Getting baby head down! Spinning babies, etc

merostomata · November 2018

Hello everyone! I was just wondering if any of you (likely STMs+) had success with Spinning Babies or other simple techniques to gently encourage baby into a head down position. I am 31.5 weeks now and baby is back in a transverse lie. It's slightly uncomfortable now, and I just now realized that I would likely need a C-section should she not move. Not what I planned for! Obviously there is still lots of time to get head down, but I'd like to encourage flipping if any simple exercises might help the process.

Side note, I'm also getting a lot of mixed information about when to start being more proactive (or getting worried) about this. Some places say after 30 weeks, some say 36, some say later. My midwives weren't concerned at the last appt, but I will bring it up next week as well.

STM+, when did your baby flip (or didn't they)? For everyone, are your babies currently head down or not?

mrsmang · November 2018

I don’t think my baby is head down just because of where I’m feeling all the movement in my sides, but I have an ultrasound on Thursday so hopefully I’ll find out then. Our doula is Spinning Babies trained, so she’s going to come do exercises with me/teach us what to do in early December if needed.

leighbrek · November 2018

I'm a FTM. Baby is head down, but she has wedged herself into the right side of my womb and is facing the wrong direction. My midwife literally expressed sympathy and said she wished she could just follow me around and actively push baby toward my center! Baby is a big lump in my right side.
You shouldn't get worked up yet, though, about baby not being head down. Most sort it out by week 36.

Someone told me today that she did some spinning babies exercises and attended chiro appointments, and both her stubborn babies turned the right way. She said that a common for babies to move around is to do the table top position a couple times a day to create a sort of hammock in your womb. Can't hurt to try it.

Jackiemxoxo · November 2018

My second baby did not turn head down until 35 weeks. I did that maneuver where you have your knees on the couch and hands on the ground. I don't know if it helped but she turned. This kid just turned at my last appt (30 weeks) but honestly not quite sure until I get an U/S 2 weeks from now. Also, it doesn't hurt to play some music down towards your pubic bone to see if the baby will come towards it. You still have time but hopefully more ppl will chime in on what else worked for them. I hope your baby gets head down soon.

libertymomrn · November 2018

Some of my babies didn’t turn until 36 weeks. My first was head down, but posterior, which made labor longer and more painful. I was very proactive with spinning babies and techniques to get baby optimally positioned with my other 2 babies. It was definitely effective. With my third baby, she was transverse at 35 weeks. I spent the whole ceving doing spinning babies exercises and felt a big roll/ flop. Next appointment, she was head down and anterior, and stayed that way!

tosh24 · November 2018

I've heard really good things about spinning babies. Lots of personal recommendations. Baby was head down at my 28 week growth scan, then transverse at my 30 week growth scan, then last week had gone back to head down, and now I feel like s/he is transverse again based on where I'm feeling the movement. There's still time for baby to move on their own, but there's nothing to say that you can't do the exercises now and continue on with them. It's not going to hurt anything and if it makes you feel better about trying to do something about it, then all the power to you. I still have regular ultrasounds every 2 weeks so I can keep tabs on baby's position, but I'll be starting the exercises anyway. My first was head down but posterior and that labour/delivery was a bitch. Don't want to do that again. Hoping to coax baby into (or keep baby in) a head down, anterior position by doing the regular exercises.

merostomata · November 2018

Thanks ladies for the reassurance

. I also couldn't tell if Spinning Babies was hooha or legit, but I'm glad it is legit and you have had success with it, or know someone who has. Sounds like there isn't a need to worry yet but exercises wouldn't hurt. I'll probably start with doing the forward inversions (leaning over the couch/bed) daily and some pelvic tilts just in case that helps. Even if she flips back to transverse before ~35 weeks it would be awesome if she were either head-down or breech for awhile, just for comfort- ever since she went transverse a couple weeks ago I've felt like she's all up in my organs and sides, and my hips have been aching at night.

sushilove15 · November 2018

@merostomata my girl is transverse too at 33 weeks. I have a sono in two weeks and we will check again but I can definitely feel her head on my right and her bottom on my left, she has not budged for weeks. My hips have been really achy too. I have been trying different stretches and hopefully she will decide to go head down. There is still plenty of time and my doctor said they don’t worry until 38 weeks.

Doctors sometimes try to flip them but do so in the hospital because there are risks involved- tightening the cord around the neck, detaching the placenta. My doctor said that if I wanted to do that we would be in the hospital and then immediately induce if it was successful. I told her that if I got to that point I would rather do a csection to avoid the risks.

Again, there is time so no need to worry at this point.

kaf1788 · November 2018

Soooo how do you all know what position your baby is in right now? Can you tell by feel? Or are you all getting growth scans? I have no clue where my LO is other than constantly attacking my ribs.

Also I obviously have no experience with this since I'm a FTM but the doula at my birth class recommended, in addition to spinning babies, to just sit on an exercise ball slightly leaning forward when you're watching tv or whatever. Apparently that's better than reclining for coaxing them into birthing position.

leighbrek · November 2018

@kaf1788
You can tell where baby is (roughly) by feel. If there's a little nub pushing out somewhere, that is likely a foot. If there's a hard, round thing somewhere, that's the head or bum; the bum is a bit softer than the head. Gauge where you feel the stronger kicks - that will give you an indication of you're feeling the head or buttocks.

I have incredible movement in my pelvis, and get regular kicks to my ribs, so I know that baby is head down (and midwife confirmed yesterday by putting pressure on my pelvis that baby is head down), which tells me this adorable big lump that sticks out is baby's butt.

