Baby's position

MrsGlitz · Feb 6th, 2010, 16:44 PM

How do you know if your LO is head down or not?

CocoaOne · Feb 6th, 2010, 16:58 PM

I don't think you can tell- midwives can- but they know what they are feeling for! You might feel pressure as the babies head engages, but I don't think there are any other clues until they get bigger and you can definitely feel their back/bum etc x

MrsGlitz · Feb 6th, 2010, 17:22 PM

I thought so! My mw hasn't seen me since I was 22 weeks and didn't say then. I'll ask her on Tuesday.

LankyDoodle · Feb 6th, 2010, 17:25 PM

I had a feeling my baby had turned to head down after being breech for a while, because I started to get lighter movements down low than I had been getting (from her feet) and also I was getting a pain/ache down below. It felt like baby might be pushing down into it a bit more now.

Sure enough, at my scan today, it was confirmed that she is indeed head down.

greenlady · Feb 6th, 2010, 19:33 PM

I thought I could tell my baby's head was down and sort of to the left, because that's where I feel the hiccups mainly. Also I'm sure I could feel feet sort of like double kicking towards the top and on the right (so sort of diagonal), and in the middle near my sternum a hard ball that would rise up and push my ribs, which I figured was the bum. Anyway at my 31 weeks appointment she had a feel after I told her what I thought and she said I was exactly right.

But that was only in the last few weeks, so as Cocoaone says maybe its when they get a bit bigger you can start to feel more defition in the movements. And I was just guessing really I wasn't expecting to be right!

Lara310809 · Feb 7th, 2010, 05:33 AM

My MIL (a retired MW) taught me how to tell, by feeling around and finding the head, but you have ot press so hard, I don't want to do it myself just in case I do something wrong

My MW has never checked to see what position the baby's in; she's only listened for the HB and very lightly felt where my uterus ends. She's never pressed hard enough to be able to feel the baby.

But even if the MW tells you what position the baby is in, it can change ten minutes later. I don't really understand why ladies come on here and say "my baby is breech" at 25 weeks. When you're still so far away from giving birth, the baby moves all the time. At 28 weeks I can feel kicks in my ribs, and five minutes later I get kicks on my bladder, then out my side...

I don't know at which point the baby settles for birth, but it's certainly not that early.

Celesse · Feb 7th, 2010, 08:03 AM

It isn't that easy to tell at 28 weeks as baby is still small. It's pretty obvious now at 37 weeks as I can feel baby's butt shape with legs and feet running off the the right.

Minstermind · Feb 7th, 2010, 08:09 AM

I was wondering myself. I was only like 17 weeks along and my sister-in-law was asking me what position baby was usually in....like how would I know at that stage, I was barely even feeling flutters? LOL..

I wouldn't know how to tell baby's head was face down either. I still can't really tell anything at this point other than to guess that either the hands or the feet are in certain positions due to the kicking and poking sensation. But can't make out the head really.

I'm guessing we'll be able to tell later on as Celesse pointed out.

cupcake23 · Feb 7th, 2010, 08:19 AM

Before 34-36 weeks its not really important if baby is head down or not, they still have plently of room to move about, after 36 weeks, your MW is looking if baby is head down and/ or engaged. Your MW will check fundal height around 28 weeks (as a risk assessment it should be done with a measuring tape), and before that when she listens in she will just palpate the back to get the right spot to listen in to the HR.

Of course you can always ask out of interest...Im lucky that I can palpate my own abdomen, even taught OH to do it and he thought I was being to rough! Poor baby

MrsGlitz · Feb 7th, 2010, 10:02 AM

I didn't think it mattered this early which was why I am surprised there are so many posts saying baby is breech or whatever when there is still plenty of time for them to move.

Feb 6th, 2010, 16:44 PM	#1
MrsGlitz Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bournemouth, Dorset Posts: 3,150	Baby's position How do you know if your LO is head down or not?

