A pregnant woman feeling her baby kick (left) an astonished woman (right)
What exactly does it feel like to have a baby kicking inside of you? For those of us that have never been pregnant, and wish to remain childless, this will remain somewhat of a mystery forever. Even those who have been pregnant and felt their bab kick might have a hard time quantifying the sensation.
And yet, thanks to a now-viral video posted by self proclaimed ”boy mamma with good ideas” Kat (@__mmkayy), we have an analogy that depicts this phenomenon perfectly. Or at least, millions of viewers seem to agree that’s the case, anyway.
In the clip, Kat explained how she had been asked by a coworker “What does it feel like when the baby moves?” When an answer didn’t come straight away, the mom-to-be became determined to come up with something that fully encapsulated the experience.
Then, she found it. A clear, precise, incredibly specific, tangible answer.
“It’s like when you put your hand on your cheek and move your tongue,” especially if you do a “soft but firm, slow kind of movement” with said tongue. Badda bing, badda boom.
It’s easy to see how almost anyone could immediately understand what Kat means on a visceral level, which makes it such an appropo description.
Down in the comments, people’s minds were a little blown…if not nostalgic.
“Everybody rn 😮”
“You need to get paid for this info somehow because it's absolutely correct.”
“This makes me want to be pregnant again. I’m suing you.”
“Shakespeare could never do this.”
“YOU CRACKED THE CODE!!”
“Ma’am you deserve a 🏅best description I ever heard.”
And of course, many folks joked about how they would be trying out her little analogy themselves.
“The way you’ve got a few hundred thousand people pressing their hands on their faces and wiggling their tongues against it. You hold a lot of power ma’am.”
“Me having two children, also checking out how it feels per your instructions.”
The first sign of baby kicks, aka “the quickening,” begin between weeks 16 and 25 of pregnancy, and start off very subtle, but tend to become stronger and more noticeable. And while the experience is generally a neutral, if not pleasant one, they can sometimes be painful for the pregnant woman, especially as the baby grows and has less room to move during later trimesters. In these instances, the kicks can feel like sharp or dull pain, or even numbness, and are often felt when the baby's limbs press against the ribs or abdomen.
But, for the most part, baby kicks are just one of those cool “my body is a freaking miracle of nature, look what it can do” moments for moms. Hard to quantify, but amazing to experience.
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids… 
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie? 
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."