Does that help?

ladystout08 · November 2018

My son was breech up until 36 weeks. I had just gotten the "if he doesn't flip soon" talk from my OB. I went to the chiro and explained what happened and they focused on my hips a lot to allow him room to flip. He did the next day. This little girl flips between transverse and breech. I honestly don't think she's going to end up head down, I think she's kind of stuck and can only partially turn one way and that's how she ends up breech. She goes from her head at my left hip, butt at my belly button, feet at my right ribs to just breech and mostly on my right side. I see the chiro regularly and will probably start spinning babies to see if we can move her over the next few weeks.

kaf1788 · November 2018

@leighbrek That helps a lot! Judging by that description I'm gonna say that my baby is head down too.

MrsDho11 · November 2018

DD was transverse for a long time. I think she flipped somewhere around 34-36 months. Her position was checked at 32 and she was still sideways. I did both spinning babies and acupuncture to encourage her to flip.

I’ve already started doing the inversions from spinning babies just because it sometimes makes things more comfortable for me to stretch out.

saltedcaramel518 · November 2018

@kaf1788 I had an ultrasound and saw that baby was head down this week, but when I was pregnant with DS, I could tell where he was when he got hiccups. I could feel them below my belly button. I haven’t felt this baby have hiccups yet.

libertymomrn · November 2018

kaf1788 said:

Soooo how do you all know what position your baby is in right now? Can you tell by feel? Or are you all getting growth scans? I have no clue where my LO is other than constantly attacking my ribs.

Also I obviously have no experience with this since I'm a FTM but the doula at my birth class recommended, in addition to spinning babies, to just sit on an exercise ball slightly leaning forward when you're watching tv or whatever. Apparently that's better than reclining for coaxing them into birthing position.

My midwife is old school (but also up to date on the latest. She’s awesome; the best of everything!) and can tell by feel what position my baby is in.

You can also roughly tell by “belly-mapping.”https://www.mamanatural.com/how-to-do-belly-mapping/

sushilove15 · November 2018

@kaf1788 I suspected baby was transverse based on where I was feeling movement and where I felt her when I felt around on my tummy. I told the doctor and they checked with the sono machine that they roll into the room to check and confirmed it.

merostomata · November 2018

@kaf1788 I suspected based on where the movement was- it was a ton on the far sides of my abdomen, often moving on both sides at once, and the midwife confirmed it by feel. A couple of my H’s cousins also confirmed it (one is a doula) by feel- you can feel the harder, round head structure the easiest and also the butt on the opposite side. If you have a Doppler you might be able to get additional evidence based on where the heart is positioned. I think it’s harder to tell breech vs head down on your own at this point, but you should be able to suspect one of those vs transverse based on the movements! Either way just ask your midwife or OB at your next appt

LauraK33 · November 2018

My second was breech until the day I went into labor (breech at an appt that morning, head down at the hospital that night!). Number 4 was breech until birth but was twin B so it was different. This one is breech but our dr won't discuss options until 36 weeks. No advice on spinning babies but wanted to give some hope that they really can flip later!

sweetyjenj · November 2018

Someone also once said that you can tell by hiccups (if you can feel them). When baby was breech his hiccups were higher in my belly, like near my belly button or ribs. Now I feel hiccups way down in my pelvis. And I think the butt feels more broad than the head. If there's a smallish hard thing bumping against my ribs, I'll know that's the head. the butt feels much more wide and round

tosh24 · November 2018

Just wanted to pop in and say that I had acupuncture this afternoon and I'm pretty sure baby moved head down since the appointment. For the last week I have only been feeling movements on the very sides of my torso, right above my hips. While I was eating dinner tonight I was so uncomfortable and could barely finish and when I looked down, there was a bump (guessing a foot?) sticking out of my belly right below my sternum. I have NEVER felt baby in the centre this entire pregnancy so far. Also, zero kicks at the sides since my appointment. So maybe acupuncture is an option if people are interested!?!

Kabazaba · November 2018

Have any of you heard of Robozo? I am probably spelling that wrong. It can be used during labor and also pregnancy for comfort, but also seems like there are some ways to use it to help encourage baby to get into the right position?

kmvisioli · November 2018

Kabazaba said:

Have any of you heard of Robozo? I am probably spelling that wrong. It can be used during labor and also pregnancy for comfort, but also seems like there are some ways to use it to help encourage baby to get into the right position?

I think that’s the “sifting” thing, right? I found it helped a lot with relieving the weight and pressure for a bit, and it is supposed to help get baby into position. It did make me feel a little like a whale in one of those big hammock transport thingies, lol, but worth it.

skilouise · November 2018

I tried a forward leaning inversion for the first time tonight. Yoga blocks were a big help getting down and back up, as was DH. Coming back up led to a dizzy spell though, so I definitely won't be trying that one without DH nearby!

Kabazaba · November 2018

@kmvisioli Yes it's the sifting thing! So comfy I wish I could just spend the next 7 weeks doing that

merostomata · November 2018

Baby has flipped and I'm pretty sure it was last night! Yay! Midwife confirmed it at our appt today

I'll be 33 weeks on Friday so was hoping she'd do it soon. I had been doing some daily inversions in case that helped, and she was making some big squirmy movements last night so I was wondering if she was thinking about flipping. I feel a lot more comfortable today in the ribs. Here's hoping she stays there!

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