36 weeks - most of your pregnancy is behind you. At the end of this week the baby is already fully developed. Now, even if the baby is born ahead of schedule, he is considered mature. In the last trimester, the position of the baby in the womb is of particular importance, which is carefully studied during examinations. At what age does a baby turn upside down?
Baby's movements during pregnancy
Remember how it all started? The first tremors of nascent life in your belly. When you feel the baby moving in the womb, you know everything is fine. Ultrasound studies show that most babies are already active before you know it. A obvious signs You will likely feel fetal movements between 15 and 18 weeks.
At what stage does the baby turn head down, and how does the mother feel?
The 36th week is still about a month before birth, but this is exactly the period when the baby turns upside down in the stomach towards the mother’s pelvis. During this time, the baby may be constantly tossing and turning, probably looking for a better position for birth.
Since he weighs around 2.6kg at the start of week 36 and is 47cm long, you may feel increasing pressure just above your hips. This means that your baby gradually descends deeper into the pelvic area. On the one hand, this is a huge relief, because the pressure on the lungs and stomach is reduced, you can breathe freely again, and nutrition should be much easier for you.
But on the other hand, the disadvantage of this position of the fetus is that walking will cause discomfort. You may feel a constant need to go to the toilet. Additionally, some women say they feel like their baby is about to fall out. Don't worry - it's impossible. You will feel better if you exercise your pelvic floor muscles.
Read also:
The good news is that at this stage your pregnancy is theoretically over, since birth before 37 weeks is considered premature. At the next examination, the doctor will check the position of the baby to determine how much he has already descended and where his head is located. Theoretically, at this stage the baby should turn upside down, but if this does not happen, it’s okay. The baby can still turn at any time, perhaps even on his birthday.
Child's location
About four to two weeks before the due date, the joints and ligaments in the female pelvic area become softer. The baby is pushed down with its head or back, sinking deeper into the mother's pelvis and into its original birth position. When planning a birth, it is important to know the location of the baby in the womb.
How is fetal position determined?
This type of examination is carried out using external obstetric examination according to the so-called Leopold-Levitsky rules:
- Hands on the pregnant woman's belly and touch the upper part of the uterus, which protrudes into the abdominal cavity. If the fetus is placed longitudinally, either its head or pelvic part may be located in this place. The head has a more round outline, when palpated it is dense, and when pressed it moves relative to the body. The buttocks are larger with unclear contours; when pressed with fingers, they move to the side together with the child’s body.
- The location of the moving parts - the arms and legs, as well as the oblong back - is examined by palpating the uterus from the side. In this case, you need to fix the fetus with your left hand, and examine it with your right hand.
- The degree of presentation is also studied, that is, how far the child has descended into the pelvic area. For this purpose, the first reception technique is used. If the lower part practically does not move, this means that the fetus is fixed at the entrance to the pelvic area.
There are three types of prenatal placement of the baby in the womb:
- Presentation with the head in a lower position is correct. The baby is head down and facing the mother's back. In this position, it fits perfectly into the curvature of the pelvic bone. This is the ideal location for the fetus. 94% of children are born in this position.
- Gluteal - incorrect position in the uterus. The baby's head is under chest his mother, and the buttocks are directed towards the pelvis. Birth in this position is possible. About five percent of babies show their butt to the world first.
- Transverse position. The baby lies in the womb transversely in relation to the longitudinal axis of the mother. This happens in only 1% of births. Giving birth in this position without the intervention of an obstetrician can lead to serious consequences for the health of mother and child. Transverse breech babies are usually born by caesarean section.
There are situations when the child is in a cephalic presentation, but his face is turned towards pubic bone mother. Childbirth with this fetal position is a little different:
- the water may not recede immediately, but intermittently;
- childbirth is accompanied by severe back pain during and between contractions;
- birth takes longer and may occur intermittently;
- Perhaps the obstetrician will use forceps to help the baby come into the world.
In the first stage of labor, the position of the woman in labor on all fours will help relieve back pain. This position reduces pressure on the spine and reduces pain.
