctor was a bit surprised, but said it was not unheard of,
    just a little unusual, but he felt it was probably much more common 50
    years ago, when large families were much more commonplace. Now that
    most families only have 1 or 2 kids, it is more unusual to notice that
    early. By now, the little one is putting on frequent acrobatic acts,
    and it is exciting! Even after feeling it for 6 weeks, though, it still
    catches me by surprise once in a while, but it's a very nice surprise!
    
    Don't feel weird! Just be thankful that it fels that much "realer" this
    soon! And enjoy! (MY other kids can't wait till the baby kicks hard
    enough for them to feel it from the outside, but they really can't
    yet.)
    
    Wendy

    Hi Dale!
    
    	I felt my first (and only so far) move at 11 weeks!!!  It wasn't
    my imagination...as a matter of fact, the doctor thought maybe he
    miscalculated.  It turned out that Alexa was born 4 1/2 weeks early,
    but she WAS premature.  I guess she was just a really active little
    fetus!!! During my whole pregnancy she was extremely active--my o.b.
    once said that unborn babies sleep every 40 minutes--I just laughed and
    said "not mine!!!"  He told me that he was a firm believer that babies
    are the same in and out of the womb. He said chances were that she would 
    be like
    that after she was born and that it would be difficult to find enough
    things to keep her occupied--but, he said, if I tried to channel this
    energy into something good, educational whatever--I'd probably have
    a really alert baby.  She's five months old now and really keeps me 
    running, so I think he was right!
    
    Best of luck,
    
    Sheryl
    	

    I felt the first "flutter" at 14 weeks.  And my husband and I were able
    to feel the baby move from the outside when I was only 18 weeks, and
    they say that comes later too.  Everyone is different.  For what it's
    worth, I'm very thin.  Well, I was anyway.
    
    Enjoy.
    
    Nancy

    I am 19 1/2 weeks pregnant and have been feeling the baby move around
    for the past 2 weeks.  More now than before.  I could hardly fall
    asleep last night because of it.  It also moves around alot during the
    day.   It's hard to feel it from the outside, unless I put my hand on 
    my stomach where I feel it an push down.   I can't wait until my
    husband is able to feel it himself.  It is such a wierd feeling, but
    it's great to know that it is alive and moving.  
    
    My mother finds it hard to believe that I can feel it moving so soon
    and so often, but I do.  
    
    Donna, (Looking forward to it being born)
    

    I could feel David at about 11 weeks, maybe a little less.  He was
    my third pregnancy.  My OB said that you usually feel each one a
    little earlier because you know more what to look for.  
    
    --bonnie

    I started feeling my baby moving just around 11 - 12 weeks also!  I
    felt the same type of movement as you (base noter), a slight flutter
    then progressing to a soft push!  It felt like butterflies underneath
    the skin of my belly just tickling me away!!!!  This is my first so I
    didn't know what to expect, but when it happened I knew what it was
    right off the bat!!!
    
    I laughed when I read one of the previous noters replies about the
    unborn baby that sleeps every 40 minutes according to their doctor, I
    agree w/you, neither does mine!  VERY active fetus.
    
    Mel (27 weeks along and counting)

    Well, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who felt movements
    early.  Alexander is my first, so when I told my midwife I felt
    movements at 9 weeks, she was VERY skeptical.  Well, by 11 weeks
    I knew what I was feeling was my little baby!!  (no matter what
    she said!)  I've always been in "tune" with my body, and I was
    very aware of the unusual feeling...and thrilled, I might add!
    
    Alex didn't sleep much inside, and he doesn't now either (yawn!).
    He did, however, have hick-ups several times a day inside, and
    he still gets them about once a day (almost 6 months old).
    
    I think it's very exciting to feel movements early.  It is very
    reassuring, too!
    
    Babies are WONDERFUL!!!!!!!
    
    Linette 8*)