In which month can a pregnant individual hear the baby's heartbeat using a stethoscope?

Around the fifth month of pregnancy, typically between 18 to 20 weeks gestation, a pregnant individual can often hear the baby's heartbeat using a stethoscope. By this time, the fetus has developed enough, and the heartbeat is strong enough to be detected.

Prior to this period, while the fetal heartbeat can be detected earlier using specialized instruments like a Doppler ultrasound, a standard stethoscope may not pick it up as the sound is not loud enough. In the fourth month, the fetus is still relatively small, and the position may not allow for clear detection of the heartbeat. As the pregnancy progresses into the sixth and seventh months, while the heartbeat can still be heard, it is generally accepted that the fifth month is when many parents can first experience this event clearly through a stethoscope. This timing correlates with the development of the fetus and the anatomical changes that occur in the mother's body during pregnancy.