While growing inside your womb, your baby might also be moving, indicating that a human person is not a static creature.
Of course, your baby may be reacting to what happens inside your womb or what they hear within the womb. It could be your voice, or the sound of your heartbeat, to name a few.
Or to put it simply, they tend to move because it is in their nature as tiny human beings.
During your pregnancy, your developing baby may also be moving in different directions and positions. And as your delivery date comes near, some positions are undeniably safer than others.
During these movements, you might also feel kicking or wiggling. That could be your baby twisting and turning.
How to tell your baby’s fetal position inside your womb? Here is some information that might help you with that.
Fetal Positions and Presentations Inside the Womb
What does your baby’s fetal position necessarily tell you? Is it good or bad?. | Image from | freepik.com
Knowing your baby’s fetal presentation is simply knowing your baby’s position inside your uterus or womb.
The position also may refer to whether the fetus is facing backwards or rearward (towards your back) meaning facing downward when you are lying on your back, or forward (or facing upward).
Feeling your baby move around your uterus is just normal throughout your pregnancy. During your early weeks, you might not feel the slightest movement your baby does because of their small size, resulting in moving freely.
However, as your baby develops inside the uterus, the larger they become also, and the more it limits them to move. As your most awaited delivery draws nearer, your baby will now move in the position for birth.
This particular position should be the ideal position for most babies. On the last days before the expected birth date, your baby might have flipped over with a head-down position in your womb.
Your baby, then, start to move down the uterus, preparing to go through the birth canal during delivery.
What Is the Common Position for Delivery?
Theoretically, for labour or normal delivery, your baby should be in a head-down position, facing your back, with his chin tucked to his chest. The back of your baby’s head is also ready to enter the pelvis.
This common position of your baby in your womb is called cephalic presentation. Your baby, and also other babies must have settled in this position during their 32nd to 36th week of the mother’s pregnancy.
Other Positions During Childbirth
There could be a probability that a baby would not get the perfect, cephalic position before labour. These several fetal positions that your baby can be in may each come with some birth complications. These are the following presentations:
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Occiput or cephalic posterior position
Instead of your baby facing downwards or towards your back, sometimes your baby might be facing your abdomen. With this position, your baby must be looking up the ceiling during labour.
This position is also known as sunny side up. This fetal position increases the risk of painful and prolonged labour.
Image from | freepik.com
In a frank breech fetal presentation, your baby’s bottom leads the way through the birth canal. Your baby’s hips are flexed and his knees are extended in front of your abdomen.
This position also leads to the chance of the formation of an umbilical cord loop that could come before the head through your cervix. This might injure your baby during the normal delivery.
When your baby is in a complete breech position, his buttocks will come first (through your birth canal), while both his knees and hips are flexed (folder under themselves).
Like the other breech positions, this will also cause a formation of an umbilical cord loop which could precede his head through your cervix. It will definitely injure your baby during labour.
In this oddly fetal presentation, your baby is in a position that lies crosswise in the uterus. Therefore, it can result in his shoulders entering the cervix first. Most babies are decided to be delivered in cesarean (c-section).
It might also be a possibility that your baby’s feet point down through your birth canal. This may result in the increased chances of slithering the umbilical cord down to my womb’s mouth. Eventually, this will cut your baby’s blood supply.
These fetal movements would affect your delivery, as well as your baby. But, you must consult with your doctor about it, and you can figure out your baby’s fetal position by means of counting his kicks.
How to Tell Your Baby’s Fetal Position by Kicks?
Every pregnant mum may be excited about the concept of feeling their babies’ kicks. These kicks signify a reassuring feeling that babies are safe, alive, and literally kicking!
They usually start to feel their babies kicking at around 18 to 25 weeks.
But as much as you want to enjoy this significantly exciting moment, you should also remember to track your baby’s kicks to better understand the patterns of their movement.
This could be done by using a fetal kick chart, a kick counter app, ultrasound, or by simple means – like tell-tale signs.
Notice if you have a lump to the left or to the right at the top of your tummy. You can try pressing it gently. If you feel your baby moving suddenly, it’s possible that he is in a head-down position.
If you can feel the movements and kicks under your ribs, with your belly button popping out, your baby may be in an anterior (your baby’s back is in front of your tummy) position.
Meanwhile, if your baby’s kicks are felt right in front of your tummy, mostly, around the middle, he may be in a posterior position. You may also notice that your baby bump is more flat and wide instead of being round in shape.
Also, remember that if your placenta is at the front of your bump, it is not easy to feel your baby’s kicks.
ALSO READ:
How to Count Your Baby’s Kicks, and Why is It So Important?
Baby’s Movements Through Pregnancy: What’s Normal & What’s Not?
Can You Flip a Breech Baby in the Womb?
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Bottom down (breech) position
What you might feel if your baby is in a bottom-down position depends on where his legs are, and if he is in an anterior or posterior presentation.
If your baby’s feet are at his ears’ reach (frank breech), you may feel his kicks around your ribs. If your baby is sitting in a cross-legged position (complete breech), his kicks are likely on the lower part, below your belly button.
You might also feel a hard, rounded lump under your ribs. This rounded lump does not move very much. This could be your baby’s head. This situation could make you feel uncomfortable.
Learning about this position might tell you one thing, you need to proceed with your doctor to consult what is needed for your baby’s health.
Is Your Baby Leaning Left or Right – And Other FAQs
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How can you tell the exact position of baby in the womb?
The foolproof way is hospital scanning (ultrasound), but you can try also kick tracking and belly mapping. With the latter, you need to have a quiet moment to concentrate and feel your baby’s head, bottom, back, limbs, and movements.
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What does it mean when your baby is leaning on the left side?
If the fetus is leaning on the left of your womb, doctors named it as left occiput anterior position. Most people considered this as the best position at the start of delivery, but in a 2013 study, there is no confirmation on it.
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What is the normal position for the baby?
A fetus may change position in the uterus as it develops, but the most common and helpful position for you and your baby at the time of labour is the occiput anterior position or head down position (the chin is tucked in while facing towards your back).
It is also recommended to contact your doctor once you have noticed that your baby’s position is not proper to confirm it. It will also help your baby how naturally correct his position while inside your womb.
This article was written by Nathanielle Torre and republished with permission from theAsianparent Philippines.
Here at theAsianparent Singapore, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Singapore is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.
