when can you feel where baby is lying?

[tenar]

I am 27 weeks 2 days today. At the last scan baby was growing well for her dates.

I'm wondering when, if ever, I should be able to feel in what position the baby is lying.

To be honest, I'm rather overweight. So there's a lot of, um, padding between baby and the outside world. And when I feel my ever-expanding uterus all I can feel is the firmness of it, kind of like a firm bag of water, but no suggestion of a head here or a foot there.

I have assumed that when she's kicking down low her head is up and when she's kicking near my ribs her head is down low. But beyond that I can't tell a thing.

Should I be able to feel this? I'm starting to wonder whether I'm missing something, when people say they can feel the way their baby is lying.

[angelaartsstudent]

Can't help I'm sorry but thought I'd hijack and say that I am so grateful that there is someone else here that has..umm..."padding" and feels the baby move differently to the slimmer majority. Don't get me started on plus size maternity clothes! :-)

Hijack over.

I am much earlier in my preg than you but totally know what you mean about being able to feel a firmness to my uterus...but my baby belly doesn't show because of my fat layer!

[Indadhanu]

I never could until about 32-34 weeks, when there was very little room left and I knew exactly where she was. Generally by the kicks and movements though, but in the last few weeks i could see her feet and bum when she moved about (got it on video! LOL!).

[OceanPrincess]

:yeahthat:

I can feel it now... where bum is versus feet. But I'm 36 weeks. And it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I felt confident enough.

Don't stress

ETA - I have an anterior placenta, meaning it is attached on the front of my uterus, so my being able to feel kicks and movements was restricted somewhat by the placenta. But eventually they get so big and so squished that you can feel everything and tell where they are.

[tenar]

My placenta is at the front, too. Maybe that's part of why I'm having trouble feeling anything clear.

Guess I'll just wait.

Angela, I'm totally with you about the dearth of decent plus sized maternity clothing. It seems to me that there are clothes for pregnant women up to about size 14, and clothes for larger women who aren't pregnant, but nothing that is both.

Depressing, isn't it. And it isn't even like there aren't plenty of us out there...

[lau]

Hi

My placenta is at the front, but i knew about the time she went from lying accross, to lying up/down, as she stopped kicking into my sides to much, and ended up on my bladder! lol A week after i noticed this I had a midwife check up (at 26 weeks) and she was able to tell exactly where her back was lying (which side of me, and that it was up/down) although couldnt tell whether she was head up or down).