movement discomfort - baby has a "favorite spot"

CloudBee · October 2012

I have been feeling flutters since 12-13 weeks, and I know some people would think I was crazy if I told them so at that time. My dr. noticed a ton of movement when trying to listen w/the dopler recently, and asked if I had noticed movement yet, so she wasn't shocked.

Then once I hit 14 weeks it was very a very obvious sensation of movement, a stronger flutter, more like a fish swimming around. The first couple weeks I was feeling flutters mainly at night, late, while laying on the couch drinking juice. (For nausea.)

Then past few days I'm feeling movement during the day. Saturday I spent a lot of time laying down with my hands on my belly, trying to feel movement externally, but not really expecting much. I tried this out, because I keep feeling movement in the same spot, on either side of my ute. I wanted to see if I could sort of push them back to the center. When the baby gets into that one position on either side, all snug, the pressure is uncomfortable after a while.

So anyway, it seems that my baby really likes to get themselves snug to the far left, or far right. Typically my right - but today it's the left. It feels like they're really balling themselves up. If I'm laying down, I can sort of nudge them out of the way and center them. Feels like they stretch out when I nudge them over, too, because they no longer feel like a concentrated hard ball, and it goes back to a flutter sensation than strong, direct movement.

My husband felt my stomach, and could totally feel the hardness of where they were when I felt the isolated one-sided positioning of the baby. It's crazy how literally overnight I am now feeling them more intensely. It took a lot of time just laying there, though, with the dopler and my hands feeling and really understanding what I was feeling.

So my question for others who are feeling their baby already, or are second time moms... Do babies sometimes have favorite spots or positions? If your does/has, do you find it uncomfortable after a while? Do you ever gently push on your belly to try and get them to move?

mcooper014 · October 2012

Are you having twins? I'm confused, you said you are nudging them and feeling them and the baby gets themselves snug which seems like there is more than one in there but then you also said "my baby" which leads me to believe you arent having multiples. Just curious because I dont feel anything yet but I'm wondering if you feel more is because you are having twins.

SarahRae85 · October 2012

My kids definitely had favorite spots. I was lopsided for most of my pregnancy because my girls liked it high and to my right. I joked that my liver must be pretty friendly since both girls hung out there the entire time. My oldest was so fond of being up high she never actually descended into the birth canal during labor. I had to actually start pushing a bit around 6-7 cm dilated to get her to move. Oy. My second liked that spot so much the skin around it hurt like crazy for weeks and it almost felt like she was up under my ribs and boy did it HURT in the last few weeks. The skin felt too stretched and bruised, very uncomfortable. I would actually cross my arms and push on that spot, ignoring the bruise feeling, just to give the skin time to relax. Don't know that it helped, but it kept me sane feeling like I was doing something to ease the worst of it.

This one seems to be just as fond of high, but on the left this time. At least, that's where I feel the lump most often. I don't "pop" early at all, so it'll be awhile before I feel anything substantial from the outside to confirm, but I can feel a solid spot when he lodges up high.

In my experience, pushing them away from the spot didn't do much. I'd freak my husband out with our oldest but pushing the lump that was most likely my kid's butt all the way to the left and then watch the ripple as she scooted right back over. Freaked him out, lol. I had him do it once and the sensation was too much for him, he refused to do it again. Of course, this was end of 2nd/early 3rd trimester, not early 2nd/late 1st.

CloudBee · October 2012

mcooper014:
Are you having twins? I'm confused, you said you are nudging them and feeling them and the baby gets themselves snug which seems like there is more than one in there but then you also said "my baby" which leads me to believe you arent having multiples. Just curious because I dont feel anything yet but I'm wondering if you feel more is because you are having twins.

Sorry! Just one! I keep using the word "they" because I hate "it" or "the baby". And they is totally plural, though it's sometimes tossed around when you don't know the sex. Just like "the dog ran so fast that they were able to catch the ball". I need to choose my wording more carefully. Just one baby, thankfully!

Sarai28 · October 2012

I haven't experienced much of this yet this preg, but during the last couple months with DS, he always had to be under the right side of my ribcage. I could feel his little butt up there and it was really uncomfortable to me. I would try to give him a little nudge to move in another spot, but I'm sure there wasn't a ton of room in there at that point!

CloudBee · October 2012

SarahRae85:

In my experience, pushing them away from the spot didn't do much. I'd freak my husband out with our oldest but pushing the lump that was most likely my kid's butt all the way to the left and then watch the ripple as she scooted right back over. Freaked him out, lol. I had him do it once and the sensation was too much for him, he refused to do it again. Of course, this was end of 2nd/early 3rd trimester, not early 2nd/late 1st.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. This is so new for me, because I went from flutters, to feeling them in specific locations so soon. It's wild.