How to make a child turn around
There are several ways to get the baby to obediently turn to the correct position, namely facing the mother’s spine:
- make sure your knees are always lower than your hips;
- sit on a cushion in the car to elevate your pelvic area;
- make sure your favorite chair is not too low, and use a cushion if necessary;
- if you have a sedentary job, take breaks more often and walk a few steps;
- Stand on all fours for ten minutes every day, for example, while watching TV.
If not medical reasons, according to which the child took a breech position, then perhaps it’s all about your habits. Are you surprised? Let's take a closer look at them and fix everything quickly so that...
The habit of sleeping all night in one position. If you lie in the same position from night to night or rarely change it, then the uterus, and the baby in it, will move down each time and spend 8-10 hours a day in this position. In the first, the child will twist and turn over at night, but when he grows up, he will feel cramped, and at night he will try to take a position that is convenient for him, turning around, each time in a certain plane, at an angle convenient for him.
The habit of leading a sedentary lifestyle. If the mother sits and lies most of the time, then, starting with the baby, the baby may simply “get stuck” in the wrong position, because he simply does not have the opportunity to roll over.
The cause of a pelvic or transverse presentation of a child can be a strong emotional or unusual physical overload.
But if the child takes the wrong position because the length of the umbilical cord and the location of the placenta make this particular position comfortable for him, it is useless to try to turn the baby over.
Based on materials from http://yoga-mama.ru/
How to turn a baby over in a breech presentation? What can mom do, are exercises effective? A gynecologist will answer these questions for us. clinic "Oxford Medical" Yaroslav Nesterenko.
The correct presentation of the fetus is longitudinal-cephalic. But sometimes the fetus is positioned incorrectly, with options malpresentation There are a few. The baby can be positioned in a transverse presentation, pelvic, or legs (or one leg) forward.
Depending on the position of the child, the outcome of the birth can be predicted. The most favorable of these is the pelvic one, since the dimensions of the child’s head and pelvis are approximately the same in size, and after the pelvis comes out, the head passes without problems. Therefore, such presentation need not be corrected.
The most unfavorable thing is transverse presentation. But it is precisely this presentation that can most often be corrected with exercises. If the time has come to give birth, and the exercises have not helped, then in this case it is recommended. Presentation with the legs (or one leg) forward is also unfavorable. In this case it is also recommended to do C-section, since there is a danger that the head will not pass behind the legs.
It is possible to correct presentation with exercises, but recommendations should be given by a doctor. Since whether the exercises will lead to success is influenced not only by the position of the fetus, but also by its size, as well as the size of the pelvis of the expectant mother and many other factors that must be taken into account.
Pediatricians often call the anxiety of caring mothers who constantly worry whether her baby fits into developmental norms the “worry mommy” syndrome. Such parents do not leave specialized forums for young mothers and overwhelm the pediatrician with a lot of questions, one of which is: “Is it possible to teach a child to roll over from his back to his stomach?” The famous children's doctor Evgeny Komarovsky tells whether this should be done and how to deal with the child correctly.
Norms
Developmental norms, which so often make mothers feel inferior, are a very vague concept, says Evgeny Komarovsky. Each child develops according to his own individual program, and comparing him with other children is stupid, and sometimes even criminal. Mothers can never simply compare, but strive to do something so that the child “catch up and overtake” the neighbor’s baby.
The inferiority complex is strengthened by friends who, according to them, had babies tossing and turning from side to side as early as 2 months, and at 4 months the baby began to sit up. The feeling of catastrophe is generously given by local pediatricians, who at the next appointment state that if the child does not roll over on his own at 4 months, then this is “bad.”
As a result, the mother, driven to despair by disturbing thoughts, is ready to do anything to teach her child, at any cost, to do what he cannot yet do at his age.
The problem does not exist with the child, says Evgeny Komarovsky, but with the parents, who attach too much importance to the words of “experts” - neighbors, grandmothers, girlfriends and virtual acquaintances from the Internet. In this situation, it is necessary to treat the mother, not the baby: give her valerian, train her nervous system and endurance.
