Stomach Seems Flat and Baby Not Moving 39 Weeks
Overview
What is a breech babe?
A breech baby, or breech nascency, is when your baby'due south feet or buttocks are positioned to come out of your vagina first. Your infant's head is upward closest to your chest and its bottom is closest to your vagina. Most babies will naturally move and so their head is positioned to come out of the vagina first during nascency. Breech is common in early pregnancy and most babies volition move to a head-first position by 36 weeks of pregnancy. This head-starting time position is chosen vertex presentation and is the safest position for nascence.
How common is a breech infant?
There is a minor run a risk that your baby volition non motion into a caput-starting time position before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Breech babies account for virtually three% to 4% of all full-term pregnancies.
What are the types of breech position a baby tin exist in?
There are several fetal positions your baby may present in. Ideally, your baby is positioned head-down, facing your dorsum, with their chin tucked to their chest.
Breech babies can exist in a few unlike positions:
- Frank breech: The infant's buttocks are aimed at the vaginal culvert with its legs sticking straight upward in front of their body and the feet near their caput.
- Complete breech: The infant'south buttocks are pointing downward and both the hips and the knees are flexed (folded under themselves).
- Footling breech: I or both of the baby's anxiety point downward and volition deliver before the residuum of their body.
- Transverse lie: This is a form of breech presentation where your infant is positioned horizontally across your uterus instead of vertically. This would make their shoulder enter the vagina first.
How does a breech babe impact pregnancy?
Your pregnancy is ordinarily not affected. Most breech babies are built-in salubrious, although at that place is a slightly elevated take a chance for sure nascence defects. Your baby'southward movements may feel a lilliputian different. Y'all will feel your infant's kicks lower in your belly. Yous may feel a hard lump closer to your ribs. This is your baby's head.
If you lot planned a vaginal delivery, a breech baby could alter these plans. When your babe is breech, a vaginal delivery can exist complicated and dangerous. Your healthcare provider may feel comfortable attempting a vaginal breech delivery, but in almost cases, they will recommend a Cesarean nativity (C-department).
How does a breech baby affect delivery?
If your infant presents in a breech position later on 36 weeks of pregnancy, your birthing plan will probable change. It's usually dangerous for a breech infant to exist born vaginally due to risks of injury. In nigh cases, a planned C-department is the safest way to deliver your baby. Some healthcare providers may exist comfortable with a vaginal breech birth. In some cases, turning your baby to a caput-down position while they are still inside your uterus is an option. Your babe is so born head first.
Symptoms and Causes
How tin can you tell if your baby is breech?
You may be able to tell if your baby is breech, particularly if y'all have had past pregnancies where your baby was caput-first. The places where you lot feel lumps and kicks might indicate that your infant is breech. Permit your healthcare provider know where you feel motility. They volition experience your belly or practise an ultrasound to ostend that your baby is breech.
What causes a infant to be breech?
It's non ever known why a baby is breech. Some factors that may contribute to this position are:
- Yous are expecting multiples (twins or more). This makes it harder for each baby to become into the right position.
- There is as well much or too little amniotic fluid.
- The uterus is not normal in shape or has abnormal growths such as fibroids. Most of the time, the uterus is shaped similar an upside-down pear. If information technology'southward shaped differently, there might not be plenty room for a full-grown babe to motion into position.
- The placenta covers all or part of the cervix (a condition called placenta previa).
- The baby is preterm. This ways they are less than 37 weeks gestation and may not have turned to a head-first position.
- Your baby has a birth defect that causes them to not turn head-down.
Diagnosis and Tests
How is a breech baby diagnosed?
Your healthcare provider may exist able to tell which fashion your infant is facing by placing their easily at certain places on your abdomen. By feeling where the baby's head, back and buttocks are, information technology's usually possible to discover out what part of the baby is positioned to come up out of the vagina get-go. An ultrasound may be used to ostend the infant's position.
When is a breech baby diagnosed?
Nigh all babies are breech at some point. As your pregnancy progresses, your baby will naturally move to a caput-down position — probably between 32 and 36 weeks. Your healthcare provider will feel your belly and make up one's mind where your baby is positioned. This will happen during most of your appointments in the 3rd trimester. After 37 weeks, a breech baby usually does not turn on their own. Your healthcare provider will discuss commitment options with you lot.
Management and Handling
What are the options for treating a breech babe?
If your infant is breech at 37 weeks of pregnancy, your healthcare provider may:
- Try turning your infant in your uterus into the head-first position.
- Plan a C-department birth.
- Plan a vaginal breech birth.
What are some complications of having a breech babe?
The complications of having a breech baby usually practise non occur until it'southward time to deliver. Some breech babies tin be safely delivered through the vagina.
The risks of attempting a vaginal breech birth are:
- Injuries to your baby's legs or arms such as confused or broken basic.
- Umbilical string issues. The umbilical string can exist flattened or twisted during delivery. This tin can crusade nerve or brain damage due to a lack of oxygen.
