At 23 weeks, there is no set number of movements you should feel each day. You’re still in the early stages of noticing your baby’s activity, and many women are just beginning to feel consistent movement at this point. Most people first feel their baby move somewhere between 18 and 24 weeks, so if the sensations are still faint or irregular, that’s normal for this stage.
Formal kick counting doesn’t start until around 28 weeks, when your baby’s movement patterns become more predictable. Right now, the goal is simply to start noticing when your baby is active and get familiar with what movement feels like for you.
What Movement Feels Like at 23 Weeks
At this stage, your baby is about 29 centimeters long (roughly the length of a large banana) and is practicing breathing, sleeping, and waking in cycles. The movements you feel may not resemble the dramatic kicks you’ve heard about. Women commonly describe early fetal movement as fluttering like a butterfly, tiny tapping or pulses, bubbles popping, light rolls or tumbles, or small muscle spasms. Some of these are easy to mistake for gas or digestion, especially if this is your first pregnancy.
As the weeks progress, those flutters will gradually sharpen into more distinct kicks, punches, and rolls. By the third trimester, you’ll feel elbows, somersaults, and even hiccups. But at 23 weeks, subtle and inconsistent movement is the norm.
Why Some Days Feel Quieter Than Others
Your baby sleeps 12 to 14 hours a day at this stage. During those long stretches, you won’t feel much of anything. Babies also cycle between sleep and activity in short bursts, so you might notice a flurry of movement for 20 minutes followed by hours of quiet. This is completely normal and doesn’t mean something is wrong.
Your own activity level plays a role too. When you’re walking around, working, or otherwise distracted, you’re far less likely to notice gentle movements. Most women feel their baby more when they’re sitting or lying still, especially in the evening.
How Placenta Position Affects Sensation
If your placenta is positioned at the front of your uterus (called an anterior placenta), it acts like a cushion between your baby and your belly wall. This can make it noticeably harder to feel kicks and rolls, particularly at 23 weeks when movements are still relatively gentle. Some women with an anterior placenta feel movement just fine, while others don’t pick up on consistent patterns until later in pregnancy. Your anatomy scan or ultrasound report will tell you where your placenta sits if you’re unsure.
Body weight can also influence perception. Women carrying more abdominal tissue sometimes find it harder to detect faint movements early on. This doesn’t reflect anything about the baby’s health; it’s purely about how easily the sensation reaches the surface.
When Kick Counting Actually Starts
Most major medical organizations recommend starting formal kick counts around 28 weeks, when your baby’s movement patterns become regular enough to track. The standard method is straightforward: pick a time when your baby is usually active, sit or lie down, and note how long it takes to feel 10 movements. Kicks, rolls, flutters, and swishes all count. Ten movements within two hours is considered typical.
For high-risk pregnancies (including those carrying multiples), providers sometimes recommend starting kick counts a couple of weeks earlier, around 26 weeks. Your provider can tell you if this applies to you.
At 23 weeks, you don’t need to count. What you can do is start paying casual attention to when your baby tends to move. After eating? In the evening? When you lie on your side? This early awareness will make formal tracking much easier once you reach the third trimester.
Does Eating Trigger More Movement?
You may have heard that drinking orange juice or eating a snack will get your baby moving. The reality is less clear-cut. While many women report feeling more activity after meals, research on the connection between maternal blood sugar and fetal movement has produced mixed results. A Cochrane review found no solid evidence that giving mothers glucose or juice increases fetal movement. Some studies even found the opposite, with movement decreasing after meals.
That said, if you notice your baby tends to be more active after you eat, that’s a useful personal pattern to be aware of, even if the science behind it isn’t settled.
What Matters More Than Counting Right Now
The CDC lists a baby’s movement stopping or slowing as a warning sign worth contacting your provider about, but with an important clarification: there is no specific number of movements that defines “normal.” What matters is a change from your baby’s established pattern. At 23 weeks, you’re still learning that pattern, so a quiet day here and there is expected.
If you’ve been feeling regular movement for a couple of weeks and then notice a significant drop-off, that’s worth a call to your provider. If you haven’t felt much movement yet at all, and you’re within the 18 to 24 week window when most women start noticing it, there’s likely no cause for concern. Your next prenatal visit is a good time to mention it if you want reassurance.
The bottom line at 23 weeks: you’re in a transitional phase. Movement is becoming more noticeable but hasn’t settled into a predictable rhythm yet. Pay attention, enjoy the flutters, and save the stopwatch for a few more weeks.