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What are phantom kicks? Are they real or not?

How to know if you should worry if you feel phantom kicks

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A mom holding a newborn
Alexandra Grablewski / Getty Images

All kinds of things happen to a woman’s body after giving birth. One that isn’t as talked about very much is possible phantom kicking. Your little one has left the building, but you still feel an occasional pressure in your stomach that feels like a kick. Is that possible? What’s going on in there? What are phantom kicks? This is what could be happening after giving birth if you swear you still feel a baby kicking in your stomach. 

What are phantom kicks?

Young woman sitting on bed with hands on lower stomach.
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Recovering after pregnancy is no joke, and sometimes things happen that they don’t prepare you for in those classes or have in the books. If you swear you have felt your baby kick inside your stomach, but you’re looking right at your baby sleeping peacefully right next to you — don’t freak out. It is something that happens to women who have given birth sometimes. You aren’t about to be the mother of an alien.

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Phantom kicks can happen after pregnancy, pregnancy loss, or the birth of a child. They are a movement that feels like a baby is kicking from the inside. Some women only feel it, and some women even see their abdomen move when it has no reason to move.

What causes phantom kicks

Phantom kicks could be gastrointestinal sensations. A mother or pregnant woman is already extra in tune with her body, so it wouldn’t be totally out of line if she felt some movement after a baby is no longer in the stomach. But things like gas, needing a bowel movement, and digestive issues could all be behind the sensations.

Other reasons for the phantom feeling

Depending on if the woman had a pregnancy loss, the phantom kicks could be the body’s way of recovering from that. The body does things to protect itself and feeling those kicks could be an emotional or mental response. It’s like how people who have had a limb amputated still feel it there or have an itch for the rest of their lives.

Why do phantom kicks happen?

A mother singing to her little baby.
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Unfortunately, phantom kicks are another part of the female body that haven’t been studied enough, and we don’t have much information on them. So far, there is no reason these types of movements should happen. But it seems they happen because the body is used to the sensations and movements that come with the territory of being pregnant. The constant moving and grooving that goes on in the body while growing a baby for nine months straight isn’t going to automatically stop the second the baby is out.

Postpartum recovery takes a lot out of a body, and while it’s learning how to put everything back together, a phantom kick might pop up. The connective tissue and muscles have been under attack while growing a child for almost a year, and they have to relearn how to cooperate. The human body is a wonderous thing.

How long do you feel phantom kicks for?

This is a tricky question to answer. How long a woman feels phantom kicks varies from person to person. A study done at the Monash University found phantom kicks could last up to seven years. That is a long time to feel kicking. Now, it’s not a constant movement, but this is how long after being pregnant the women surveyed felt something like a kick.

There have even been reports of women feeling a kicking sensation decades after giving birth. While we hope that’s just an outlier, it has happened.

Do phantom kicks hurt?

While phantom kicks haven’t been reported as causing pain, about a quarter of women who have experienced phantom kicks have said it is uncomfortable and they didn’t like it. Another quarter said it reminded them of their pregnancy and brought warm, comforting feelings. Other than possibly being annoying, they don’t hurt. If the kicks do cause pain, that would be a good reason to talk to your doctor.

Talk to a doctor if yours feel off

If you feel intense sensations, prolonged movement coupled with pain, or something just doesn’t feel right, it’s best to talk to your doctor. They will rule out any underlying causes and see if those kicks are phantom or foe. In rare cases, phantom kicks could mean something is off, especially if the person is having feelings of depression or anxiety in addition to the kicking. It’s never a bad idea to be sure you are OK.

There are so many things that happen to a woman while carrying a baby, having a baby, and recovering from having a baby. Phantom kicks are one in a line of many side effects from being pregnant or having a baby. Know nothing is wrong with you, and phantom kicks are real and are normal for a lot of women to experience.

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