Similarly,
Why do some women still:
Essential
- Almost 40 % of women still feel baby movements after childbirth, called ghost fetal movements. Therefore,
- These sensations combine sensory memory, body changes and postpartum emotions. For example,
- These sensations are not always negative but almost 20 % of the women concerned thus describe them as “emotionally uncomfortable”. For example,
No, it’s not an illusion. Therefore, Almost four in ten women say they feel. However, after childbirth, movements that resemble those of the baby in utero, such as blows, rolls or small jolts. Therefore, Called “ghost fetal movements” (phantom foetal movementsor PFMS), these strange post-party sensations are frequent but still unknown. A vast observational study, published in BJOG : An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecologyhas just document them in detail.
Real sensations, but without why do some women still baby
Out of 4,038 women questioned, 40.5 % said they felt PFMS, most often in the six months following childbirth. These sensations can appear a few weeks after birth. sometimes more than a year later, and last more than two years. Some women still perceive them daily, well after their last pregnancy. Their intensity varies, as is their frequency.

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“The occurrence of these ghost movements was associated with a young maternal age, with the number of pregnancies, a childbirth by cesarean, with the presence of postnatal complications, as well as a earlier and intense perception of fetal movements during pregnancy”underlines the psychiatrist Hugo Bottemanne, first author of the research, in a post LinkedIn.
How to explain these movements without the presence of fetus? Scientists advance several tracks. First, a very lively sensory memory: “The brain anticipates certain internal signals from past experiences”note the study. This theory of “Predictive process” (predictive why do some women still processing) is regularly cited in so -called ghostly phenomena. such as ghost limb syndrome in amputees. But other physical factors may come into play: residual uterine contractions, intestinal activity or even bodily hypersensitivity.
A phenomenon not to be trivialized
These sensations, although very strange for mothers, are not always negative. Some women live them with joy or nostalgia, seeing it a prolonged link with their pregnancy. But for others, especially after a miscarriage, PFMS can rekindle pain, trouble or sadness. Almost 20 % of the women concerned describe them as “Uncomfortable emotionally”.
This study, one of the first of this magnitude, suggests that pregnancy leaves a lasting body and neurological trace. Recognizing these perceptions would make it possible to better support women in postpartum, both sensory and psychologically.
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