The standards that “experts” and the local pediatrician refer to exist only in theory. According to them, the average baby begins to roll over at about 4-5 months of age. However, in practice, everything happens differently. Some children make attempts to roll over before this period, while others do not roll over even after 6 months. Such a “lag” is not necessarily caused by illness or some kind of inferiority that restless mothers instantly come up with in their thoughts. There are enough reasons:
- Individual characteristics temperament(the child is lazy, slow, calm),
- Body Features(the child is well-fed and weighs slightly more than normal),
- Combination of the above two factors(very often a well-fed toddler is lazy, slow and sleepy).
- The child was born premature.
- A flexible and thin child will begin to roll over earlier than his plump counterpart. However, this is not at all a reason to sound the alarm and urgently take some active measures.
What should parents do?
First of all, Evgeniy Komarovsky advises to calm down and stop comparing the baby with norms, other children and the experience of friends. If the mother is only worried about the fact that the baby at 5-6 months does not roll over from his back to his tummy, and there are no other complaints (nothing hurts, nothing bothers him), then he should leave the child alone and wait until he the muscular system will become so strong that he will be able to perform coups easily and naturally. This happens to every child at its own time.
If there are additional complaints, you should definitely visit a pediatrician, orthopedist and neurologist. If the baby does not have serious disorders in the activity of the nervous system, everything is in order with the musculoskeletal system, then, again, you should leave the baby alone and give him the opportunity to develop, as nature personally provided for him.
Diseases that may cause absence motor activity, not many, and they are all extremely serious. Parents learn about their presence already in the maternity hospital or at the first scheduled inspection baby in the clinic. If doctors didn’t tell you anything like this until you were 5 months old, and your baby’s chart doesn’t include diagnoses like “cerebral palsy,” then you shouldn’t “attribute” the reluctance to roll over to illness.
If parents find it completely unbearable to watch the little one lie on his tummy or back and not feel the need to spin, then you can start giving him a massage aimed at strengthening the muscles of the abdomen, back, and side muscles. You can harden your baby and arrange longer walks in the fresh air.
What can't you do?
In my attempts to help the child in physical development, parents should not go too far, says Evgeniy Komarovsky. So, there is no need to hang a five-month-old baby in a jumper, or put an older baby in a walker (read more about this in the article “At what months can a child be put in a walker and is it worth doing it”). These devices are very amusing and touching for parents, but the benefits from them are much less than the real harm. Early verticalization threatens the child with serious problems with the spine in the future, sometimes so serious that it can result in disability.
All activities, if you decide to actively help your child, should be reasonable, gentle and competent. There is no need to teach a child to sit, toss and turn, stand or walk if his muscular system and spine are not ready for this. When they are ready for the baby to accept a new body position in space, he will definitely do it himself - this is how nature works.
Thus, the task of parents is only to create favorable conditions under which the strengthening of the back, tummy, legs and arms, as well as the spine will proceed faster.
Massage and gymnastics
Mothers who bring their baby to a doctor’s appointment with complaints that the little lazy guy doesn’t want to roll over on his stomach at “his 5 months!” will most likely receive an appointment for a massage, because a neurologist will definitely diagnose such a baby with “hypertonicity.” " Elevated muscle tone is common to all newborns, and few infants completely get rid of it by six months.
This fact allows both the neurologists themselves and the massage therapists, whom they strongly recommend, to make ends meet. Komarovsky claims that massage to a healthy child diagnosed with hypertonicity (which is healthy child!), better than mom no one will do it. And this is true not only from the point of view of saving money, but also for reasons of children's perception of the world. The baby needs tactile contact with my mother, her touch, and not a half-hour of heart-rending screaming in the hands of a stranger with a diploma as a massage therapist.
Massage to strengthen the muscles of the back and abdomen is very simple:
- Circular and transverse techniques on the tummy. Place your baby on his back and use your thumb to draw circles around the navel, gradually increasing their radius. Two thumbs make arcing movements from the navel to the ribs and from the navel to the groin.
