Positioning Baby in the Womb
How your baby is positioned, or presented, in the womb can have an impact on how the baby will be delivered. There are several ways to classify a baby’s position in the womb: vertex, lie, breech, pelvic and transverse. While a baby can be delivered in any position the way in which the delivery is achieved may have to be altered.
The vertex position, also called the fetal position, is when the baby is head down and curled in the fetal position. His head will be in your pelvis and his chin will be resting on his chest. This is the ideal and least complicated position for delivering a baby. Most babies will naturally be in the vertex position during pregnancy and others will turn into this position during labor. This position is ideal because it allows for a vaginal birth.
When the baby is bottoms down so he will be coming out feet first it is considered the breech position. Breech occurs in three positions: “Indian” style with both feet crossed in the fetal position and his bottom is down in the mother’s pelvis; “frank” or incomplete breech when the baby is fully flexed with legs crossed and the bottom against the mother’s pelvis; and “footling” breech, when the baby has one foot or both feet down. Breech babies are not recommended for home deliveries or with a mid-wife as it requires special skills in properly extracting the baby from the womb. But breech babies can be delivered vaginally and moms usually have good instincts when it comes to delivering babies in the breech position.
Babies can also be considered to be in one of three “lying” positions in the womb. If the baby is straight up and down he is considered to be “longitudinal”; if the baby is situated at an angle this is called “oblique”; and if he is laying completely side-to-side over the mother’s pelvis he is considered to be in the “transverse” position. A transverse baby cannot be delivered naturally, or vaginally. Such a position will require either turning the baby in the womb or having a cesarean section birth.
Babies can be delivered in any position but achieving the ideal vertex position can be done naturally. Some health professionals will suggest a mother spend about 15 minutes every two hours in the knee-chest position (also called the Elkin’s maneuver) to help turn the baby. There are also alternative therapy methods including acupuncture and reflexology to help turn breech babies but always check with your pediatrician or doctor before trying any method of turning a baby as it can have a negative impact on the delivery if it is not done properly.