Early pregnancy baby flutters You'll probably see your baby moving about between weeks 18 and 20 of your pregnancy. First-time mothers may not feel their baby move until the infant is closer to 25 weeks. Experienced mothers may notice movement as early as 13 weeks. The movements you feel are usually small muscle waves but may also be caused by the heart beating away energetically rather than physically. Your baby is a growing organism that requires energy for survival. As such, it will try to find ways to get what it needs to grow and develop. One way it does this is through rhythmic movements known as fetal activity. This movement can be felt before there are visible signs of life in the fetus. You can feel your baby moving during the first few months of pregnancy. However, some women may not feel the movement right away. This is normal; many women don't feel their babies move until they are close to delivery. Even after birth, some newborns remain quiet while others continue to move regularly for several days or weeks after they are removed from their mother's womb. Other factors such as medication, pain, or stress may prevent a woman from feeling her baby move. Fetal activity can be measured on an ultrasound machine. Ultrasounds are images taken of the body using sound waves and a computer screen.