How can they tell baby's position besides ultrasound?

war_eagle · June 2009

Is it more obvious to the doctor once you are further along? ?My doctor has never commented on the baby's position and I've only known for sure when I've had an ultrasound (but I know the baby can still flip around since then).

MrsGibson07 · June 2009

My doctor told me at 28 weeks she was in position. He has maintained that at each of my appointments. He always tells me where her head is and where her bottom is. I trust him simply because he has been doing this for YEARS! lol... I have an ultrasound Thursday so we will see if he has been right or not!

amber_tynan · June 2009

In my last couple visits my midwife felt around outside my pelvis (which is really quite painful- they push and prod pretty hard) to see where he was. He's been head down for about a month. She can also tell where his back, legs, etc are. And she had me feel his little foot too!

carly007 · June 2009

When I went to the dr. last week, he pushed (pretty hard) on the lower part of my abdomen and said, "Yep - she's head down" so I think they can tell just by feeling.

MrsGibson07 · June 2009

I forgot to mention that my dr. pushes all around my belly (which is kind of painful) and thats how he knows.

ashleighathomson · June 2009

My OB says she won't check his position until 36 weeks. I'm sure these ladies are right; they can just tell by prodding.

rosesandpeonies · June 2009

at my appointment last week when my dr. was measuring me she felt the head at the bottom of my rib cage because she was pressing down to figure out my fundal height and where to measure. She just said, oh there is her head she is definitely breech right now

ridesbuttons · June 2009

Bella&Jac08:
Once the doc starts doing internals, they specifically feel for head or butt in there. My doc said, "oh, I can feel the baby's head and its skull sutures.... oh, and there's its ear" when she did my internal exam. She didn't even check before 36 weeks, since they can move around so much before then.

That must have been one hell of an internal!

Usually a doctor or midwife can tell the position by feeling the outside of the abdomen.

MA&CB · June 2009

My MW could feel the head, but she said they can also get an idea of how the baby is positioned from where they hear the heartbeat and how the heartbeat sounds in different areas like a 'clicky' valve sound or a 'whoosh' sound - one you would get at the baby's shoulder blades and one you would hear at the front.