When you’re pregnant, you tend to pay attention to every little detail of your body. What’s even more fascinating is that your baby-to-be is growing inside of you. It’s hard not to think about the tiny being that’s developing into a newborn and how it feels almost like magic! No matter how much time you spend thinking about your baby, there are still some things about being pregnant that might feel kind of strange at first. This article will focus on one of those things: can you feel your baby’s heartbeat with your hand? Keep reading to learn more!
Can You Feel Baby’s Heartbeat With Your Hand?
If you want to feel your baby’s heartbeat, you can place a hand on your belly. You can also buy a Doppler machine which will give you a more accurate reading of the heartbeat. You may even be able to hear the heartbeat with your stethoscope or simply listen to it with the help of some earphones.
How To Feel Your Baby’s Heartbeat With Your Hands?
1. Lie on your left side with a pillow under your left hip.
2. Place your right hand on top of your uterus, and place the other hand on top of the first hand.
3. Use your middle finger to feel for the baby’s heartbeat by placing it in the middle of your abdomen, between the belly button and pubic bone (see diagram).
4. You may feel or hear two fluttering sounds at this location, which are actually your own heartbeat and pulse being transmitted through the amniotic fluid to your hands. The baby’s heartbeat will sound more like a thump-thump sound than a fluttery sound like yours does.
5. If you don’t feel anything, move up 2-3 inches until you find a softer area to press against – this will be where the baby’s head is resting in your uterus (see below). This area should be less painful than pressing against harder areas like directly above or below it, or along the sides of it.
6. Press firmly for about 10 seconds and then relax for about 10 seconds before repeating this process again several times over a period of several minutes each time you try to listen for fetal heartbeats with both hands in different places along the same line from the belly button to the pubic bone (see diagram). Some women have been able to hear their babies’ heartbeats as soon as 13 weeks into pregnancy; others have not been able to hear them until 20 weeks.
7. It is normal for a woman to not be able to feel her baby’s heartbeat in her first trimester of pregnancy. Many women can’t feel it until they are close to 20 weeks pregnant, or even later – especially if they have had children before.
8. If you feel the baby’s heartbeat with one hand, but not with the other hand, try repeating this process with both hands in different places along the same line from the belly button to the pubic bone (see diagram).
9. If you still can’t feel the baby’s heartbeat, it may be that you are too far away from your baby – try moving closer to your baby’s head by changing the position of your body.
10. If you are more than 20 weeks pregnant, it is possible that you may not be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat over your own heartbeat and pulse – but if this is the first time you have tried to listen for a fetal heartbeat, it is always worth trying several times over a period of several minutes each time you try to listen for fetal heartbeats with both hands in different places along the same line from belly button to the pubic bone (see diagram).
When Can You Hear Your Baby’s Heartbeat?
- Your baby’s heart is already beating at around 3 weeks.
- Around 6 weeks, you can hear your baby’s heartbeat with a Doppler device.
- At 7 to 8 weeks, you can feel your baby’s heartbeat with your hand.
- Around 10 weeks, you can hear your baby’s heartbeat with a Doppler device or stethoscope (if you can find it!).
- At 12 weeks, you can see your baby’s heartbeat on ultrasound.
- At 14 to 18 weeks, you can hear your baby’s heartbeat with a Doppler device or stethoscope.
- At 18 to 20 weeks, your doctor should be able to find the heartbeat during an exam.
- After 20 weeks and up to 24 weeks, you will be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat with a Doppler device but only if you are having an ultrasound done of the abdomen and not the heart area.
- After 24 weeks and up to 28 weeks, you will be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat with a Doppler device but only if you are having an ultrasound done of the heart area (not the abdomen).
- After 28 weeks, you will be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat with a Doppler device or stethoscope.
- Your doctor will be able to find the heartbeat during an exam after 28 weeks but before 32 weeks.
- After 32 weeks, you can hear your baby’s heartbeat with a Doppler device or stethoscope.
- Your doctor will be able to find the heartbeat during an exam after 32 weeks but before 36 weeks.
Conclusion
While your baby is growing and developing inside of you, there are so many fascinating things that happen. One of those things is that your baby’s heartbeat can be felt in your abdomen and even heard with a special stethoscope. When you’re pregnant, you’ll definitely want to know how your baby’s doing inside of you. Knowing what your baby’s heartbeat sounds like will help you feel connected to your little one and ease any worries that you may have.
