Why do "they" say thinner women can feel their babies move earlier?

[EMandM]

I feel quite ignorant here, but I really don't understand. I'm not sure what the physiology around this is? Are you feeling it from the inside or the outside? I understand why you could feel it earlier from the outside, but if it's the inside shouldn't it be the same?

Any insight?

[organicpapayamama]

ive heard this before as well but I think its just an old wives tale because Im a fluffier mama and I feel my babes crazy early. With #1 I felt her around 11 weeks. #2 I felt him at around 9 weeks and #3 I felt at 8 weeks, no joke! I think everyone is different.

[*Aimee*]

I'm fat (like 300lbs) and always felt my babies early. I don't get it either.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by *Aimee*

I'm fat (like 300lbs) and always felt my babies early. I don't get it either.

Same here. I felt #1 at 18wks, and #2, #3, and #4 all 12-14 weeks. I am pg with #4 and 13.5 weeks and I can feel him/her pretty well. I know many women who have been pregnant multiple times and are THIN ladies and they don't feel their babies until at least 16 wks. I don't think size has one thing to do about it. *shrug*

[mamaonthefarm]

I'm thin (and very tall) and felt my 2nd and 3rd babies very distinctly at 13 weeks. But I felt the first and 4th ones more like 17 weeks. Funny, the boys were the ones I felt at 13 and the girls at 17. Is there anything to that?

[Southern_Belle]

Definitely think it's an old wives tale. It's an internal movement/feeling - and weight should have no bearing on it!

[MamaMelis]

I've always wondered this as well. It makes sense to me that a thinner woman would see or feel the baby externally easier/earlier with less padding ~ But I don't get how weight contributes to internal uterine awareness.

FWIW I'm thin and feel my babies within the "normal" range for fetal movement ~ not super early, like before it actually has legs and arms, LOL

[MaerynPearl]

its more dependent on how your uterus is tilted than how much weight you have

[WaitingForKiddos]

I think it just depends on the lady and her uterus. I felt bumps at 14 weeks and huge movements at 17-19 weeks with pregnancy #1. Now, at 12w1d I'm really hoping for some second pregnancy early movements. FWIW I'm 5'1 and about 125.

[at_the_hip]

I'm thin and tend toward early movement as long as my placenta is posterior. What I do find really noticeable is that I can feel exactly where the baby's body is, including the spine etc...I can actually feel bony parts...on the outside very early...not when the baby is moving even. I can't speak for anyone else but I imagine that mamas who are a little fluffier might not feel that? Or I'm just a freak of nature...

FWIW I always gain a lot with pgs and get much fluffier LOL!!

[expatmommy]

I'm thin & don't feel my babies early at all. I have a tilted uterus, which I think affects my feeling movement more then being thin.

[Jelinifer]

Originally Posted by MaerynPearl

its more dependent on how your uterus is tilted than how much weight you have

I had a severly tilted uterus (was still leaning backwards against my spine during my 8 wk ultrasound) and I'm really fluffy.... was 218 when I got my BFP and am 5'5. I starting feeling the bean at 15 weeks and DH felt him/her for the first time at 18 weeks.... so you never really know either way!

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by Jelinifer

I had a severly tilted uterus (was still leaning backwards against my spine during my 8 wk ultrasound) and I'm really fluffy.... was 218 when I got my BFP and am 5'5. I starting feeling the bean at 15 weeks and DH felt him/her for the first time at 18 weeks.... so you never really know either way!

15 weeks isn't early though. its normal to start feeling kicks around 16 weeks

however im quite fluffy and with DD was feeling (and seeing) kicks by 10 weeks

[claddaghmom]

I felt DD very early. So early that I kept it to myself. I announced it a few weeks later and got some comments about gas bubbles. Yeah, right...

I wonder if the real indicator is the baby's size. Maybe she was huge from the beginning haha.

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by claddaghmom

I felt DD very early. So early that I kept it to myself. I announced it a few weeks later and got some comments about gas bubbles. Yeah, right...

I wonder if the real indicator is the baby's size. Maybe she was huge from the beginning haha.

DD was only 7 pounds (and born just a couple days before her due date) so i dont think so

maybe their activity level? shes very active (not hyper, just active)

I got the gas bubbles excuse too. My response: Ive been pregnant before. Im PRETTY sure I know the difference.

[Jelinifer]

Originally Posted by MaerynPearl

15 weeks isn't early though. its normal to start feeling kicks around 16 weeks

however im quite fluffy and with DD was feeling (and seeing) kicks by 10 weeks

Very true.... but for a first timer with pg (DH first too) with alot of belly fat and a tilted uterus (though it wouldn't really matter by then since the uterus shifts into place earlier) having your partner feel kicks clearly through all the pudge at 18 weeks is kind of unusual that early at least in regards to fluffy mamas...

[dmpmercury]

I'm very thin and I felt both my babies very late. I didn't feel my dd until 23 weeks and my ds until 19 weeks. I had an anterior placenta both times and it muffled the movements. I panicked with my dd and had an u/s at 22 weeks where she was going crazy and I couldn't feel it.

[is it puppies?]

I actually wondered the same thing... thinking they must be talking about feeling the baby from the outside because that's the only thing that seems logical! I am fluffy and felt things from the inside from something like 11 weeks (besides thinking I felt implantation, mostly confirmed by spotting the next day) and at 19 weeks and my hubby felt something fluttery from the outside last night, and if I've pressed through the flub I have been feeling things for a few weeks. For quite a while the general placement and large movements have been pretty obvious when baby is at the front of my uterus, even to hubby.
also wanted to say, just this last couple days the "kicks" have suddenly gotten so hard they are startling me sometimes, and I bet if we could capture one anybody could feel it from the outside!

[EMandM]

How would a tilted uterus have anything to do with it then? If you are feeling movement from the inside, then you are feeling it with "touch" receptors in your uterus, right?

I can see how you wouldn't feel movement up front if you had an anterior placenta, because the placenta wouldn't transmit touch to you.

I'm just trying to understand all of this...


Thank you ladies for responding, I have fun trying to figure out things like this with other people.

[Birdie B.]

I don't know; I'm thin and I didn't feel any internal movement until close to 19 weeks. I also had an anterior placenta and tilted uterus, if that has anything to do with it.