Is 16wks too early to actually feel where baby is?

[Nicole B]

I was just curious and thought maybe you lovely midwives/birth professionals could fill me in...

I have been noticing lately that there is always a spot some where on my uterus that feels firmer than others and it varies where that is.
I was thinking it was kinda like a braxton hicks but I started playing with my belly last night and felt a distinct hard lump like about half the size of my fist or less on my lower right side almost at my pubic bone and the mass continued (slimmer and softer) for about 4" or so across my abdomen and then felt "empty" on the other side...
I searched later in that same spot and couldn't really feel anything that stood out...

Could I really have been feeling my baby's form already or am I just wishful thinking?

[nashvillemidwife]

What you describe sounds like your uterus. It does not rise symmetrically straight up out of your pelvis but is displaced by the other abdominal organs around it. The fundus (top of the uterus) is palpable above the pubic bone generally around 12 weeks, and usually reaches your belly button around 20 weeks.

[Nicole B]

Nope, my fundus is actually just a fingertip or so below my navel and I can feel it very easily now...
What I'm talking about is a lump inside the confines of my uterus (at least that's what it feels like...
It's way below where I feel the top of my uterus at...

I'm pretty sure it's baby, just kinda not believing that I could feel him/her already

[time4another]

hmm...

Is it your bladder????

[Nicole B]

See...you gals don't think it's baby yet either

Maybe it was bladder but I had just peed and felt movement around that area (I have been feeling occasional kicks)
I looked on a fetal development site and baby should be measuring around 4 1/2" so the size of the lump I felt sounds about right...

[nashvillemidwife]

Seems unlikely to me.

[Rowankc]

Perhaps you are further along than you thought, or perhaps there is more than one babe... Although if you are slender, it would be possible to kicks at this point, but I am not sure about baby parts, as the uterine wall/muscle is still pretty thick at this point (if a singleton pregnancy).
I felt fetal movement with my third pregnancy at about 12/13 weeks gestation, and similarly with the next two, but was unable to feel baby parts until at least 20 weeks, and I am pretty slender.

[maxmama]

Originally Posted by Nicole B

See...you gals don't think it's baby yet either

Maybe it was bladder but I had just peed and felt movement around that area (I have been feeling occasional kicks)
I looked on a fetal development site and baby should be measuring around 4 1/2" so the size of the lump I felt sounds about right...

Eh, I wouldn't think so. Thick uterine wall, LOTS of fluid to baby ratio, and 16-weekers have so much room that I would be surprised if one stayed in place long enough to be palpated even if you could feel it.