How many weeks is the most suitable for determining the fetal position?

The fetus is active and lively, and the expectant mother's sleeping posture is wrong. These conditions can easily lead to a transverse position of the fetus. What is a transverse position of the fetus? The more official answer is that the transverse position of the fetus generally refers to the position of the fetus in the uterus tilted after 30 weeks of pregnancy, which is more common in pregnant women and primiparas with loose abdomen. So, at what week of pregnancy can the fetal position be determined?

How many weeks does the fetus have to be in order to determine the fetal position?

Generally speaking, before the 28th week of pregnancy (7 months), because the pregnant woman has more amniotic fluid, the fetus is smaller, the fetus has a large range of movement in the uterus, and the fetal position is very easy to change. After 32 weeks of pregnancy (8 months), the fetus appears to be moving faster, the amniotic fluid of the pregnant woman is relatively reduced, and the position of the fetus in the uterus is basically fixed. There are three fetal positions: cephalic position, breech position, and transverse position. The transverse position is very rare and is an abnormal fetal position.

In fact, the fetal head position of the fetus will be accompanied by the contraction of the uterus during the birth process. In order to adapt to the changes in the diameters of the pelvis, it will undergo a series of postures such as lowering and rotating until the baby is successfully delivered. If the lowering and rotation are blocked, the pregnant woman will suffer from dystocia, which is called "cephalic dystocia" in medicine. This is actually the most common type of "dystocia" in pregnant women who are diagnosed by doctors as having normal fetal positions during the birth process. Breech presentation is also an abnormal fetal position, which is much less common than cephalic presentation. During the 7th and 8th months of pregnancy, the doctor will instruct the pregnant woman to do some actions to change the fetal position. However, if the fetus is very large, there is too little amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord is wrapped around the neck, or there is an abnormality in the pelvis, the fetal position will be difficult to correct. At the same time, there is a certain risk of forcibly changing the fetal position for a fetus with the umbilical cord wrapped around the neck. At 36 weeks, the doctor will give you an ultrasound to determine the position of the fetus, the condition of the umbilical cord, and the method of delivery.

What is fetal position correction exercise?

The fetal position correction exercise is mainly designed for pregnant women with transverse fetal positions. During pregnancy, although some fetuses are head down, if the fetal head position changes from flexion to extension or the occipital bone is at the back, it is considered a transverse fetal position. For those pregnant women who give birth with their buttocks first (breech presentation), feet or toes first, or even arms first (transverse presentation), the fetus is also in transverse presentation. At this time, if you follow the doctor's instructions and do fetal position correction exercises, you can correct the fetal position to a certain extent, thereby ensuring the normal growth and development of the fetus.

Generally speaking, before the 28th week of pregnancy, because the pregnant woman has more amniotic fluid, the fetal position is not easy to be fixed. Some breech positions can naturally rotate to head positions and do not require special treatment. Regular pregnancy check-ups are required. After 28 weeks of pregnancy, if the fetal position cannot be corrected and graded on its own, it should be actively handled, because 28 to 34 weeks of pregnancy is the golden time to correct the transverse position of the fetus. The simplest and most common way is to do general exercises to correct the fetal position. There are mainly two types: one is the knee-chest position, and the other is the supine position with the hips upper. Doing fetal position correction exercises is helpful for correcting the fetal position. It is recommended that pregnant mothers go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible when the fetus is in a transverse position, and do fetal position correction exercises or other fetal position correction methods to correct the fetal position under the advice of a doctor.