If you are expecting a baby, know that it will turn and turn over and over inside the belly. Perceiving their movements can be a fun and magical experience: trying to understand what position they are in can be exciting. Whether you are simply curious, or the date of delivery is approaching, there are more or less accurate medical techniques and do-it-yourself methods to determine the position of the baby in the belly. Try some, and if in doubt, ask your doctor or midwife for help.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Examine the Belly and Take Note of What You Feel
Step 1. Keep a diary of your movements
At the end of the pregnancy it may be fun to review the different positions the baby has been in throughout the period. Keep a diary, log or notebook to collect the data and whenever you have the opportunity, write down the date, week of pregnancy and the location of the fetus.
Step 2. Touch the belly to locate the bumps
While this isn't an exact science, you may be able to locate your baby's head or butt by simply touching your belly. Apply light pressure and try to relax as you do this, pressing as you exhale. A hard, round bump like a small bowling ball will likely be the fetus's head, while a round but softer bump might be the lower back. Use some standard guidelines to estimate location:
- Is there a bump on the right or left side of the belly? Press it gently: if the baby's whole body moves, it could mean that it is in the cephalic position (upside down).
- If you feel a hard, round bump under the ribs, it could be in the head, a sign that the fetus is in the breech (upside) position.
- If the two hard, round areas (the head and the lower back) are on one side of the tummy, the baby may be placed horizontally. Usually the fetus moves from this position to the eighth month.
Step 3. Locate where you feel kicking
Babies often kick inside the belly, so it may be one of the easiest ways to understand how they are positioned. If you feel a kick above your navel, it probably means that the baby is upside down, vice versa, he is upside down. Try to imagine where his feet and legs are based on where you feel him kick.
If you feel a kick in the middle of the belly, it means that the baby may be in the back position, with his head down and his back against your back. Also in this position your belly may feel flattened rather than round
Method 2 of 3: Medical Techniques
Step 1. Ask your doctor to show you how the baby feels
Often, medical professionals are able to tell which position the fetus is in simply by feeling the mother's abdomen. During your next visit, ask your doctor to guide you in this operation: he can give you advice on how to do it yourself at home.
Ask him to feel the belly together with him, to realize how different parts of the fetus are if perceived from the outside
Step 2. Try to hear the baby's heartbeat
While it won't tell you everything about his position, locating his heart will give you some clues as to how he is lying down. If you have a fetoscope or stethoscope, use it to auscultate your belly. If you don't have it, ask your partner or a close person to place their ear on your belly while you are in a quiet room. It is usually possible to hear the fetus's heartbeat this way in the last two months of pregnancy, although pinpointing the heart can be difficult. Move to different areas to feel where the beat is strongest and clearest.
- If the heartbeat is stronger below the navel, the fetus is probably upside down, vice versa it is upside down.
- Try listening through the toilet paper roll to amplify the sound.
Step 3. Get an ultrasound
It is the only way to know for sure which position the baby is in: it is a system that uses sound waves to create an image of the fetus in the womb. Schedule regular ultrasound scans with your gynecologist or midwife to check the baby's development, or simply to determine its position in the uterus.
- Schedule an ultrasound in the first trimester and another in the second trimester or more frequently if the health of the fetus needs to be monitored. Ask your doctor for advice on when to get an ultrasound.
- New ultrasound technologies are capable of producing incredibly sharp images of the fetus, although they are not available in all doctors' offices.
Method 3 of 3: Try Belly Mapping
Step 1. Get the necessary materials
Belly Mapping can be a challenge, but it's fun. At the eighth month of pregnancy, try to draw a map on the belly following an ultrasound or heart monitoring visit. Once at home, get some non-toxic paint or markers and a doll with movable limbs.
Step 2. Locate the fetus head
Lie on your back in a comfortable position and lift the shirt up. Applying constant pressure, feel the pelvic area for a round, hard shape, then use colors to draw a circle that matches the baby's head.
Step 3. Locate your heart rate
Draw a heart shape in the area where you feel the heartbeat - this was probably just indicated by your doctor during your visit. If that's not the case, use a stethoscope or fetoscope if you have one, or ask a family member or close person to place their ear on your belly and tell you where the heartbeat is strongest.
Step 4. Look for the lower back of the fetus
Gently feel the belly looking for the lower back - which should be round and hard, although softer than the head, then mark it on the belly.
Step 5. Mark any other points you perceive
A long, flat area could be the baby's back while lumpy spots could be the knees or elbows. Think about where you felt the kick and mark any references on your belly.
Step 6. Place the doll in different positions
Start handling it by placing it in different positions depending on where the baby's head and heart are: it can help you better visualize its position.
Step 7. Be creative if you wish
Draw or paint the fetus as if it were an art project or take some fun pictures - it can make for a beautiful memory.
Advice
- It can be difficult to perceive the different parts of the baby's body if you are particularly muscular or have a lot of fat in the abdominal area. In addition, the position of the placenta can affect what you feel: if it is in the front part of the belly (anterior placenta), you may not feel much movement or kicks.
- It may be easier to use do-it-yourself methods after the thirtieth week: before this period an ultrasound is certainly the best method.
- The fetus is usually more active after you have eaten a meal - this is the best time to pay attention to any movements and kicks.
Warnings
- Talk to your doctor or midwife if delivery is near, but the baby is in the breech or transverse (horizontal) position - in this case a cesarean delivery may be required if it is not possible to move the fetus to a most appropriate position.
- If you are touching your belly to understand the position of the fetus and you feel a Braxton-Hicks contraction, stop for a moment and wait for it to pass. It is neither dangerous for you nor for the baby, but you will not be able to understand its position until it is over.
- It is a good idea to start monitoring the movements of the fetus from the 28th week of pregnancy. You should be able to feel about 10 kicks or other movements over the course of a couple of hours - don't be afraid if you don't feel any, just wait a few hours and try again. If on the second listening you still can't feel any movement, contact your gynecologist.
