3 and 1/2 weeks still anxious

Question
Hi, it's Ryan again. I've asked a question about my yorkie before. She's the one who was held down to mate with another yorkie by my breeder. Anyways, it's now been 3 and a half weeks since she last mated. She has an appointment to get her ultrasound done on thursday the 17th to see if she did get pregnant. My question is I was wondering if you can help me out about palpating for puppies, step by step instructions or a how to process maybe? what should I be looking for? where should I place my hand? etc. I guess I'm just a little anxious and another thing is I plan on getting her xrays done in a few weeks. I just want to see if there's a way to tell by myself by way of palpating. The reason I wanted to get her ultrasound done is to see if she did get pregnant, and I'm very anxious to find out. If there's a way I can feel for the puppies maybe I can skip the ultrasound (which saves me $240) and just go for the xrays in a few weeks. I could certainly use that money to save for anything else that might go wrong with her pregnancy, like c-section or emergency vet care. Thank you in advance!

Answer
Hi again Ryan! My best advice is to skip the ultrasound, and wait for the x-rays. As for being able to feel the pups, they may be too small to feel right now, so don't get discouraged if you can't feel anything. It's sometimes hard for an experienced breeder to feel. Ok, stand your dog up. Place both hands on her sides, starting at the ribs. Then, slowly run your hands down her sides, pressing in slightly. You should feel small lumps. You can also lay her on her side, and place one hand under her. Put your other hand on her side, starting at the ribs again. And then slowly run your hands down, again pressing slightly. One good tip on how to tell if a dog is pregnant: her vulva will stay slightly swollen after her heat cycle is over. It's not 100%, but it works with most dogs. She is still pretty early yet. Trust me, over the next few weeks you'll spend most of your time convincing yourself that she is pregnant, the next day you'll think she isn't. You just have to have patience!:-) I know, it's hard to do, but the weeks will fly by.