Phantom kicks after a miscarriage or birth: why you might still feel movements

Feeling something like your baby moving after your pregnancy has ended can be confusing and painful. It has a name, phantom kicks, and you’re far from alone in feeling them. Here’s what’s known, and where to find support.

What are phantom kicks?

Phantom kicks are feelings like a baby moving inside you when you’re no longer pregnant. People describe them as flutters, or as convincing, real-feeling kicks. Some people feel them for years afterwards.

How common are they?

There’s been very little research. In the first survey to look at it, by researchers in Australia, almost 40% of 197 women who had been pregnant said they’d felt phantom kicks after their first pregnancy. Some were still feeling them many years later, up to 28 years after their pregnancy.

It was a small survey of people who chose to take part, so we don’t know exactly how common phantom kicks are. But it shows they’re far from rare.

People felt very differently about them. About 27% of the women found the feelings nostalgic or comforting, while about a quarter (26%) said they felt confused or upset by them.

Why does it happen?

Nobody knows for sure. The researchers have compared it with phantom limb sensations, where the brain keeps sensing a part of the body that’s no longer there, but more research is needed to understand it.

Phantom kicks after a miscarriage

Most people first feel their baby move between 16 and 24 weeks of pregnancy, and in a first pregnancy it may not be until after 20 weeks. Early movements feel like a gentle swirling or fluttering.

So after an earlier miscarriage, you may never have felt your baby move, yet still notice fluttering feelings afterwards. After a later miscarriage or a stillbirth, you might feel sensations very like the movements you came to know. Research hasn’t looked at phantom kicks after miscarriage specifically, so we don’t know how often this happens.

However they feel, they can bring grief back to the surface, sometimes when you least expect it. Some people find them a comforting reminder of their baby. Others find them distressing, or both at different times. All of these reactions are understandable.

Could I be pregnant again?

It’s possible, because you can ovulate before your first period after a miscarriage. If you’ve had sex without contraception and you’re not sure, take a test. Bear in mind that a test can stay positive for a few weeks after a miscarriage. Read positive pregnancy test after a miscarriage for what that can mean.

In a new pregnancy, you wouldn’t feel your baby move until 16 to 24 weeks, so flutters in the early weeks aren’t your baby kicking.

Coping with phantom kicks

Know it’s recognised. Many people say it helps to know other people feel this too.
Tell someone. Your partner, a friend, your GP or midwife. You don’t have to explain it perfectly.
Write it down. Some people find it helps to note when it happens and how it made them feel.
Talk to others who’ve been there, through a charity support group or helpline.
Ask for more help if you need it. If grief or anxiety feels overwhelming, or isn’t easing, talk to your GP. You can be offered counselling, and your GP or pregnancy unit can help you find it.

Support

Miscarriage UK (formerly the Miscarriage Association): 0303 003 6464, 9am to 8pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 9am to 4pm on Tuesday and Thursday.
Tommy’s midwives: 0800 0147 800, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Sands, for anyone affected by the death of a baby: 0808 164 3332, 10am to 3pm Monday to Friday, and 6pm to 9pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. You can also email helpline@sands.org.uk.

Questions people ask

Is it normal to feel kicks after a miscarriage?

Phantom kicks are a recognised experience. In the one survey that has looked at them, almost 40% of women felt them after their first pregnancy. Research hasn’t yet looked at how often they happen after a miscarriage.

How long do phantom kicks last?

It varies, and there’s little research. In the survey, some women still felt them up to 28 years after their pregnancy.

Can you get phantom kicks after a chemical pregnancy or early miscarriage?

Some people describe fluttering feelings after an early loss, but this hasn’t been studied. Read what is a chemical pregnancy? for more about very early loss.

Do I need to see a doctor about phantom kicks?

Not for the feelings alone. But see a doctor if you have pain, bleeding or other symptoms, or if your feelings are affecting your everyday life.

Physical recovery after a miscarriage

If you’ve recently had a miscarriage and have heavy or long-lasting bleeding, smelly discharge, worsening tummy pain or a high temperature, contact your early pregnancy unit or the hospital that treated you straight away. See positive pregnancy test after a miscarriage for the full list of signs to look out for.

Call 999 or go to A&E if you’re soaking through a pad within an hour, passing large clots, feel faint or dizzy, or have pain you can’t control.

When to get help

Mild cramps that ease with rest are usually nothing to worry about. But if you’re pregnant, or think you could be, get urgent advice from your maternity unit, an early pregnancy unit or NHS 111 if you have:

any bleeding or spotting, even if it’s light
tummy pain that’s severe, on one side, or hasn’t eased after resting for 30 to 60 minutes
pain in the tip of your shoulder

Call 999 if you have bleeding along with severe tummy pain, pain in your shoulder, or feeling sick, faint or dizzy, or if the bleeding is heavy (soaking a pad soon after putting it on). Also call 999 if you have sudden, sharp and intense tummy pain and you feel very dizzy or faint, feel sick or look very pale. These can be signs of an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage that need treating straight away.