If the plancenta is in between the baby and the front of your tummy it will be like a 'cushion' and you won't feel the kicks so intensly.
Towards the end of pregnancy the movements stop feeling like kicks and it starts feeling more twists and turns in there! Sometimes you might even get to see the odd limb!! Plancenta permiting!

I am about 32 weeks along. Since I know how the baby is positioned from the ultrasound I can usually distinguish knee from elbow, foot from hand. Her feet are still up closer to my ribs, about 2 or 3 inches above my belly button. Her head is nestled down low in my pelvis. I usually feel her arms and hands about half way between my belly button and vagina. These movements have a tendency to be sharper, sometimes even causing a pins and needles feeling, like getting a shot. Possibly from her fingernails?

When she moves her legs and feet it is more like a general pressure and stretching from the inside out, with the occasional good thump/kick. Normally the movements I feel are at the middle to surface of the uterus. Occasionally I will feel some punches deep within me, towards my back and bowels, but not very often. The movements are getting uncomfortable now that she is growing so fast. What hurts the most is when she scratches/punches my cervix. Ouch!

I am 32 weeks today and I can relate!!

I was told that my placenta is in the front (made it hard for them to monitor his heartbeat) and he is head down. I feel the kicks all over the place except for under my belly button. Under my belly button I get what feels like little punches and sometimes when he is doing this I get the sharp needle pains all the waaaay down there. I think since he moves around so much the placenta acts as a cushion sometimes because the kicks feel stronger in certain places.

He also likes to move side to side and makes my belly move all around. It's sooo cute!!