17 weeks and 1 day pregnant

Your baby’s jaw continues to grow throughout the pregnancy, but at this time it can still appear to be quite short. The early tooth buds are hardening within both jaws and, just as with the other bones, calcium is being laid down to strengthen their structure.

Around this time, you may become aware of your baby moving, although for some women first movements are felt much later.

Although your baby is very active, she’s not big enough for you to feel any but the strongest kicks on the walls of your uterus. “Quickening” is the term used to describe these first movements, which feel like tiny flutterings or bubbles in your lower abdomen. You may not notice them or not realize that they are the baby at first, as they feel similar to having wind.

If you’ve been pregnant before, you will be more familiar with the sensation and able to recognize it. First-time mums generally don’t feel movements until a bit later, at about 18 to 20 weeks, so don’t worry if you haven’t felt anything yet. The flutterings become more persistent and definite over time, and there will eventually be recognizable kicks and nudges.

Once you can feel the activity, you will become very conscious of them and may become aware of a pattern to them.

At around this time, you may begin to feel some slight sensations when your baby moves around.

It will be exciting when your partner tells you she can feel the baby move for the first time, and this is a great milestone of the pregnancy. However, when you touch your partner’s bump, you may be disappointed to find that you can’t feel anything at all. Just be a little patient as there will be plenty of opportunities later on in the pregnancy to feel the movements.

Was it wind, or did your baby move?

The first time you notice your baby moving marks the start of a new chapter in the bonding process, and it seems it has always been the case, even in ancient times.

In many cultures, until the advent of pregnancy tests, “quickening” was the first conclusive evidence of pregnancy, and was viewed as the point at which human life began.

According to ancient Egyptian, Greek, American, and Indian beliefs, the first movement marked the moment when the soul entered the fetus. Aboriginals regard the location where the first quickening is felt as highly significant for the baby.

Babies move when they are asleep and awake.

The reason you are less likely to feel your baby move when you’re active is that you are likely to be distracted yourself and miss some movement.