- Classic back techniques. Place your baby on his tummy on a hard surface. Use three techniques of classic massage - first stroking, then rubbing and pressure with vibration. Don't rub too hard or press too hard. The child should not be in pain. Ideally, mom should close her eyes and press her finger on her eyelid. As soon as it starts to hurt, that’s where there is a limit to the amount of pressure that a small child can withstand.
Often, the way in which a pregnant woman delivers depends on the presentation of the fetus. The most the best option It is considered when the baby is located "upside down". This arrangement is not typical for a baby in the first days and even months after conception. The baby turns over in the mother's belly almost throughout her pregnancy.
The embryo, developing in the uterus, can easily move through it in any direction. Further, every month the fetus increases in size, and the uterus becomes crowded. There is no longer such freedom for travel as before. Then the baby turns upside down, as if preparing for childbirth. When pregnancy is not burdened with complications and pathologies, then the situation "upside down" the baby takes on 32 - 34 weeks. Women giving birth repeatedly should not worry if their baby does not turn over at this stage. Indeed, for women for whom this is not the first pregnancy, it is considered normal if the baby turns upside down later, namely, at 34 - 37 weeks.
Types of fetal position before birth
Head down presentation is not the only one. Doctors also distinguish transverse (oblique) presentation and pelvic presentation. In case of oblique presentation, a woman must undergo a caesarean section, since this type of presentation is the most dangerous. If the baby is positioned with his legs or buttocks down (breech presentation), then it is not a fact that the woman will only be offered. In this case, delivery can be carried out naturally, and this will depend on the well-being of the mother and the health of the baby. Gynecologists highlight cephalic presentation as less traumatic during childbirth.
How to determine fetal presentation
It is unlikely that a woman will be able to identify fetal presentation on her own at home. An antenatal clinic is best for this.
- At the appointment, the gynecologist will necessarily conduct a manual examination of the abdomen, while simultaneously listening to the child’s heartbeat using a stethoscope.
- Vaginal examination is possible.
- An ultrasound examination (ultrasound) will provide accurate results if any doubt remains.
Caesarean Section - advice from Dr. Komarovsky (video):
Exercises to help the fetus take the correct presentation, that is "upside down"
When the woman and the fetus do not have any deviations or pathologies leading to transverse presentation, then in this case, the woman has the power to change the situation. The expectant mother can use a number of exercises to provoke the baby to turn his head down.
Exercise No1
For the exercise, a woman will have to get on all fours and thus walk around the room. In this case, you should swing your hips from side to side and do not forget to arch your lower back. The exercise is very effective and should be performed as often as possible.
Exercise No2
"Cat". You will need to kneel and lean on bent arms. Bring your back up, as if rounding it. This will create an imitation of a stretching cat. You should freeze in this position for 5 minutes. Next, relax the muscles and repeat the exercise again. Breathing should be even while performing.
Exercise No3
To complete this you will need a fitball (large ball). A woman should sit on it with her legs spread as wide as possible. Perform pelvic movements "up down", while holding with your hands a stationary object (the back of a chair, etc.).
Exercise No4
Half bridge Lie down on the floor or other hard surface. Extend your legs slightly and bend your knees. Place your hands under your lower back and perform very slow lifts with your pelvis up. In this case, you should fix the pose in the upper rise for 10 - 20 seconds.
Exercise No5
Turns. A woman needs to lie down with her legs straight out and put her hand under her head. Lie in this position for 5 to 10 minutes, and then, while taking a deep breath, roll over to the other side. You can perform 4-8 approaches at a time.
Exercise No6
Alternate leg bending. The woman lies on her left side, with her left leg bent at the knee. Right leg in a straight position, it rises up, then sharply bends at the knee and is brought as close as possible to the stomach. You can use your hand to help bring your right bent leg towards your stomach. Hold the position for a few minutes.
Not all women can perform these exercises. It is strictly forbidden to perform exercises for pregnant women who:
- exists until the expected date;
- a woman has fibroids or scars on the uterus;
- any pathological conditions placenta;
- gestosis (complication of pregnancy in later stages).
