[LeeshaLynn]

At 30 weeks 4 days baby is still in the transverse position. She's been hanging out that way since at least 21 weeks. I know there's still time for her to turn. But, I'm starting to get a little worried! My main concern is that there's a reason she's in that position, like she's wrapped up in the cord and literally can't turn in any other position.

But, assuming that that's not the case, does anyone know any techniques to encourage this baby to turn to the head down position?

 

[LivVLW]

Hi. I have no expertise on the matter, but I have heard that the best way to turn a baby is to do headstands in a pool. Also crawling around on all 4s is supposed to turn a baby...

Again, these are just things that I've heard work!!
Good luck!

Liv

 

[LeeshaLynn]

Gosh, I haven't done a handstand in a pool since I was 10! :LOL I guess I could try it...

 

[carrietorgc]

most patients under chirpractic care do not have issues with babies not being in a head down position - a chiro can do a webster technique to turn a baby....post on the august due date club, there is a chiro on our board!

 

[Momsteader]

Hehehe this is in the August due date club! LOL

My first baby was transverse until hours before labor! In a VERY confounding position that looked to resist an External Version. His elbow was the presenting part to my cervix and his head was settled nicely into my left hip and lying on his back.

But....somehow....he managed to flippity floppity....and was head down and just flew right out!

There are also Yoga poses that can help with breech, so I'd assume also help with transverse lie.

This little babe has settled head down after being transverse YAY!

 

[mwherbs]

so to be clear about terminology do you mean transverse as in the baby is laying feet on one side of your belly and head on the opposite side sort of like laying down in a sling across your body so that elbow, knee or waist would be the nearest baby body part to the cervix
or do you mean head down and in the pelvis and feet and knees up near the fundus as in LOT or ROT so the head is not posterior or anterior but entering the pelvis with back of the head to the left and the nose pointing to the right hip (LOT) or the back of the head to the right and the nose pointing to the left hip (ROT) ?

 

[chiro_kristin]

Good question, mwherbs. I will await Leesha's answer to you before posting on this... I'm assuming though that she means the former.

Leesha, I'll post probably Friday on this (I have a superbusy day tomorrow, sorry). But the best thing for you to do in the meantime is NOT WORRY ABOUT IT! and I agree with everything PPs have said so far. But I'll go into more detail about it later. You can also read my two posts in this thread:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=299923

Crunchy, don't give Carrie too much grief; we've all got a bit of placenta brain going on. :LOL

 

[LeeshaLynn]

Yes, I mean that the baby is laying with her head directly to my left side with her butt in my right side. Completely transverse... I'm assuming her waist would be the presenting part to my cerix.

 

[~Megan~]

I was just talking with my mw about this today because dd was breech. She basically said that she'd suggest not doing anything right now (other than continuing to see my chiro) because even if we got him head down he could turn right back breech.
Basically don't worry about it at all till the very end.

But if you want there are exercises at spinningbabies.com that you can do to encourage proper positioning.

 

[nancy926]

My MW will suggest acupuncture w/moxibustion to turn a baby head down. It has to be done before 36 weeks or so though - after that there's not a lot of room for the baby to turn. So at my 32-week and 34-week appts she will check the baby thoroughly to figure out where her head is. If she's not head-down, it's acupuncture for me. Our MW has been delivering babies for 10 years and says she has only had one mom whose baby didn't turn after the acupuncture.

(Acu w/moxibustion is very effective -they have even actually done studies on it and found it was more effective than external version!)

BTW, my baby was transverse for a long time but now seems to be head down - so you never know. Personally I would not wait too, too long to try to turn the babe. Although I have been reading enough breech birth stories lately that I'm not as worried about it as I once was. But I don't think my MW will do a breech homebirth, so that's where I'm coming from.

 

[CandyR]

I've been a preoccupied with my baby's position lately, too. I think he's breech most of the time.

:

Anyway, I spent some time at http://www.spinningbabies.com/ yesterday and learned that we are worrying prematurely. They say that the baby's head weighs less than the body before 34 weeks.

If you are at or past 34 weeks, then definitely go to the website and get positioning tips. I also printed out several copies of the ideal position so I can post them around the house to aid in visualization. This is the one I printed http://www.spinningbabies.com/Images...eriors.web.gif

I'm thinking most of us have a couple more weeks before we really start to fret.

 

[heldt123]

Well, I'm 32 weeks and baby keeps moving around quite a bit. The two positions I know for sure he flops from is head down and transverse - head on left side and feet up. There are other positions he gets into, but I can't figure them out! Try not to worry too much, they still have room to move around yet.

 

[carrietorgc]

:LOL whoops, i should have realized i was in my own forum

btw, can I just say how wonderful my two adjustments were this week??? first time i've gone and they have helped sooo much....he said at the second adj how pleased he was at the lack of muscle tension etc.

 

[Aeriane]

I totally agree it's too early to even worry about position. Mine is in a different place daily but seems to like transverse also. I'm going to keep a closer hand on things once he gets past @ 34 weeks because man I do NOT want a c-section

! I had one that was breech and did a ton of pelvic rocks etc and well, it didn't work because they discovered he was breech at 39.5 weeks..a bit too late. I'm willing to bet it'd work sooner though.

But again..I think it's too early to be concerned. What's more important is awareness of movement

Kitty

 

[chiro_kristin]

Alycia,

From what everyone else has posted, and if you have read that thread that I linked to in my earlier post, the info is pretty much covered.

IF the cord is wrapped around causing the inability to turn, then the inversion techniques will work well. What they can do is use gravity to float the baby; then when you quickly turn upright again, and all the amniotic fluid whooshes by Mackenzie, it can slip that cord right off of her!

If its not the cord and the baby is just stuck in the pelvis somehow, then inversion techniques can help float the baby up out of the pelvis to give her an opportunity to reposition herself.

But I do really like the stair trick (or something else on your hands and knees - like coffee table to floor or chair or something lower) instead of the ironing board trick; simply because getting on an inclined ironing board on your back and then getting off is a heck of a lot more difficult than being on your hands and knees! Plus you can right yourself quicker (with supervision please) so that the amniotic fluid can really whoosh by the baby. That "whoosh" is a highly technical term, btw. :LOL

Chiropractic will help anatomically to relieve uterine constraint caused by a misaligned pelvis or lumbar spine or tightened ligaments, and it will also help neurologically by positively affecting the neural messages from your brain to your baby and back again, which affects all functions of your body and Mackenzie's body, including hormonal balance.

Any more questions, fire away.