Will my doctor try to flip my baby if information technology's breech?
If your baby is breech, your healthcare provider may consider turning your baby so that you can have a vaginal commitment. In some cases, trying to turn your babe may not exist safe or the risks outweigh the benefits.
Flipping your infant may not be safe if you have any of the following:
- Bleeding from your vagina.
- Placenta previa. This is when your placenta covers all or function of your neck.
- A nonreactive nonstress exam.
- An abnormally small baby.
- Low level of amniotic fluid.
- Low or high fetal heart rate.
- Premature rupture of the membranes.
- Twins or multiples.
The most common method used to plow a breech infant is chosen external cephalic version (ECV). Information technology's performed by your healthcare provider around 37 weeks of pregnancy. This procedure is performed in the hospital just in case an emergency occurs. Information technology involves placing easily on your abdomen and applying house pressure to plough your baby to a caput-down position while your baby is yet in your uterus. It is virtually 65% effective and carries some risks.
What are the risks of turning my breech infant?
The risks of ECV include the following:
- Premature labor.
- Premature rupture of the amniotic sac.
- Blood loss for either you or your infant.
- Emergency C-department.
- Your baby might turn back to the breech position.
Although the gamble of having these complications is small, some healthcare providers prefer not to try to flip a breech babe.
Volition my breech baby flip on their own?
Virtually babies will flip to a head-down position earlier they reach full term (37 weeks). If your baby is even so in a breech position at this time, your healthcare provider volition determine if you lot can deliver vaginally or if you will need a C-section.
How tin I flip my baby if it's breech?
Some women volition try calm methods to flip their baby to a head-showtime position. They may help, but there is no scientific evidence that they work.
- Bridge position: Lie on the flooring with your legs bent and your feet flat on the ground. Raise your hips and pelvis into a bridge position. Hold this position for 10 or 15 minutes several times a day.
- Child's pose: Rest in the child's pose for 10 to fifteen minutes. It can help relax your pelvic muscles and uterus. You can also rock back and forth on your hands and knees or make circles with your pelvis to promote activity.
- Music: Identify headphones or a speaker at the lesser of your uterus to encourage your baby to turn.
- Temperature: Effort placing something cold at the height of your stomach where your baby'southward head is. And so, place something warm at the bottom of your tummy.
A chiropractic technique, chosen the Webster technique, can also help your uterus relax. Some providers even recommend acupuncture. Both of these techniques demand to be done past a professional person that your healthcare provider has recommended.
Prevention
How can I reduce my run a risk of having a breech infant?
In that location is nothing you can do to prevent your baby from existence in a breech position. If your baby is in a breech position, it'due south not because you did anything incorrect.
Outlook / Prognosis
Can you lot deliver vaginally with a baby breech?
Information technology's possible to deliver a breech baby vaginally. Information technology tin be more dangerous for the babe and the chance of injury is much higher. If the umbilical string is compressed during birth, the babe could be deprived of oxygen and this could harm their encephalon and nerves. The cord could also sideslip around the baby'southward neck or arms, causing injury. Healthcare providers have various levels of comfort with vaginal deliveries of breech babies. Talk to your provider about the risks and benefits of unlike types of birth for a breech infant.
Living With
When should I see my healthcare provider?
Contact your healthcare provider if you feel any of the post-obit symptoms during pregnancy:
- Severe cramping or contractions.
- Vaginal bleeding.
What questions should I ask my physician?
Learning your baby is breech may give you concerns about your delivery. It'southward completely natural to take questions. Some questions to ask your doctor tin include:
- How can I tell if my baby is breech?
- Is my baby OK?
- What are the benefits and risks of turning my babe?
- What are my options for delivery if my infant remains in the breech position?
- What are the health risks to my infant and me if they are built-in breech?
Frequently Asked Questions
Do birth defects cause breech position?
Birth defects are slightly more common in breech babies. Information technology might exist the reason that the baby didn't move to the head-downwardly position. Most babies who are breech at commitment are born without any health complications.
Will I need a C-section if my baby is breech?
Nearly of the time, a C-section is the safest way to deliver a breech babe. Your risks of developing complications are much higher if you lot try to deliver a breech baby through the vagina. However, some healthcare providers may feel comfortable performing a vaginal breech birth.
How does labor outset if your baby is breech?
Having a breech baby doesn't change some of the commencement signs of labor like contractions or rupturing of your membranes. In most cases, your healthcare provider will recommend a planned C-section. If your commitment is planned, you may not take any labor symptoms.
If you are in labor and go to the hospital for delivery, your provider volition confirm your baby's position a final time. Your provider could attempt a vaginal delivery, but it'due south more likely they will go on with a C-section to be rubber.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Having a breech infant can be unexpected and alter the vision you had for childbirth. Talk to your healthcare provider about what to expect during a breech delivery. They can assistance you understand the risks and benefits of a breech nativity and then that yous and your babe are kept safe.
Stomach Seems Flat and Baby Not Moving 39 Weeks
Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21848-breech-baby