When Does the Position of the Baby Become a Concern?

[JessimaTheisen]

I am 27 weeks pregnant and my son seems to be transverse. Does this mean anything so early on? Or is it normal for a baby to be in any position at this point in pregnancy? I am wondering at what point it becomes likely that the baby is in its final position. I am guessing that there is still more than enough time for him to turn, but I want to know when that time would be running short. 32 weeks? 36 weeks? Thanks!

[Devaskyla]

I'd would think about doing things to convince the baby to turn starting now, but wouldn't really stress about it until about 32 weeks. Your best time to get them into a good position is between 32-36 weeks. They can still move after 36, it's just easier before that point. Most babies spend time switching position at lot before 32 weeks (& some keep switching a lot even after that) and a lot of them like to hang out transverse for awhile, especially early on when there's still a lot of room.

[zoebird]

hmm, i don't know.

for me, DS was rather transverse and posterior and moving all around all the time at that stage, and really, until the very end. He ended up being posterior.

I think that, for me, i would work on getting him into a good position (using exercises on spinning babies), but I also knew that he could flip into position during labor. If i felt like he hadn't flipped, and I'd been in labor long enough that he "should ahve" by my estimation and intuition, then I would have sought help. Otherwise, you know, I would have let it ride out once he switched, and birthed him thus. 

Don't know if that helps, though. 

[sara-on-the-lake]

I think you still have a good amount of time before you have to be concerned about this.  I was just on the phone last week with a midwife I used for my 5th child.  She's really wonderful and supportive of my UCs.  She has agreed to see me at about 35 weeks, which according to her is a good time to access baby's position and if baby is found to be breech, also allows enough time to encourage baby to turn.  I'm so not good at palpating my uterus and determining WTH I'm feeling where, so I'm availing myself of her experience and expertise.

[ursusarctos]

The baby still has plenty of time to flip at 27 weeks. PPs are right that it's by about 36 weeks that it might become more of a concern (though a lady in my DDC had her baby flip from transverse to vertex the day of her scheduled c/s - you just never know). Afm this pregnancy, my baby flipped breech right before my 32 week appt, but was back to vertex again within a few days. She's been vertex since then, but earlier in the pregnancy she flipped around a lot.

[nisojon]

My 2nd was head up until 33 weeks and flipped while I was on vacation. So there you have it - take a vacation :) Actually, I had spent a whole lot of time with my rear-end up in the air prior to that, trying to encourage him to flip. Who knows if it helped.

[Rejoicing]

My son was transverse all the way through labor and was born breech.  He was my 3rd and smaller than my first 2, so I guess he just had more room in my pooch! LOL!   I had a visit with a really good mw (very knowledgeable, very experienced, very believing in birth if you know what I mean) who surprised me by saying even if a hand/arm would pop out first in delivery, she'd probably be able to maneuver the baby back into a better position.  She gave me the impression that position really wasn't too big a deal at all.  She DID try to turn him twice, but he was not going to budge! LOL!