Health care

Why during the course of pregnancy babies are known to turn their head down?

At around 32 weeks of pregnancy, the head of the baby is facing towards the birth canal. Till this point of time it was pretty easy to ensure a head down position baby during pregnancy. This also goes by the name of cephalic presentation as there was ample amount of space in the uterus of the mother. Some babies are known to turn their heads much later and this could be before a few moments of the labor process beginning.

Why a different head down position baby is important?

First and foremost the entire process of labor is going to be easy if the head of the baby comes out first. There are different types of cephalic presentation and let us understand them in details

Vertex presentation

It is one of the common positions in case of singletons. The face of the baby usually faces the back of your tummy and the face towards the spine. It has to be stated that the position is ideal for birth as the baby fits in through the pelvis in an easy manner. The head of the baby might be tilted towards the side sometimes and this is not going to be a major problem of sorts.

Face presentation

If you find that the head is extended, then the face becomes the leading part. It accounts for less than 1 % of presentations at the time of birth and it is all the more common when it is the case of premature babies. When this form of presentation is uncomplicated, the duration of the labor is not tampered in any manner.

Brow presentation

This tends to happen whereby the head or neck of the baby is slightly extended, and it depicts a situation where the baby is facing up. This is a situation that tends to occur all the more in post mature babies.

How to ensure that the baby is in a head down position?

It has to be stated that if the baby does not touch upon the cephalic position by week 36, then it is high time you help them to change position. Have a one on one discussion with your health care professional before you begin.

  • Change to a helpful sitting position first and foremost. The pelvis is going to move forward when you sit, and this would mean hips are higher than the knees.
  • Try to get in a comfortable position and scrub the floor. When one is on all the fours it indeed becomes a lot easy for the baby to change their position and it helps them to come right in front of your belly
  • Do not sit in a place for extended hours and try to be active. Walking is one of the best ways to ensure that you are in a vertex mode.
  • When you are sitting in a car, ensure that you use a cushion so that the knees are positioned under the hips.