Any gymnastics by a pregnant woman is performed only with the approval of a gynecologist and possibly a number of other specialists. Without permission, Without recommendations and consultations, you should never do exercises . Also, if the exercises were approved by the doctor, but the woman felt unwell while performing them, then she should stop them immediately. To avoid harm to the baby, doctors have set an average of 15-20 exercises per day.
If the exercises proceed without complications and the woman feels great, then, as a rule, on the 10th day of constant exercise, the fetus turns over to the correct position. But even in cases where the fetus does not turn, the woman should not be discouraged, but should continue to perform the exercises and all the doctor’s instructions.
In some women, the baby takes a head-down position only a few days before childbirth, when the pregnant woman experiences a downward descent of her abdomen. The uterus, which has shifted in this case, provides the baby with room to turn.
A few women practice other methods that provoke the rotation of the fetus into the desired position. The method is extraordinary, but as women note, it is very effective. They are trying to attract the baby's attention. To do this, expectant mothers put headphones with music playing in them to the lower abdomen, and also shine a flashlight there. It is noted that in many cases the baby turns over in the stomach with its head down and remains in this position until the day of birth. Sometimes, to turn a baby, women only need to remove restrictive clothes or underwear from their wardrobe. 
When the baby turns head down, the expectant mother may feel strong tremors under the breast and weak ones in the abdomen. This is due to the fact that the baby actively moves his legs, and less actively his arms and head.
For 9 months, the baby grows inside the uterus. Every day it becomes more and more. At first, the baby moves freely in the uterus, changing position many times a day. But as you grow, there is less and less room for movement, and it becomes much more difficult to roll over. During an ultrasound performed at 27-29 weeks, the doctor determines the presentation of the fetus, that is, its position in the woman’s abdomen.
Nature arranges it in such a way that by the end of pregnancy the baby is located in the uterus with its head down, towards the birth canal. In 95% of cases, children take the correct position. This makes it easier to move through the birth canal. The head, larger than the body, facing down, is born first and opens the way for the body. This is the most comfortable natural position.
In 5% of cases, pregnant women are diagnosed with pelvic or transverse presentation. That is, the fetus does not turn over into the correct position. In this case, childbirth can be very difficult, sometimes for this reason they resort to a cesarean section. Today this problem is receiving a lot of attention. There are special gymnastics - exercises to help the child turn head down.
Causes of fetal malposition
Instinctively, by about 36 weeks the baby is in the correct position. If this does not happen, then something is stopping him. The reasons may be:
- Narrow pelvis of a woman.
- Uterine tone, high tension.
- Excessive relaxation of the uterine muscles, for example due to multiple pregnancies. Due to this, the fetus has a lot of room to move.
- The length of the umbilical cord and/or the position of the placenta is such that the baby is physically unable to turn over. No manipulation can force the fetus to change its position.
- A pregnant woman has a habit of sleeping in the same position from evening to morning every night. The child instinctively finds a position that is comfortable for him and gets used to it. He sleeps with his mother, practically without moving, all night. If this happens 6-8 weeks before birth, when it is already difficult to change the position, the fetus remains in its usual position, often with its head up.
- Poor nutrition. If a pregnant woman eats a lot at night (especially fatty, protein foods), the fetus may feel so bad that it will turn head up.
- Insufficient mobility of the expectant mother.
- Strong emotions, stress.
If your baby is not positioned correctly before 34 weeks, there is no need to worry. There is still enough time for him to easily roll over. But even after 34 weeks, it is quite possible to help the fetus change its position.
If an ultrasound reveals that the baby is entwined with the umbilical cord or the position of the placenta does not allow the child to change position, there is no need to even try to do anything. Most likely, in order not to harm the little one, the doctor will recommend a cesarean section. There is no need to be afraid of this. Women, as a rule, tolerate surgery quite easily, and newborns avoid injuries and complications that could occur during natural childbirth due to the head up position.
With pelvic or transverse presentation of the fetus future mom First of all, you must change your habits:
- eat right, consume more vegetables and fruits;
- show sufficient physical activity, walk, breathe more air;
- do special exercises for pregnant;
- pay attention to sleep: its duration, posture.
