The fetus will wriggle and spin a lot while in the womb! Feeling the fetal movement can be a fun and magical experience. In addition, determining the preferred position of the baby can be an exciting activity. Whether out of curiosity or because the due date is near, there are several medical and home methods to determine the position of the fetus in the womb; although some methods are more accurate than others. Try some of these methods, and if in doubt, you can ask your doctor or midwife for help.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Feeling Your Stomach and Noting How You Feel
Step 1. Keep a movement journal
It would be nice to be able to remember the various positions of the baby during pregnancy. Use a diary, journal, or notebook to document it. Record the date, gestational age, and position of the baby each time it is examined.
Step 2. Feel your stomach for hard lumps
Even if you don't have a scientific basis, you can find your baby's head or bottom just by feeling your tummy. Press gently, and try to relax while pressing on the exhale. The hard, round bulge like a small bowling ball is likely the baby's head; the rounded but slightly softer bulge is usually the baby's bottom. Use these standard guidelines to estimate the baby's position:
- Is the bulge on the right or left side of the abdomen? Press gently; If the baby's entire body moves, the fetal head may be in a downward position (cephalic).
- If the bulge is round, feels firm, and is under the ribs, it's probably the baby's head, which indicates a breech position (head up).
- If the two hard, round areas (head and buttocks) are on the sides of the tummy, the baby can lie horizontally. Babies usually move on their own to get out of this position at 8 months of gestation.
Step 3. Determine the baby's position based on the kick area
Feeling the baby's kick area is the easiest way to estimate the baby's orientation in the womb. If you feel a kick in the belly button, the baby is likely in a head down position. If the kick is below the navel, the baby is likely in a head-up position. Simply visualize where your baby's feet and soles are based on where you feel the kick.
If you feel a kick around the mid-front of your belly, chances are the baby is in a posterior (buttocks) position; baby's head is down with his back against your back. Your stomach can also look flatter and less round in this position
Method 2 of 3: Using Medical Means
Step 1. Ask the doctor to show you how to feel the baby
Trained professionals are generally able to determine the position of the baby just by feeling the belly. The next time they check your baby's position, ask them to teach you how to do it yourself. Doctors can give tips and suggestions for applying them at home!
Ask for permission to feel the stomach while the doctor does it to get used to feeling the baby's body parts from outside the womb
Step 2. Listen to the baby's heartbeat
While it can't tell the baby's position, finding the baby's heartbeat can give an indication of how the baby is. If you have a fetoscope or stethoscope at home, use it to listen to the stomach. If not, ask your partner or family to put their ear to your belly. Usually the baby's heartbeat can be heard as early as two months of pregnancy, although the location of the beat is still difficult to determine. Move to various points to find out where the loudest and clearest ticking sound in the stomach.
- If the sound of the heartbeat is loudest below the belly button, chances are the baby is in a head down position; if the beat is heard above the navel, the position of the head is up.
- Try listening through a cardboard toilet paper roll to amplify the sound!
Step 3. Perform ultrasound
An ultrasound scan is the only way to confirm the baby's position. Ultrasound uses sound waves to create an image of the baby in the womb. Schedule regular ultrasounds with your OB/GYN doctor or midwife to check on the baby, or simply determine how to lie in the womb.
- Schedule an ultrasound in the first trimester and again in the second, or more frequently if the baby's health needs to be monitored. Ask your doctor for details to know when it's time to get an ultrasound.
- The latest ultrasound technology can produce clear images of babies, although this option is not available in all clinics.
Method 3 of 3: Trying Belly Mapping
Step 1. Gather the materials
Belly mapping can be challenging, but quite fun to do. In the eighth month of pregnancy, try abdominal mapping right after getting an ultrasound or fetal heart monitoring from a doctor. When at home, collect non-toxic paint or marker and a doll with movable legs and arms.
Step 2. Find the baby's head
Lie on your back in a comfortable place, and lift your shirt. Press firmly and feel the pelvic area to find a round, firm shape. Use a marker or paint to draw a circle on the baby's head.
Step 3. Find the baby's heart rate
Draw the heart in the baby's heartbeat area; the doctor can pinpoint the point at your appointment. Otherwise, use a stethoscope or fetoscope if you have one, or ask your partner to put their ear to your belly and tell them where the loudest heartbeat is.
Step 4. Feel the baby's bottom
Feel the belly to find the baby's bottom, which feels firm and round, but softer than the head. Mark on your stomach.
Step 5. Color the other dots you feel
The long, flat area can be the baby's back; the points of protrusion can be the knees or the elbows. Think where you've been kicked. Mark any other found sections.
Step 6. Place the doll in various positions
Start playing with the doll, and move it into various positions based on where its head and heart are. This step can help visualize the baby's position!
Step 7. Be creative if you want
Draw or paint a baby like an art project, or do some fun photography. This photo can be a beautiful memory.
Tips
- Babies are difficult to feel if their body is very muscular or their stomach is very fatty. The position of the placenta can also affect how it feels; You may not feel much movement and kicking in the front of the abdomen if the placenta is in front of the bulge (placenta anterior).
- It will be easier to carry out the independent method after 30 weeks of pregnancy. Before that, ultrasound was the best way.
- Babies are usually most active after eating. This is a great time to pay attention to movement and kicks.
Warning
- Make plans with your doctor or midwife if you are approaching labor and the baby is in a breech or transverse (horizontal) position. This situation requires a C-section if the baby cannot be moved to a better position for delivery.
- If you experience Braxton-Hicks contractions when you feel the baby's position, stop and wait for it to pass. This is harmless to you and your baby, but you won't be able to feel the baby until the contractions are over.
- You should start monitoring your baby's movements from day 28. Usually you feel about 10 kicks or other movement in the span of 2 hours. However, don't panic if you don't feel any movement; just wait a few hours and try again. If you still don't feel 10 kicks within seconds, call your OB-GYN doctor.
