For all of you with babies head down

[NiksMom]

So...what does a baby feel like when they are head down? How can you tell? Please tell me all the details - i.e. where the most movement is, most pressure, etc.

[twouglyducks]

Hmmm... Well, normally, somewhere up top is a bigger lump that doesn't move when I push on it... that's a bum. I feel kicks to one side or the other, or straight out front and then feel hand jabs down low near my hips... sometimes even right near my cervix. Not tons of pressure yet it seems... she's a floater.

[Sarasein]

What I remember from Alexis was all the kicking in my ribs and her settling near my blatter. I had to pee all the time. Sam is breach, so she is not so low. With her I feel bigger movement and a hard lump (her head) that moves right under my ribs.

[NightOwl]

Basically the same as what twouglyducks said. He has his body on my right side. You can look at my belly and tell because it sticks out slightly more. And it's firmer on that side. Every once in a while he rolls over, but he never stays on my left for more than a few minutes. I feel punches and hiccups low. Not many kicks...he likes to jam his feet up under my ribs.

[westernskies]

My little guy or gal is head down- I can't feel the head at all- but the baby is turned towards my right side. You can actually see the thigh move at the top of my belly when it kicks or wiggles around.

[PatsGrace]

*thank God my baby finally put it's head back down!*
Basically it feels the same as what everybody else was saying. It used to freak me out when I felt jabs deep in my pelvis, or near my cervix, because I thought they could be feet, but then I saw ultrasound pics of someone's baby sucking it's thumb and that made more sense. And this baby's feet are almost always at the top of my right side, it's tushie at the top of my left, and my whole left side feels kind of "full" compared with the right side, that's where the back and shoulders curve. So far as a head, It is nowhere to be found, so it's gotta be tucked way down in there.

--Grace

[~Nikki~]

Does anyone know what side the baby is "supposed" to be facing? I totally forget. My baby is facing the left side, as I can feel the bum on the right. This baby is always on the move, but seems to stay in that same position. I feel tonnes of kicks up near my ribs, and lots of movement below my belly button on the left side, which I'm assuming is an arm. I have lots of pressure in my pelvis, almost like a melon or a bowling ball is resting there (makes sense). And every once in awhile I'll feel a sharp pain in my cervix, which I assume is the baby trying to claw her way out. :LOL

[twouglyducks]

Ideally, you want your baby to have his/her back out front, slightly to the left. Something about the way they enter the pelvis and the direction of the spiral in which a uterus contracts, if they're facing your left they have to turn all the way around to face right/back to come out in the optimum position. So, many left facing babies end up being posterior. This little one seems to favor facing left, so I've been doing hands and knees pelvic rocks, trying to crawl, sit up straight with pelvis tucked, leaning forward, sleeping on left side... all trying to encourage her to engage in a right facing position.

[NightOwl]

My baby is facing left. My midwife said that they tend to prefer one side or the other. But I am only 34 weeks, so he could always move.

[NiksMom]

So when my baby was (or if she still is breech), I felt the same types of movements as you guys. I was hoping there was some distinct feeling or something that I could pay attention for that would let me know if she's turned. I mean I've heard that when they drop there is no mistaking the feeling.

[mclisa]

I get a little bit of movement in my lower pelvis, but the majority of it is above my belly button. I feel it at the top of my uterus sometimes under my ribs.

Michelle

[Pom]

Hi there - Lurking from the July boards to see what's in store...

I knew the day the baby went head down. It actually kinda hurt all day as she went into a new position (which makes me wonder just how painful is baby turning when they're breech?) and then I noticed the movements had changed in general.

This one's butt is high on my right side, facing left, and there are lots of "little parts" and movements on the left side. Before this they were more equally spread across the belly.


But at only 30, I'm hoping this one'll be like DD. She went head down early, got cozy, and just stayed there (unfortunately, a wee longer than any of us would've liked, lol).

[SharonAnne]

At my midwife the other day, she palpated the baby's head (which is still down thank goodness), and then grabbed my hands and let me palpate the baby's head. :LOL Anyway, she said, (and I'm thinking this might help you here) that she can tell it's the head, because when she moves it back and forth, it's the only thing that moves. It's jointed (obviously) so the whole body doesn't move with it.

Now if you put your hands on either side of the baby's bum and move it, the whole baby will move to some degree, because the bum's not jointed.

Unless you're in the circus. :LOL