How do they know baby’s position?
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The midwife should be experienced enough to know at each appointment the position. She gave me some handy advice to check. If you push the hard bit gently and it bobs away it is most likely the head but if it is firm it is probably the bum. Hope this helps. They should send you for a scan of they think there is anything abnormal in terms of positioning to check 🙏🏼
Thank you Sam and Kati, that’s very helpful!! I pushed the lump and it bobbed away 😅 feels a bit small for a head tho. Maybe it’s a pair of feet. Oh I don’t know😅
Think it just comes with experience! It’s like when they do the scans and they say ‘oh I can see baby’s heart and liver and kidneys’ and they point them out and I’m just like ok if you say so 😂
They have bed side scanners at my hospital so can check whenever xxx
Just to add the can usually tell a bit from where they find the heart beat on the Doppler too - my baby has been breech up until the week and they’ve had to use to Doppler really high up on my stomach to get a heartbeat. With my first he was head down from 28 weeks and the Doppler always found him lower down!
Bums and heads feel really different, they’ll also be able to feel the babies torso which is a massive surface area, plus when they do the Doppler they would need to be above belly button for a breech baby and below for a baby who’s head down. At this point is baby has turned you’ll deffo feel it! Both my babies have been breech and turned and I promise it’s an unmistakable feeling!😂 if there’s any concern when you go into labour, they’ll use a bedside scanner xx
@Abbie haha thanks so much that’s v helpful!😊 and everyone else. I haven’t felt a huge turn so it must be his bum at the top. Not sure why I felt hiccups at the top then but hey! 🙃
You should get a scan at 36 weeks which they use to work out the position (or that’s what they do here) 😊 my baby has been transverse / sideways the whole time so finding out at that scan the available options etc
@Sasha oh wow, no in my area we only get scans at 12w and 20w 😢
Oh I thought it was nationwide. It’s in Essex as standard I’m guessing as I have mine in two weeks and a few other people I know do too and we are all low risk. That’s annoying! X
With my first I only got the 12 and 20 week scan. Mudwice felt baby being breech and she referred for an extra scan then. If you went into labour and baby had moved, they will be able to tell whilst monitoring and dilating and then could then do a section.
My baby is breech and has been breech for weeks and I’ve been feeling hiccups down low every time. I’m assuming it’s a leg jerking every time they hiccup. So I wouldn’t read too much into where you can feel the hiccups
A head feels very different to a bum so it is usually quite obvious. If they are unsure at all they can arrange a scan to check. I wouldn’t worry. During labour they will also offer vaginal examinations which should also confirm that the baby is head down. If found to be breech at this point, they would offer you a caesarean or you could still choose to birth vaginally. If you are worried then let them know as most hospitals have small hand held scanners that can be used to determine the baby’s presentation quickly and easily. While very rare, undiagnosed breech births can happen where you don’t know until the pushing stage. So in this case, you push the baby out breech!