Baby’s Position Throughout Pregnancy
As a mother, it’s endlessly fascinating to feel your baby moving about in your belly as they grow. It may make you wonder if this amount of movement is normal and if your baby is in the right position. Let’s talk through the changes in baby’s positioning to provide you with some insight.
Do babies constantly change positions in the womb?
Yes! As your baby is growing initially, they have plenty of room in the womb to move around so you will feel them kicking, stretching, and wiggling often. This is completely normal.
As your due date nears, they’ll stop doing big moves as much since they are all grown and have less room to move around. However, you should still be able to feel them stretching now and then.
What are the different baby positions in pregnancy?
The different fetal positions include:
- Head down, face facing front: In this position, your baby has their head towards your vagina and is facing toward your stomach
- Head down, face facing back: In this position, the baby has their head downwards, facing towards your spine
- Breech: In this position, your baby’s head is upwards and either their foot or buttocks are downwards towards your vagina
- Transverse: In this position, the baby is lying transversely in your belly with their back or stomach pointing downwards
What is the best position for a baby to stay in the womb?
Ideally, as labor approaches, your baby should be settled in the head down position, with their face towards your back, otherwise known as the occiput anterior position. However, the positioning doesn’t matter until the end of your pregnancy and is not something we will focus on much until around 36 weeks.
What is the most frequent fetal position?
The most frequent fetal position is the head down, face facing back, or the occiput anterior position since it allows the baby to move through the birth canal with ease.
Does the baby’s position matter before 36 weeks?
Some people are concerned if the baby is already head-down at the 20-week anatomy scan. Both head-down and feet-down positions are normal at this point in pregnancy. We usually don’t discuss other options for delivery until 36 weeks.
In most instances, the baby will reposition itself in the head-down, face-down position at 36 weeks. However, if the baby is still in a feet-down (breech) position at 36 weeks, we discuss alternative delivery options. This is because breech babies are difficult to deliver naturally and have higher rates of associated birth complications.
If you want to learn more about baby positioning, be sure to talk to your midwife at your next appointment!