If you have a habit of sleeping in one position all night, you need to change it. Before resting, you need to lie down in several comfortable positions for at least 5 minutes. Every evening you should try to fall asleep in different positions, this will force the child to move. In search of convenience, he must take the correct position.
Exercises
Special gymnastics contributes to the turning of the fetus. But you don't need to do anything on your own. First, you need to consult a specialist. There are contraindications for gymnastics:
- placenta previa (it blocks the exit to the uterus);
- risk of miscarriage;
- individual contraindications.
Some exercises are contraindicated for gestosis, problems with the heart, liver, and kidneys. The doctor will recommend a suitable complex. Before gymnastics, you should not eat for 2 hours. Exercise causes movement amniotic fluid, increased activity of the child, change the tone of the uterus.
Trained women who practiced yoga before pregnancy can resort to its help to turn the fetus head down. There are nuances here too. The best results are achieved with the so-called inverted poses, head down. Women who have never practiced yoga should not even try, you can seriously harm yourself and your child.
You can play sports after consultation with a specialist under the supervision of an experienced instructor. A special warm-up is also important, which will prepare you for performing the main exercises.
For example, untrained pregnant women are recommended to do a half-bridge. The exercise is performed lying down. You need to place a pillow or blanket under your lower back so that your pelvis is about 20 cm above the level of the bed. The shoulders are at the bottom. You need to lie in this position for 20 minutes. You should start with a few minutes, increasing the time every day. Do it 3-4 times a day.
This position gives the baby some freedom, and it becomes easier for him to move in the womb. Instinctively, he must find the correct position - upside down.
If the uterus has increased tone, doctors recommend performing I. F. Dikan’s exercise. You need to lie on your right side and spend ten minutes on it. Then roll over to the left and stay on it for the same amount of time. Repeat 4 times. Do the same three more times a day.
If the uterine tone is low or normal, V. V. Fomicheva’s complex is used. It is quite intense and causes contractions of the abdominal muscles, which increase the tone of the uterus. It is shortened, which helps move the child to the desired position.
First you should warm up (walk in place, leaning on different parts of the foot). Then it is recommended to do the exercises slowly:
- From a standing position with your legs slightly apart, bend to the left, straighten up, then also to the right, five times. Then the same back and forth. Please note that bending is performed while exhaling, straightening - while inhaling.
- While standing, raise your arms to the sides (while inhaling). Exhale and close them in front of you, turning to the right, then repeat the same to the left. Perform four approaches.
- Standing near a support, raise your bent leg to the side without touching your stomach. Five times with each leg.
- Perform while standing. The right leg stands on a support (chair), the left leg on the floor. Inhale, raise your arms to the sides, exhale, turn your upper body and pelvis outward, bend forward. Three times to the right and left.
- Leaning on your knees and palms, lift your legs back one by one, five repetitions of each.
- Lying on your side, inhale, bend your upper leg, exhale and straighten it. Five repetitions. Then, from the same position, describe circles with your foot. Do four repetitions.
- Exercise "cat". Leaning on your knees and palms, tilt your head down, while arching your back up, inhale. Do it slowly. Then raise your head, bend your lower back down, and exhale. Repeat ten times.
- Leaning on your knees and palms, straighten your legs, lift your pelvic area upward (it turns out to be the letter “L”). Do five repetitions.
- Take the half-bridge position. Inhale, lift your lower back off the floor, exhale, lower. Do it four times.
At the end, take a leisurely breath and calm down.
When the tone of the uterus is uneven, E. V. Bryukhina’s complex is performed twice a day, aimed at relaxing the abdominal muscles. All exercises are done in the knee-elbow position:
- Slowly take a deep breath, slowly exhale. Repeat six times.
- Inhale, lower your torso down, bending your arms, exhale, rise up. Perform five repetitions.
- Straighten your leg, lift it up, move it to the side, down, touch the floor, place it on your knee. Four repetitions with each leg.
- "Cat". Ten times.
- Kegel exercises. You need to tense the muscles of the vagina and anus.
In 76% of cases, exercises help turn the child head down.
