Third time moms - what are you buying??? - April 2024 Babies | Forums | What to Expect (2024)

FAQs

When should a baby be head down? ›

By about 32 weeks, the baby is usually lying with their head pointing downwards, ready for birth. This is known as cephalic presentation. If your baby is not lying head down at this stage, it's not a cause for concern – there's still time for them to turn.

Every pregnancy is different, and engagement doesn't follow a specific schedule. In first pregnancies, however, it usually happens several weeks before birth — anywhere between 34 weeks and 38 weeks gestation. In subsequent pregnancies, your baby's head may not engage until your labor starts.

Was your baby breech and now head down? Avoid the Forward-leaning Inversion and other inversions (Open Knee-chest) for three days while you do the other body balancing and daily activities.

Or that if you feel your baby moving more on the right side, then you're probably having a boy. But there's no evidence that there's a difference between the movements of boys and girls in the womb (Medina et al 2003).

If you have never delivered a baby, dropping usually occurs 2 to 4 weeks before delivery, but it can happen earlier. If you have delivered a baby in the past, the fetus may not drop until labor begins. The shape of your belly may change after dropping. It may be easier to breathe, and you may have less heartburn.

Figure 11.5 Press firmly with your fingers just above the pubic bone to see if you can feel the baby's head. 3 If the shape is not clearly round, it may be the baby's face or the baby's bottom that you can feel. Or sometimes the baby's bottom is up, but the head is not straight down (Figure 11.6a and b).

There's no one answer to this question. After your baby drops, labor can start after a few hours up to a few weeks later. For example, if your baby dropped at 34 weeks, it doesn't necessarily mean that labor is near—it could be 3 or 4 weeks away, or just a few hours away.

External cephalic version (ECV)

Your provider uses their hands to manually turn the baby head down. If you've reached 36 weeks and your baby still isn't head down, your doctor may suggest an ECV.

Babies generally drop in the later stages of the third trimester. There's no specific week when this has to happen—it can occur anywhere from a few weeks to a few hours before labor begins.

Most babies that are breech will turn themselves by about 36 to 37 weeks, so that they are head-down, ready for birth. This is the best position for a baby to be in near the end of pregnancy. Sometimes, though, babies do not turn head-down. Around 3 to 4 babies in every 100 remain breech.

Is it safe to deliver at 33 weeks? ›

Any preemie that's born earlier than 34 weeks gestation should spend several weeks in the NICU. On average, doctors recommend preemies stay in the NICU until three to four weeks before what their regular due date would have been.