Pregnancy, of course, is not a disease. But the excitement and worries of women in an interesting position, is significantly increased. It's not just about changing the hormonal background and increasing body weight. The expectant mother is constantly worried about the condition and health of the child whom she carries under her heart. Unfortunately, not all doctors in antenatal clinics or medical centers where pregnant women are observed find the time and the right words to answer their patients all the questions they are interested in, to support and reassure. Therefore, many impressionable ladies, having first heard from a gynecologist at the next examination about the wrong position of the fetus, begin to get very worried and upset. And this is strictly not recommended.
How should the child be located inside the mother before her birth, and is the deviation from the norm so terrible?
Some terminology
In gynecology, two concepts are used that should be distinguished from each other:
- Position - this is the location of the baby's body in relation to the axis of the woman’s uterus. It can be longitudinal, oblique or transverse. If the gestational age does not exceed 30 weeks, you should not worry about the position that the baby has taken, since he can still turn several times.
- Presentation, speaking of which, doctors have in mind the part of the child’s body that is closest to the woman’s pelvis.
Standing on your head or sitting on a pope
There are 2 main presentation options:
- Headache.
Depending on how exactly the child’s head is located, it can be occipital (more than 95% of all cases), frontal, facial, and head-to-head. - Pelvic.
It is subdivided into foot and buttock.
Presentation of the fetus is given special attention when the gestational age approaches 30 weeks. Until this time, the child can repeatedly change its location in the uterine cavity. The presentation in many respects depends on the choice of a method of delivery by a doctor.
What is considered normal
Being in the uterus of a woman, the child must take a longitudinal position. This is exactly what happens in 99.5% of cases. So the vast majority of pregnant women can not worry.
The ideal option is when the baby is in the head presentation. This is exactly how 95-97% of all children in their gestational age are over 32 weeks old. Scientists with scientific degrees and practicing gynecologists have argued for a long time whether it is worth considering the pelvic presentation of the fetus as a pathological condition or it can be considered as a variant of the physiological norm. The debate does not stop to this day. Therefore, such cases are often called borderline, which is justified.
So, normally the child by the day of birth occupies a longitudinal position and is in the head (occipital) presentation. But this does not always happen.
Imperfect Pregnancy
Sometimes the baby is placed in the mother’s stomach in a completely different way from what nature intended. The most undesirable and problematic situation, in which compulsory medical care is required, is the transverse one.
The presentation of the fetus, although not considered a critical indicator, is also important. From the third trimester of pregnancy, the doctor at each examination will determine how exactly the child was placed in the uterus. Particular attention is paid to patients in whom the baby is in the pelvic presentation.
Despite the fact that such an arrangement of the child is not the norm, it is not so rare. There is nothing unique and extraordinary in it. It is not worth it to worry and cheat yourself because of this. There are no perfect pregnancies.
But no matter how reassuring the doctors of their patients, many suspicious young ladies begin to review dozens of sites on the Internet, trying to find out the causes of what happened and drawing in their imagination not the most joyful pictures of future events, which further undermine their nervous system.
Why is the child "sitting" on the pope
If the gynecologist cannot accurately answer the patient the question of why her baby is located head up and not down, this does not mean that he is hiding some terrible truth from her. The fact is that no one knows this. Among the reasons contributing to this development of events, the following can be identified:
- physiological (e.g. narrow pelvis, abnormalities in the structure of the uterus);
- features of the course of pregnancy (placenta previa, polyhydramnios or, on the contrary, oligohydramnios, etc.);
- diseases of a woman (uterine fibroids, etc.).
But even the healthiest woman is not safe from the fact that her child will not "sit" in the ass. Cases where the causes of pelvic presentation of the fetus during pregnancy still remain unclear account for more than 50%. Therefore, expectant mothers should not think about why this happened, but about what should be done.
Let's help the baby to roll over
With incorrect presentation, diagnosed for up to 28 weeks of pregnancy, you should adhere to expectant tactics, that is, do nothing. Let nature do its job. In most women closer to childbirth, the child independently turns head down.
If after 30 weeks the pelvic presentation of the fetus has not changed to the head, you can try to perform special exercises. The simplest of them are the following:
- It is necessary to lie down on the couch and turn over from the left side to the right with an interval of 7-12 minutes. Perform at least 3-4 times. If after regular classes the child rolls over, you should wear a bandage. This will prevent a reverse turn.
- Lie on the floor, pull your legs bent at the knees, and raise your pelvis 30-40 centimeters. In this position, you need to stay for 40-60 seconds. Repeat several times.
- Take a stable position, leaning on your knees and hands. Gently stretch back one or the other leg.
- Some doctors advise their patients to go swimming. Naturally, this is not a question of setting world records.
It must be remembered that each exercise has contraindications to completion. Before starting classes, a woman needs to consult a gynecologist who oversees the development of her pregnancy.
Outside Turn
Unfortunately, even the most effective set of exercises recommended by the luminary of medical science does not always help. When the gestational age approaches 35-36 weeks, the doctor may advise you to make an external turn. This procedure has been used since the end of the century before last and is used in many countries. During its implementation, the obstetrician turns the baby through the outer wall of the uterus with his hands so that he accepts the head presentation.
Such manipulations can only be performed by a highly qualified specialist in a hospital. Before the procedure begins, a woman must undergo all necessary examinations, including ultrasound.
Carrying out an external turn is not an absolutely safe measure. Although the risk of complications does not exceed 1-2%, every woman should be warned about it.
If everything goes well, the child will turn his head down and wait for the cherished hour of birth.
Under medical supervision
The doctor's decision on the timing of hospitalization of a woman largely depends on the presentation of the fetus. If all the tests are normal, the baby is head down, then the pregnant woman can go to the perinatal center a few days before the date of delivery indicated by the gynecologist or with the onset of regular contractions.
In cases of pelvic presentation of the fetus, a woman is recommended to be under the supervision of doctors before childbirth. If the future mother feels well, nothing threatens the baby’s health, then the direction to the maternity hospital is written out at 38-39 weeks of pregnancy.
The terms of hospitalization are set for each woman individually and depend on many nuances. It is worth trusting the professionalism of the doctor.
Fetal presentation and delivery
Sooner or later, any pregnancy is waiting for a logical conclusion. For some, this path was easy and enjoyable, for others it was difficult and exciting. Until the long-awaited meeting with the baby, the last stage remained - childbirth.
With the head presentation of the fetus, a healthy woman is likely to expect a natural (they are also called physiological or normal) childbirth. Modern clinics and perinatal centers offer their patients a wide range of services, which you should familiarize yourself with in advance. For example, a woman can choose a traditional or vertical birth, decide whether she wants to be in the ward alone or with one of her relatives. Your wishes must first be agreed with the doctor.
As for the pelvic presentation, in 70-90% of cases, delivery is carried out using a special operation called a cesarean section. Of course, any surgical intervention has a risk of complications. But if the doctor insists on the operation, you should not be afraid. Cesarean section is often used for delivery, and the use of modern medical technologies minimizes the likelihood of complications.
Whatever the presentation of the fetus during pregnancy, after childbirth, all fears and worries will be forgotten, and the mother will squeeze her baby for the first time. Now the woman's attention will be fully devoted to the baby. After all, the most exciting and interesting is just beginning.