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Baby's position?

post #1 of 33
Thread Starter 

Has your caregiver told you how your baby is positioned by feeling your belly? 

 

My midwife seems pretty opposed to offering any guesses until 36 weeks, at which point I am assuming she'll do an internal and feel for a head.  This is a new midwife this time for me and I'm disappointed by this (she's kind of quick in general imo) and not as "midwifey" as I wish she were.  (This will be a hospital birth, hopefully in water, due to some complicated medical history). 

 

If she gives me the same response next appointment, I am going to ask if she can recommend someone who can work with me on positioning as my dd was born posterior and I'd like some help figuring out what's going on in there.  I've been on spinning babies and am doing lots of hands and knees and following the other recs, but I guess I'm just a little disappointed in my midwife and was curious what experiences you all had.

 

 

post #2 of 33

YESS she did! I told her I thought the baby was diagonal but I didn't know which end was which. She felt around and showed me where the head was, then when I went home later I was able to feel the whole body.

post #3 of 33

My midwife always tells me how the baby is poitioned, or how she *thinks* baby is positioned if she's not very confident. All three were right on (but not confident) when #3 was frank breech at 36 weeks, unfortunately. I was very obvious when he turned- to all of us. Oh, and this is with no internal exam or u/s at all.

 

Last month baby was vertex. Last week the little stinker was frank breech. I really don't want to go through that stress again so I'm not worrying about it till 35 weeks this time. (In FL midwives are required to transfer a known breech to a Dr at 37 weeks, and you can transfer back if they turn.)

post #4 of 33

I'll be 30 weeks on Friday and my midwives haven't tried yet. I have an appointment next week, maybe they'll do it then... I've been feeling kicks up high a lot more, so I'm not too worried.

post #5 of 33

My baby just turned - in the wrong direction! She was heads down since 23 weeks, and yesterday she was breech ... aaargh. Both of the others never turned back once they were head-down. I am a bit worried now. 

The kicking is really uncomfortable, totally into my already hurting bladder...

post #6 of 33
All I know is that he's almost always on the right. The places where I'm feeling kicks and pushes are all over so I have no idea what's going on in there. I see my midwife again next week so I might ask her if she can figure out what he's doing. Some days I swear he's diagonal in there.
post #7 of 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caitlin0919 View Post

All I know is that he's almost always on the right. The places where I'm feeling kicks and pushes are all over so I have no idea what's going on in there. I see my midwife again next week so I might ask her if she can figure out what he's doing. Some days I swear he's diagonal in there.


My boy is always on the right too.  I think my colon went to the left because when he does go over there I immediately feel like I need to go to the bathroom.  :)  I know the placenta is on the right, so maybe that's why.  

 

The other night my stomach was growling and the sound was coming from right under my rib cage.  So weird to have my stomach up so high.....

 

post #8 of 33

I don't know yet, but it feels like I am carrying my son way lower than I did, with eldest son!

 

post #9 of 33

I can feel the placenta on the right as well.  I have a sore spot and asked the doc about it last time and he confirmed it.  I don't remember the placenta attachment being sore before, but it tends to be that way for this round.  I had an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago and everything looked just fine, so chalk it up to weird-pregnancy-things-that-hurt.  

 

I am 27 weeks, so still a lot of time before sweating position too much.  This is my 4th and my belly is riding a lot lower.  I am kind of hoping the baby holds off before going head down, since that is when my pelvic pain really kicks in.  Once my baby gets in position for birth, I know that I will be super sore and uncomfortable till delivery.  Nothing like having a head notched in your pelvis!

 

But right now, I can feel most of the baby's heft on the right and the kicks are to the left and down.  So, I think he is still upright and bearing to the right.  The doc I see doesn't seem to care much at this stage.  I had a midwife with my last and she didn't feel around till I was much, much further along -- I would guess 36 or even 38 weeks.  

post #10 of 33

At my 29 week appt I asked and she said she thought baby was head down, which is how she's been at both ultrasounds as well. I'm fairly sure she's still turning every which way though- a couple days ago I swear she was vertex. My placenta is on the left as well-- and I've noticed she stays mostly with her back on my right (so I feel kicks and jabs on the left hand side), but she does move back to the left sometimes too. 

 

I'll be 32 weeks next appt so I want to ask again. DH keeps asking why I'm worried, and I explain I'm not worried, it's just hard not to be curious when you can feel it so much, but aren't sure -what- it is you're feeling. After 35 weeks I'll start worrying if she's still flipping, but I think she's starting to run out of room quickly, as I'm feeling it a --lot-- more when she moves position. 

post #11 of 33

been head down for over a month (at 28 weeks now) but she's kinda trying to get sunnyside up, so I'll be trying to convince her to stop that in a few weeks.

post #12 of 33

My babe has been across the lower part of my abdomen for a long time, judging by the movement on the lower left and right sides. My MW guessed babe's bottom was on the right and head was on the left.  In the past couple of days I've felt my first kicks above my belly button.  Also some pretty awful heartburn.greensad.gif  I'm thinking the babe is on the move... I'll find out more specifically at my next appointment in a week.

post #13 of 33
I can't tell what direction baby is pointed, head up or head down. I feel movement up at the top of my uterus, at the bottom, and some on the sides too. Last night I felt movement at the top and bottom AT THE SAME TIME!! Hands and feet simultaniously maybe? Little stinker, confusing his mama like that. I hope my midwife can make heads or tails (heh) of it at our next visit.
post #14 of 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by futuremamaheather View Post

I can't tell what direction baby is pointed, head up or head down. I feel movement up at the top of my uterus, at the bottom, and some on the sides too. Last night I felt movement at the top and bottom AT THE SAME TIME!! Hands and feet simultaniously maybe? Little stinker, confusing his mama like that. I hope my midwife can make heads or tails (heh) of it at our next visit.