I remember with one of my sister's pregnancy we could do the same thing you did. Push on the butt, lol, scoot them over a smidge, then watch them wander back over to where they were. Or sometimes they would sort of push back.

I can't imagine what it feels like to have a full term baby moving! The little bit I feel now is just such a new experience!

CloudBee · October 2012

Sarai28:
I haven't experienced much of this yet this preg, but during the last couple months with DS, he always had to be under the right side of my ribcage. I could feel his little butt up there and it was really uncomfortable to me. I would try to give him a little nudge to move in another spot, but I'm sure there wasn't a ton of room in there at that point!

My mom is tiny, and I also apparently loved one little area under her ribs. Those bottom ribs on that side now stick out a smidge more than the others. You can press on them and notice the difference. (Which I haven't done since I was a kiddo and she told me the story, time and again, lol.)

drewiekc · October 2012

I'm not normally one to be all "just you wait", but LOL! If you think it's uncomfortable NOW, just you wait!

ALandreth · October 2012

CloudBee:
mcooper014:
Are you having twins? I'm confused, you said you are nudging them and feeling them and the baby gets themselves snug which seems like there is more than one in there but then you also said "my baby" which leads me to believe you arent having multiples. Just curious because I dont feel anything yet but I'm wondering if you feel more is because you are having twins.
Sorry! Just one! I keep using the word "they" because I hate "it" or "the baby". And they is totally plural, though it's sometimes tossed around when you don't know the sex. Just like "the dog ran so fast that they were able to catch the ball". I need to choose my wording more carefully. Just one baby, thankfully!

I do the same thing and people keep asking me if I am having more than 1. I don't like saying "it" all the time though! It just kind of slips out like that.

CloudBee · October 2012

drewiekc:
I'm not normally one to be all "just you wait", but LOL! If you think it's uncomfortable NOW, just you wait!

Haha, and I usually hate those "you won't understand until you're a mom" comments, but yours really made me laugh.

CloudBee · October 2012

mamaalysson:
drewiekc:
I'm not normally one to be all "just you wait", but LOL! If you think it's uncomfortable NOW, just you wait!
Totally! It used to feel like DD was hanging on my ribs like the bars on a playground. Ouch! :-)
And, OP, yes, my daughter loved the right side, wedged in against my pelvis. And what was really funny is that after she was born, she would work herself like crazy to get her head wedged into the corner of whatever she was napping on - the crib, the PNP, our arms. My mom's group leader thought that she was probably trying to recreate how she was in the womb. She's two now, and we still find her sleeping with her head shoved into the corner of her bed.

That's awesome.

CloudBee · October 2012

ALandreth:
I do the same thing and people keep asking me if I am having more than 1. I don't like saying "it" all the time though! It just kind of slips out like that.

Haha, I really have to pause and question what I said that made someone think I was referring to more than 1 baby.

KnithappyMama · October 2012

I usually pick a sex and go with it. It actually works, even if you get it wrong to help with bonding. My first was a girl, but I was convinced she was a boy. She kept her legs crossed until delivery and when she came out a girl, I was so happy to see her, it didn't matter that she had been a he for nine months. The other way to get around this is to give baby a nick name, like bean, or nugget or Stormagedon, Dark Lord of All. (Sorry my inner Dr. Who geek escaped for a second)

As for the original question, mine usually found their favorite spot and stayed there. Number 7 impanted in the most uncomfortable place imaginable, I guess it was one of the few unscarred spots left. Anytime she would move to a more comfortable position, her cord, being too short, would get distended and she would stop moving. I would have to lay on my back on the floor and with my hips on the couch and she would pop up again. I could barely stand by 7 months.

So yeah, it can get a lot worse, but most of my babies' positions weren't a problem.

mingli · October 2012

Yes sometimes I see my right side is more bumpy than left side and it's harder. I feel flick mostly on my lower left side. It feels like a pulse/bubbly about 2-3 cms. It makes me smile whenever I feel it. love it!

Country Girl in the City · October 2012

I could feel the baby move at 14 weeks (I don't like to say it either so I say the baby even though it sounds weird). I talked to the nurse and she said that it was baby and not gas. The baby definately like to sit on my right side. I went on a shopping spree this weekend and I felt like every outfit looked lopsided. I also feel like there is more movement when I yell at DH. I have tried to push on my belly to try to move just to see if it would work. It did but quickly the baby would go right back to the favorite spot.