Various positions of the baby in the womb

What is the ideal position of the baby in the womb?

During pregnancy, the position of the baby in the womb will usually rotate in different directions. Just before the day of birth or in the last week of pregnancy, the baby in the womb begins to put in the best position so that it is easy to get out of the womb later.

In general, the doctor will give you the green light to give birth normally if the head of the baby in the womb is down. Ideally, the position of the baby's head is close to the birth canal, aka the mother's pelvis and the chin is against her chest.

This position of the baby in the womb is known as cephalic presentation which allows the baby to come out with the head first. After the head is successfully removed, the birth process of the baby is followed by the removal of the body, hands and feet.

In addition to facilitating the birth process, the position of the baby in the womb can also reduce the risk of childbirth complications.

Anterior position (

In order for the normal or vaginal delivery process to run smoothly and smoothly, the baby in the womb should be in an anterior position.

The anterior position is one of the ideal positions for the baby in the womb before giving birth. The anterior position is also known by the name vertex , cephalic , and occiput anterior .

The anterior position is arguably the best position for a baby before birth. Most babies in the womb will change to an anterior position before labor begins.

As an illustration, the baby is said to be in an anterior position when the head has dropped into the pelvic area of the mother and is facing the back or back of the mother.

In other words, it means the part of the baby's back that will touch the mother's stomach. If the position of the baby is slightly to the left, the obstetrician or midwife will describe it as an anterior left occiput (left occiput anterior).

Meanwhile, if the baby is in the anterior position, it tends to be slightly to the right, it is called the right occiput anterior (left occiput anterior).

The position of the baby in the womb is less than ideal

Sometimes, the baby in the womb is not always in the ideal position to be born. This is usually influenced by several factors, such as:

The shape of the mother's pelvis
The shape of the baby's head
The ability of the baby's head to conform to the mother's pelvis
The ability of the mother's pelvic floor muscles to contract and relax during childbirth.

Again, as explained earlier, the baby in the womb should have started changing to an ideal position for normal delivery approaching the D-day of labor.

If the position of the baby in the womb does not change, the doctor will look for other ways so that the mother can still give birth normally.

In certain conditions that do not allow normal methods, the doctor can also advise the mother to undergo a cesarean delivery.

The following are various positions of babies in the womb that are less than ideal for normal delivery:

1. The posterior position (

As opposed to the anterior position where the baby is facing the back of the mother, the posterior position is not like that. Launching from the Cleveland Clinic, the posterior position is the position when the baby is in the womb facing the mother's stomach.

That is, the position of the baby's back in the womb is leaning on the back of the mother with her head downward. That is why the posterior position is also called the position name back-to-back .

When the baby in the womb is in this position, it will be quite difficult for him to get his head past the mother's pelvis. As a result, the delivery time can be longer than it should be.

In fact, you can also experience back pain when the baby in the womb is in the posterior position. Usually, the baby in the womb can be in a posterior position if the mother often spends time sitting or lying down for too long.

In other cases, the size of the mother's pelvis which tends to be narrow will also place the baby in a posterior position in the womb, making childbirth difficult.

Although this position usually causes problems in childbirth, in most cases no special intervention is required during the process of delivering the baby.

However, the doctor may help you by using forceps or rotating the baby's position manually if the labor process is hampered.

If obstacles still occur even though you have been assisted, the next option may require a caesarean section to deliver the baby.

2. Position

On position brow or face , the eyebrows of the baby are the first to enter the birth canal with the head and neck tilted up.

Whereas normally, the position of the baby's head in the womb should be curled up with the chin against the chest. Compared to the posterior position, position brow or face in infants in the womb this tends to occur less frequently.

Several things can lead to the position brow or face is as follows:

Premature rupture of membranes
Large baby head size
Previous history of childbirth

Most of the positions brow or face can change to the posterior position before you actually give birth. While labor can continue to that stage, doctors will usually try to deliver a normal delivery.

Conversely, if the delivery process is considered to be experiencing obstacles, like it or not, a caesarean section should be done.

3. Transverse position (

As the name implies, the transverse position is the position when the baby in the womb lies horizontally, aka perpendicular to the birth canal.

Just imagining the position of the baby across the womb can be certain that the baby will be difficult to be born normally because it is difficult to pass through the birth canal.

If you continue to force it, give birth normally with the baby across the risk of causing a torn birth canal, even umbilical cord prolapse. This condition can certainly threaten the life of both mother and baby.

The position of the baby across the womb during pregnancy until before delivery is not considered dangerous because the position of the baby can change at any time.

However, if the position of the baby across the womb continues until the seconds into labor, the doctor will usually recommend that you have a cesarean section.

4. Breech position

The breech position is the position where the bottom of the baby in the womb is facing the birth canal. That is, the position of this river is the opposite of its normal position where the head of the baby in the womb is in the birth canal.

According to the American Pregnancy Association, a breech position can occur in 1 in 25 pregnancies. There are three types of breech baby positions in the womb, namely:

Frank breech , when the baby's feet are above or directly in front of his face.
Complete breech , when the baby's knees and feet bend as if squatting.
Incomplete breech , when one of the baby's feet is on top while the other leg is bending downward.

Meanwhile, there are several things that can increase the risk of breech baby's position in the womb, namely:

Second pregnancy or more
Are pregnant with twins or more
History of preterm delivery
Abnormal uterine shape
Too much or too little amniotic fluid
Placenta previa, a condition in which the placenta is located at the bottom of the uterus, covering the cervix

One of the risks of a breech baby in the womb is that the umbilical cord can wrap around the baby's neck. Sometimes, the position of the breech baby in the womb can still rotate to its normal position, which is born with its head out first.

However, if your doctor considers the delivery to be risky when it is done normally, you should prepare for a cesarean section.