I remember feeling the first flutters of movement in my abdomen during my second trimester with my son. At first, I wasn’t sure what it was. Was it gas? The all-too-familiar stomach upheaval that had been so strong in the first several months of pregnancy?
Or was it a quiet quickening, a reminder of the little life that was its own, yet so much a part of me?
As my pregnancy progressed, my son’s growth soon left no room for doubt – his kicks were unmistakably him. No gas, nausea, or anything else in my stomach had ever been so fiercely alive.
But then I delivered my son. Months later, even after my son was crawling, I still felt those little flutters inside my empty womb. Multiple negative pregnancy tests verified that my brain was playing tricks on me.
I’m not alone. About 40% of women experience phantom kicks after delivery, according to this article. On average, these women experienced phantom kicks for over 6 years after delivering their babies.
What Causes Phantom Kicks?
Scientists aren’t sure exactly what causes phantom kicks. But they think it could be related to phantom pain, the phenomenon where amputees feel pain in limbs that are no longer there.
One doctor notes that pregnancy causes growth in uterine nerve receptors. After pregnancy, the stretched nerves can continue to send messages to the brain. And sometimes, they mistakenly detect movement, even after the baby has been delivered.
Other scientists believe that the sensation is caused by the uterus’s normal process of recovering from pregnancy and childbirth. Finally, other doctors believe that women mistake gas or or digestive activity for baby kicks.
Interestingly, some doctors belive that phantom kicks often happen in women who experience depression or anxiety.
Do Phantom Kicks Hurt?
No. Not in my experience at least.
They’re nothing like the violent kicks of an overdue baby trying to find his way out. Phantom kicks are more like the gentle flutters of the second trimester.
For me, it’s a reminder that makes me smile. It reminds me of the days when I carried my son under my heart, tucked inside my womb.
Photography Credits:
Photo by Amina Filkins on Pexels.com, Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com, Photo by Anastasiya Gepp on Pexels.com