At how many weeks does dad feel the baby in his tummy?
Perceiving your baby’s movements is one of the most exciting sensations of pregnancy and helps to make the presence of the future baby even more real.
This applies not only to mothers, but also and above all to fathers , who have less opportunity to interact directly with the child and for whom this moment marks an important step in creating an emotional relationship with the unborn child.
But exactly, since when does dad feel the baby in his belly? And more precisely, from which week or from which month do the movements of the fetus become perceptible from the outside as well?
At how many weeks the baby feels: the differences between mom and dad
Usually, a future mother perceives the first movements of the baby between the ages of 16 and 25week , with an average of around 20 aweek , bones around the 5th month .
To perceive the movements from the outside, placing your hands on your belly, it generally takes a few more weeks. On average, in fact, the future dad hears the baby from the 6th month onwards, i.e. from the 23rd week .
There are several factors that can delay or anticipate the perception of fetal movements, both for the woman and for the partner.
- For the mother, “experience” matters a lot: a pregnant woman in her second or subsequent pregnancy will be able to distinguish fetal movements earlier, because she has already experienced them with her first child. For those who are facing sweet anticipation for the first time, it will take more time to learn to recognize them .
- It may be more difficult for the father to perceive the movements if the partner is overweight or if she has an anterior placenta , which “cushions” the baby’s kicks in the belly.
In any case, every pregnancy is unique and therefore it is not possible to establish universal rules that apply to all. Furthermore, it is useful to underline that after hearing the first movements, even the father will be able to recognize them more and more often , especially if the child is very active.
At how many weeks can you see the movements from the outside?
As the fetus grows and its muscles strengthen, its kicks are more and more vigorous. As early as the 28th week of pregnancy , the baby’s movements can also become visible from the outside and it should be possible to understand with which part of the body he is pushing on the abdomen (head, bottom, hands or feet). This is the phase in which mums and dads grab the phone to film their little one’s stunts and share videos with friends and relatives: unfortunately, however, the child does not always cooperate!
Furthermore, as the weeks progress, the wall of the uterus will thin and towards the end of pregnancy it will even be possible to see the imprint of a foot on the belly.
At how many weeks does dad hear the baby’s heart beating?
There is another way to make the partner more involved in the pregnancy: from the 20th week , in fact , the future dad should be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat using an obstetric stethoscope .
From around the 27th week , on the other hand, to hear the little heart beat , simply place your ear on the belly .
Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.
Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.