My baby is laying diagonal, and I feel her move her hands and feet at the same time. I really wonder sometimes what's going on in there! LOL!
post #15 of 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by carseatqueen View Post

My midwife always tells me how the baby is poitioned, or how she *thinks* baby is positioned if she's not very confident. All three were right on (but not confident) when #3 was frank breech at 36 weeks, unfortunately. I was very obvious when he turned- to all of us. Oh, and this is with no internal exam or u/s at all.

 

Last month baby was vertex. Last week the little stinker was frank breech. I really don't want to go through that stress again so I'm not worrying about it till 35 weeks this time. (In FL midwives are required to transfer a known breech to a Dr at 37 weeks, and you can transfer back if they turn.)



When you say it was obvious when he turned - do you mean that you felt him turn or that it was obvious when you felt your belly? 

 

Both my babies were frank breech on my ultrasound on Monday (at almost 31wks) and since then I've been doing spinning babies, cool/hot compresses, chiro etc to get them to turn and I don't think they have yet.  Those of you that have had success flipping breech babies - did you feel them flip during an activity (ie while doing an inversion? or at the chiro? or while getting moxibuxion?) or was it more subtle then that?

post #16 of 33

I've never dealt with breech, but I can feel this one flipping sometimes very obviously. I'm pretty skinny, really all belly, but I can watch my belly and see the limbs and bumps from bum/head moving from one end to the other. The whole belly looks distorted for several seconds, and I swear I can feel her inside using her limbs to push etc to turn herself. She does it most if I'm poking at her, or if DH is talking to or has his hand on her. 

 

I don't think I would be as confident about position (ie which is head lump and which is bum lump) if I couldn't feel the hiccups so often. All her hiccups are down very low. 

post #17 of 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by dsb76 View Post

When you say it was obvious when he turned - do you mean that you felt him turn or that it was obvious when you felt your belly? 

 

Both my babies were frank breech on my ultrasound on Monday (at almost 31wks) and since then I've been doing spinning babies, cool/hot compresses, chiro etc to get them to turn and I don't think they have yet.  Those of you that have had success flipping breech babies - did you feel them flip during an activity (ie while doing an inversion? or at the chiro? or while getting moxibuxion?) or was it more subtle then that?



Well, I'm not sure if it would harder with twins, but I could feel it for sure. He was over 36 weeks when he was confirmed breech (and had been for at least a month). I tried everything on spinning babies from about 35 weeks on. I could eat chocolate ice cream, do all the "tricks" and the stinker wouldn't even wiggle! Anyway, about 24 hours after my first chiro appt I was sitting in the car and he started to move. My DH was driving and could barely watch the road. He flipped all the way right then. I was sore- like lightly bruised feeling- for the rest of the day and could feel the difference since I had gotten really used to what breech felt like. (MW confirmed next day) Then, I felt him turn back breech a few days later- I was sore again and totally different shaped. I went to the chiro again, felt him move vertex within hours, then went to the mw the next day and he was vertex again. I didn't tell her he had done a full turn between appts because I didn't want her to have to document that and risk getting in trouble if he ended up being born breech- although in the end he was born vertex and so fast (at 38+5) that it wouldn't have mattered anyway because there wouldn't have been time to transfer me.

 

So, really, while I'd prefer vertex for obvious reasons I'm okay with a frank breech homebirth. He just needs to be head down at my appts and if he's breech when he's born he needs to come fast. LOL. My mw is experienced, it's just dumb laws. There are situations where I wouldn't recommend breech at home, but being #4 for me with 3 fast, uncomplicated deliveries and the fact that frank breech is the safest I feel very comfortable with it myself and would never have a c/s for just breech alone. I did a lot of research last time. I did finally get to the Chiro last week. We're not trying to get him to turn yet, but my hip pain is reduced by about 95% and we're ready to try to persuade him to move closer to 35 weeks if he stays breech.

 

Oh, and BTW, I'm small 5'1" and under 120 when I'm not pregnant. He still turned at 37 weeks. Granted, he was my smallest at 6 lb 8 oz (my others were 7/1 and 7/11) but it's possible!

 

post #18 of 33

My midwife has also been telling me the position since early on. I have never gotten the impression that it was meant for anything other than me, and my DH's amusement/bonding with the babe. I saw her this week at 30w5d and the baby was distinctly breech, she explicitly told me not to go home and worry about it, as there was still plenty of time for her to spin. (I had also stated that I feel her turning up and down all the time over the past few days.) It is my understanding that a "Breech" position isn't meant to be diagnosed as an issue until 36wks. Prior to that most are head down by 32wks, but the more room they have to move around, the more likely they are to keep doing so. I feel it as a whooshing twirly movement when she flips, and can also tell her head is much firmer than her bum, and very annoying in my rib cage. However when she is head down, my bladder constantly feels pressure vs. little feet intermittently kicking it.

post #19 of 33

Mine hasn't told me yet...I'm 30 weeks. I *think* baby is laying cross wise - just because I feel movement everywhere and baby feels really low, but, not engaged. I was chatting with someone at work and mentioned I was a little concerned and she said her daughter was in the same position right up though 13 hours of labor, then just as they were pushing her down the hall for a c section baby flipped and within seconds her head was crowning lol...gave me some hope anyway!

 

I remember my mom's homebirth midwife drawing pictures of the babies on her belly when she was pregnant...we (me and my siblings) all thought it was pretty cool to see the position of the unborn babies...

post #20 of 33

This morning baby kinda pushed her butt out and I was able to gently feel my abdomin and I could feel her butt to my right side and back down just above my pelvis and I felt her head towards my left side (1/2 way between my left side and the center of my belly)..just exactly what I thought! Now I just need her to TURN TURN TURN LOL

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