Chapter 8: Prenatal checkups
Find the baby’s position by listening to the heartbeat
Is the heartbeat loudest above or below the mother’s bellybutton?
If you hear the heartbeat loudest
below the mother’s bellybutton, the
baby is probably head down.
If you hear the heartbeat loudest
above the mother’s bellybutton, the
baby may be breech.
mother’s
bellybutton
baby’s
heartbeat is
loudest here
baby’s
heartbeat is
loudest here
mother’s
bellybutton
head down
breech
Sometimes when the baby is facing the mother’s front,
the heartbeat is harder to find because the baby’s arms
and legs get in the way. Listen near the mother’s sides,
or directly in the middle of her belly to hear the heart.
If you can, keep a record of where you heard the baby’s
heartbeat by making a simple drawing.
mother’s
bellybutton
baby’s
heartbeat
In this picture, the dot in the
middle is the mother’s bellybutton,
and the X shows where the
heartbeat was found.
In this record, for example, the baby did
not turn head down until 7 months. Even
then the baby moved from side to side, so
the X moves from the left side to the right
side of the mother’s belly and then back
again. This kind of movement is normal.
a record of baby’s position
140
A Book for Midwives (2010)