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Feeling a baby move in your stomach is one of the most exciting parts of being pregnant. That is until they begin to kick so much you almost feel sick. But let’s not get into that just now. Being pregnant with twins can be scary and exciting at the same time. If you think you’re having twins, a good indicator of this is noting when they start to move around within your womb.

You should feel fetal movements within your uterus around the 18 – 20-week mark if you’re pregnant with twins. However, movement can be felt as early as 16 weeks when pregnant with twins which is typically weeks longer than if you were pregnant with one child.  

A fluttering or a kicking sensation is what the movement can be described as when a fetus starts getting a little restless in your womb. The saying “butterflies in my stomach” isn’t just a saying at all when you’re pregnant. So, is it one baby or is it two or three or more? Keep reading below to have your twin pregnancy questions answered and find out when twins start moving in the womb.

Signs That You Might Be Pregnant with Twins

As well as having fetal movements as early as 16 weeks pregnant, multiple other signs might be an indicator that you’re pregnant with twins.

Here are the common signs that typically mean a woman is pregnant with more than one baby:

• Rapid weight gain
• Showing a belly at the end of the first trimester rather than the start or end of the second
• Uncomfortable and painful breast tenderness
• Extreme morning sickness
• It’s in the gene pool
• Severe fatigue
• High levels of early pregnancy tests such as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)

While a person that’s pregnant with one child might not start showing a baby bump until they’re three or four months pregnant, mothers that are pregnant with more than one baby will usually start showing around the 6-week mark.

Did you know that mature-aged mothers (above the age of 35) are more likely to have twins? If you’re above the age of 30 and have decided now is the right time to have kids, keep in mind you might start feeling movement in your womb at 16 weeks because there’s a higher chance of you having twins!

For some that believe in signs from the universe or a “higher” place, there might also be the odd maternal instinct and intuition feeling that make you feel as though you’re having twins.

Of course, the best way to find out if you’re having twins in the 21^st century is not by breaking an egg and having two yolks come out of the same shell but it’s to go and have an ultrasound.

What Do Twins Feel Like Inside the Womb?

Do you want to ruin the surprise and find out what it feels like to have fetal twins moving inside your womb before you’ve experienced it? Ok parents, we’ll oblige.

Here are some of the ways women have described the feeling of a baby moving in their womb:

• Fluttering
• Like flying butterflies
• Swishing or quivering
• Feeling movement in different directions
• Nudging
• Jerking movements

Now take those sensations, times it by two, and bring it forward by a few weeks to the possible 16-week mark and you have twins!

One of the main differences in how women feel their twins inside the womb is with a type of rolling or pressing sensation while the babies are trying to fight for more growing room in the tight space provided.

Twin Fetal Movement

Understanding how twin or “multiples” pregnancies work will help you through this significant time of your life greatly. Being pregnant with twins will have different effects and occurrences than what it would if you were pregnant with a singleton.

Single babies start to move around the womb around the 18^th to 20^th week of pregnancy which can be quite typical for twin pregnancies too.

Not all pregnancies are the same either, so what your best friend felt while she was pregnant or what she went through can be a somewhat different experience for you. Don’t ever compare and don’t ever feel ashamed if you do. We’ve all been there gals.

Here are the factors that play a part in when your twins start to move in your belly:

• Whether this is your first pregnancy, or you’ve been pregnant before
• If this is your first time giving birth
• The position of your placenta
• The position of your twins
• Your body size and build

Petite women with less body fat and skin on their bellies may start to feel their twins moving or kicking about as early as 13 weeks though this isn’t common.

If your fetuses are settled in the womb and are in a good and healthy position you may be able to tell the difference between each kick or flutter and which of your multiple babies is being more “vocal”. However, it’s not always easy to tell the difference and they can sometimes switch places inside the womb and are always so close together.

Differences Between Pregnancies with Singletons and Multiples

A first-time mother won’t be familiar with a lot of the ins and outs of what it feels like to be pregnant. I hope you’re prepared for a rollercoaster ride of emotions and feelings that are going to change you physically and mentally for the rest of your life. Especially if you’re having twins.

While being pregnant with one or more babies has similar symptoms, there are some noticeable differences between women who go through pregnancies with one child vs women who fall pregnant with multiples.

Singleton Pregnancy	Multiples Pregnancy
Movement can be felt in the womb around 18 weeks.	Movement in the womb can be felt as early as 16 weeks.
Baby bumps sometimes don’t show for up to 4 months or longer.	Increased and earlier weight gain.
Mothers may feel intense and uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms, but they are usually mild compared with those having twins.	Intense symptoms such as severe morning sickness, leg cramps, sleep problems, and swelling.
One prenatal visit every month (unless otherwise advised by your doctor) to the doctors is the usual schedule for pregnancies.	More doctors’ appointments and checkups are generally needed to check the health of two babies rather than one.
A full-term pregnancy is roughly 40 weeks (9 months or 240 days).	Twins are often born earlier than the expected 40 weeks. It’s normal for twins to be born around 38 weeks or sometimes even earlier resulting in premature births and needing early special care.

It’s most common for twins and multiples to be born prematurely because there’s not enough room in a woman’s womb to house more than one full-grown baby inside her. More than 50% of all twins are born earlier than 38 weeks and according to Child Mags almost 60% of twins are born prematurely before 37 weeks.

If you think you might be pregnant with twins, check out the above table and match the signs and symptoms up with yours. Take yourself for an ultrasound to be sure because having one baby is something you need to be prepared for let alone twins or more!

In conclusion – more than likely, you won’t feel twins earlier than a single baby

Although it would seem logical that you might feel two babies kicking sooner than one, just because you’re pregnant with twins does not mean that you’ll feel them sooner than if you were having one baby. Twins can be felt moving at 16 weeks, but they’re typically felt at 18-20 weeks like a single pregnancy.

You may become ill with morning sickness and have more severe pregnancy symptoms, and if you do happen to feel some fluttery-like sensations in your belly at 16 weeks, this is usually a good indicator that you are, indeed, pregnant with twins.