How often should I feel my baby move at 22 weeks?

You’re 22 weeks pregnant (or five months). More than halfway there! If you haven’t yet felt any telltale flutters, or your baby’s movements aren’t quite regular, there's no need to worry at this stage. Every pregnancy is different and you should soon start to feel your little one’s pokes and kicks like clockwork (Pregnancy, Birth & Baby 2022).

When do you feel baby kicking?

Ultrasound scans can show your baby yawning and stretching as early as nine weeks of pregnancy. Your baby should wriggle around quite a bit by 12 weeks, but you likely won’t feel it because your baby is still too small (Cleveland Clinic 2022, News Medical 2018).

Most women start to feel their baby’s movements between 16 weeks and 24 weeks (Stillbirth CRE 2022). Several factors can affect when you feel those first flutters, bubbles, swishes, taps or rolls that are known as "quickening". If it’s your first pregnancy or you have an anterior placenta (at the front of your uterus and close to your belly), it could take longer for you to feel movement (Cleveland Clinic 2022, Pregnancy, Birth & Baby 2022).

How often should I feel my baby move at 22 weeks?

At 22 weeks, it’s normal not to feel your baby moving often. But if you haven’t felt any movement at all by 24 weeks, talk to your doctor or midwife. They may want to check your baby’s heartbeat or do a scan for peace of mind (Pregnancy, Birth & Baby 2022).

The first flutters can be very subtle and are easy to mistake for wind. But as your pregnancy progresses, your baby's movements will become stronger. You’ll feel a lot more kicks, jabs, pokes and punches.

Once you've started to feel your baby's movements, you'll become more and more aware of them. Between 24 weeks and 28 weeks of pregnancy, you’ll get to know your baby’s pattern of movements. It should stay the same until birth, though it will get stronger. You may even feel jerking movements when your baby has the hiccups! (MyHealth Alberta 2022, Pregnancy, Birth & Baby 2022).

Experts no longer suggest counting kicks. That’s because no two pregnancies are the same and kick counting isn’t a good measure of your baby’s wellbeing. Instead, you should try to tune in to your baby's movements at around the same time each day (Stillbirth CRE 2022) . If you spot any changes to your baby’s pattern of movements, such as a decrease in movement or a sudden episode of excessive activity, contact your doctor, midwife or hospital right away. These could be signs that your baby is unwell. Getting assessed promptly could save their life (NHS 2021, RCOG 2019).

Find out more about how your baby’s movements will feel each week.