Baby Head Down at 32 Weeks Will It Stay
When a baby is positioned bottom-down late in pregnancy, this is called the breech position. This page explains how and why this occurs. Breech births can sometimes be more complicated for both mother and baby, and therefore planning for the birth requires discussion with your doctor or midwife.
How will I know whether my baby is in the breech position or not?
Most babies settle into a head-down position, ready for birth, by about the last month of pregnancy. Health professionals call this a 'vertex' or 'cephalic' position.
It is fairly common for a baby to be in a breech position before 35 to 36 weeks gestation, but most gradually turn to the head-down position before the last month.
Your doctor or midwife will feel your abdomen when you have your pregnancy check-ups in second and third trimesters – this is called an 'abdominal palpation'. When they feel your abdomen at 35 to 36 weeks, they will assess whether the baby has settled into a head-down position in preparation for birth. If they suspect your baby might be in a breech position, they can confirm this with an ultrasound scan.
There are 3 main types of breech position. All of them involve the baby being in a bottom-down, head up, position. The variations of breech include:
- frank breech – the baby's legs are straight up in front of its body in a V shape, so its feet are up near its face
- complete or flexed breech – the baby is in a sitting position with its legs crossed in front of its body and its feet near its bottom
- footling breech – one or both of the baby's feet are hanging below its bottom, so the foot or feet are coming first
What does it mean for my baby?
While your baby is still in the womb, it is just as safe for them to be in a breech position as it is for them to be head-down. There are no long-term effects on children who were in a breech position during pregnancy. The birth process, however, is often more challenging when babies are still breech at the start of labour.
Why do some babies remain in a breech position?
Often it is unclear why a baby remains in a breech position. Some of the common reasons include:
- too much or too little amniotic fluid around the baby
- the length of the umbilical cord
- multiple pregnancy – for example, often one twin will be in a head-down position and the other in a breech position
- uterine fibroids
- an irregular size or shape of the mother's uterus
Can my baby still turn after 36 weeks?
Some breech babies turn themselves naturally in the last month of pregnancy. If this is your first baby and they are breech at 36 weeks, the chance of the baby turning itself naturally before you go into labour is about 1 in 8. If you've already had a baby and this one is breech at 36 weeks, the chance of them turning naturally is about 1 in 3.
If your baby is in a breech position at 36 weeks, your doctor or midwife might suggest you think about an ECV, or external cephalic version, after 37 weeks. This will increase your chances of your baby turning to a head-down position.
Some people think that you might be able to encourage your baby to turn by holding yourself in certain positions, such as kneeling with your bottom in the air and your head and shoulders flat to the ground. Other options you might hear include acupuncture, a Chinese herb called moxibustion and chiropractic treatment. There is no good evidence that these work.
Talk to your doctor or midwife before trying any techniques to be sure they do not harm you or your baby.
What are my options?
The safest way to have a baby, for both mother and child, is a head-first vaginal birth.
But if you don't want to try ECV, or if you try it but it doesn't work, then the options are a caesarean section or a vaginal birth.
Women are often encouraged to have a caesarean birth if their baby is breech. But a breech vaginal birth might be possible, depending on your individual circumstances, the type of breech position your baby is in, and the skills of the doctors and midwives available to you. If your local service can't offer these services, you can ask to be referred to another health service that can provide these options for you.
Baby Head Down at 32 Weeks Will It Stay
Source: https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/breech-pregnancy
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