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Feb 6th, 2010, 16:58 PM	#2
CocoaOne Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: UK Posts: 4,261	I don't think you can tell- midwives can- but they know what they are feeling for! You might feel pressure as the babies head engages, but I don't think there are any other clues until they get bigger and you can definitely feel their back/bum etc x

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Feb 6th, 2010, 17:22 PM	#3
MrsGlitz Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bournemouth, Dorset Posts: 3,150	I thought so! My mw hasn't seen me since I was 22 weeks and didn't say then. I'll ask her on Tuesday.

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Feb 6th, 2010, 17:25 PM	#4
LankyDoodle Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: England Posts: 4,928	I had a feeling my baby had turned to head down after being breech for a while, because I started to get lighter movements down low than I had been getting (from her feet) and also I was getting a pain/ache down below. It felt like baby might be pushing down into it a bit more now. Sure enough, at my scan today, it was confirmed that she is indeed head down.

Status: Offline

Feb 6th, 2010, 19:33 PM	#5
greenlady Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: London Posts: 1,188	I thought I could tell my baby's head was down and sort of to the left, because that's where I feel the hiccups mainly. Also I'm sure I could feel feet sort of like double kicking towards the top and on the right (so sort of diagonal), and in the middle near my sternum a hard ball that would rise up and push my ribs, which I figured was the bum. Anyway at my 31 weeks appointment she had a feel after I told her what I thought and she said I was exactly right. But that was only in the last few weeks, so as Cocoaone says maybe its when they get a bit bigger you can start to feel more defition in the movements. And I was just guessing really I wasn't expecting to be right!

Status: Offline

Feb 7th, 2010, 05:33 AM	#6
Lara310809 Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Gibraltar (originally UK) Posts: 6,606	My MIL (a retired MW) taught me how to tell, by feeling around and finding the head, but you have ot press so hard, I don't want to do it myself just in case I do something wrong My MW has never checked to see what position the baby's in; she's only listened for the HB and very lightly felt where my uterus ends. She's never pressed hard enough to be able to feel the baby. But even if the MW tells you what position the baby is in, it can change ten minutes later. I don't really understand why ladies come on here and say "my baby is breech" at 25 weeks. When you're still so far away from giving birth, the baby moves all the time. At 28 weeks I can feel kicks in my ribs, and five minutes later I get kicks on my bladder, then out my side... I don't know at which point the baby settles for birth, but it's certainly not that early.

Status: Offline

Feb 7th, 2010, 08:03 AM	#7
Celesse Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: North East UK Posts: 5,497	It isn't that easy to tell at 28 weeks as baby is still small. It's pretty obvious now at 37 weeks as I can feel baby's butt shape with legs and feet running off the the right.

Status: Offline

Feb 7th, 2010, 08:09 AM	#8
Minstermind Pregnant (Expecting) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Ireland Posts: 2,376	I was wondering myself. I was only like 17 weeks along and my sister-in-law was asking me what position baby was usually in....like how would I know at that stage, I was barely even feeling flutters? LOL.. I wouldn't know how to tell baby's head was face down either. I still can't really tell anything at this point other than to guess that either the hands or the feet are in certain positions due to the kicking and poking sensation. But can't make out the head really. I'm guessing we'll be able to tell later on as Celesse pointed out.

Status: Offline

Feb 7th, 2010, 08:19 AM	#9
cupcake23 Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: London Posts: 781	Before 34-36 weeks its not really important if baby is head down or not, they still have plently of room to move about, after 36 weeks, your MW is looking if baby is head down and/ or engaged. Your MW will check fundal height around 28 weeks (as a risk assessment it should be done with a measuring tape), and before that when she listens in she will just palpate the back to get the right spot to listen in to the HR. Of course you can always ask out of interest...Im lucky that I can palpate my own abdomen, even taught OH to do it and he thought I was being to rough! Poor baby

Status: Offline

Feb 7th, 2010, 10:02 AM	#10
MrsGlitz Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bournemouth, Dorset Posts: 3,150	I didn't think it mattered this early which was why I am surprised there are so many posts saying baby is breech or whatever when there is still plenty of time for them to move.

Status: Offline

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