Between 16 and 20 weeks, many people feel their baby move for the first time, and many others, especially in a first pregnancy, are still waiting. Both fit inside the window the NHS describes.
When the first movements come
The NHS says you should start to feel your baby move between 16 and 24 weeks of pregnancy. RCOG says most women first become aware of their baby moving at 18 to 20 weeks.
If you've been pregnant before, you may feel movements as early as 16 weeks (RCOG, Tommy's). If this is your first baby, you might not feel movements until after 20 weeks (NHS, Tommy's).
What they feel like
Early movements can feel like a gentle swirling or fluttering (NHS, Tommy's). The NHS week-by-week guide says that around 18 weeks you may feel your baby move for the first time, and that a bubbling feeling you might put down to wind could be your baby moving.
Movements this early are small, and you're most likely to notice them when you're still. You're less likely to notice them when you're active or busy (RCOG).
If you haven't felt anything yet
At this stage, not having felt your baby yet is common, especially in a first pregnancy. Where your placenta is can play a part: if it's at the front of your womb, movements may not be so easy to feel (RCOG, Tommy's). There's more in our guide to an anterior placenta.
RCOG advises that if by 24 weeks you have never felt your baby move, you should contact your midwife or maternity unit.
Once you've started to feel them
There's nothing to count yet. US guidance on timing movements starts in the third trimester (when to start counting). For now, it's enough to notice them when they come.
At any stage, if movements you've been feeling slow down, stop or change, contact your midwife, doctor or maternity unit straight away. Do not wait until tomorrow. What to do.