Finding Your Own Heartbeat
/We know you didn’t download HMB to listen to your own heartbeat but doing so is the best way to ensure everything is working and gets you familiar with the app.
HMB works in a similar way to a stethoscope, amplifying the sounds from within your body. It must be positioned close to the sound you actually want to hear though because your body is a very noisy place.
it can take a little bit of patience to start with but, once you understand what to do, will become easy.
Let’s get started…
Checklist
Firstly, make sure you are ready to listen:
Remove your phone case.
Put iOS into airplane mode.
If you have them plug in Bluetooth Headsets or Apple Airpods for the very best results.
Go to a quiet room without background noise.
Adjust your volume to 30-50% if not using Airpods or Bluetooth Headsets.
If you are using Airpods or Bluetooth Headsets please turn the volume higher to comfortable level.
Finding your heart
Your heart is located inside your ribcage, underneath your left breast and, just like a doctor with a stethoscope, we must position the phone as close to your heart as possible. There are 3 locations that work well and we suggest trying them in order:
Location 1: Above your left breast
⚠️ Important
To hear inside your body your microphone must make good contact with your skin. Press the bottom end of your phone firmly into your flesh at the correct location. It helps to know exactly where your microphone is. Read more.
Position your phone above your left breast as shown in the image, holding the phone with your right arm. Press firmly but relax and be still. Wait for the movement-noise to disappear and listen for the rhythmic sound of your heart.
Avoid the fleshy areas of your breast but avoid direct contact with your collar bone and ribs too. If you don’t hear your heart after 5-10 seconds, move just an inch or two to a new location and repeat.
Here’s an example of how it should sound:
★ TIPS:
Once in position, hold the phone completely still to avoid movement-noise.
Pause your breathing to reduce noise from your lungs and bronchia.
Relax your muscles - especially in your left arm - to reduce noise from muscular contractions.
Try a few different phone positions around the same area.
No luck? No problem! Just move on to the next location.
Location 2: Between your breasts
⚠️ Important
To hear inside your body your microphone must make good contact with your skin. Press the bottom end of your phone firmly into your flesh at the correct location. It helps to know exactly where your microphone is. Read more.
If the primary location above your left breast hasn’t worked for you, the next place to try is in between your breasts.
The important thing in this location is to avoid your sternum - the bone on the centreline of your chest that connects all your ribs together. Position your phone to the left of this, on the edge of your left breast as shown in the image. Don’t go too far to the left though. You want to some soft flesh to press into but not too much, otherwise the sounds will not conduct well from inside you.
As always, hold the phone with your right arm and press firmly, but relax and be still. Wait for the movement-noise to disappear and listen for the rhythmic sound of your heart. If you don’t hear it after 5-10 seconds, move just an inch or two to a new location and repeat.
Again, here’s an example of how it should sound:
★ TIPS:
Once in position, hold the phone completely still to avoid movement-noise.
Pause your breathing to reduce noise from your lungs and bronchia.
Relax your muscles - especially in your left arm - to reduce noise from muscular contractions.
Try a few different phone positions around the same area.
No luck? No problem! Just move on to the next location or try location 1 again.
Location 3: Below your left breast
⚠️ Important
To hear inside your body your microphone must make good contact with your skin. Press the bottom end of your phone firmly into your flesh at the correct location. It helps to know exactly where your microphone is. Read more.
If neither the primary or secondary locations have worked for you, you can try this one. It can be bit more fiddly for some mothers but, if done correctly, gets the microphone just as close to your heart to provide a clear sound.
As shown in the image above, press your microphone into your skin just below your left breast. Hold the phone with your right arm, press firmly, relax and be still. Wait for the movement-noise to disappear and listen for the rhythmic sound of your heart.
You may find this location tricky if you have large breasts and may need some assistance. Try not to use your left arm if possible as this will introduce unwanted noise from muscle contractions.
As always, if you don’t hear your heart after 5-10 seconds, move just an inch or two to a new location and repeat.
Here’s an example of how it should sound:
★ TIPS:
Once in position, hold the phone completely still to avoid movement-noise.
Pause your breathing to reduce noise from your lungs and bronchia.
Relax your muscles - especially in your left arm - to reduce noise from muscular contractions.
Try a few different phone positions around the same area.
No luck? No problem! See below for more help.
Still not able to find your heartbeat?
If that rhythmic sound of your heart pumping still eludes you don’t worry!
★ Hearing lots of noise but no heartbeat?
Are you sure you know where your microphone is? Knowing exactly which of those holes on the bottom of your phone are your microphone really helps.
Get comfortable so you can be still. When the microphone rubs on anything it creates sound that may drown out your heartbeat.
Really concentrate on relaxing your muscles. You know that noise you hear when you yawn? That’s the sound of muscle contractions in your jaw and throat. If you have tension in your upper-body muscles, this is what HMB will be hearing.
Try on someone else. Try on your partner or children instead as this can be easier. It can be fun for kids to hear their own heartbeat anyway.
Double check that you’ve completed everything on the checklist and haven’t forgotten something. It’s easily done.
Contact our friendly support team via Facebook messenger, email or contact form. We’re always glad to help!
★ Hearing no noise at all?
Check your phone isn’t on mute and your volume is not all the way down.
Make sure HMB has access to your microphone. It asked for access when you first ran the app but it can be easy to miss.
Contact our friendly support team via Facebook messenger, email or contact form. We’re always glad to help!
❤️ ❤️ ❤️
CONTACT OUR SUPPORT TEAM
Please do contact us if you still have problems. We want to help you get an amazing result and have a wonderful experience using our app. We promise it does work as you can see by examples on our instagram and facebook pages.
