How to make a baby turn head down. Gymnastics for pregnant women: what exercises should be done to make the baby turn head down? "Indian bridge", coups, etc.

For 9 months, the baby grows inside the uterus. Every day it gets bigger. At first, the baby moves freely in the uterus, changes position many times a day. But as the space for movement grows, there is less and less space left, it is already much more difficult to roll over. On an ultrasound scan performed at the 27-29th week, the doctor establishes the presentation of the fetus, that is, its position in the woman's abdomen.

By nature, it is arranged in such a way that by the end of pregnancy, the child is located in the uterus with his head down, towards the birth canal. In 95% of cases, children take the correct position. This makes it easier to move through the birth canal. The head, larger in comparison with the body, facing down, is born first and opens the way for the body. This is the most comfortable natural position.

In 5% of cases, pregnant women are diagnosed with breech or transverse presentation. That is, the fetus does not turn over to the correct position. Childbirth in this case can be very difficult, sometimes for this reason they resort to a caesarean section. Today, much attention is paid to this problem. There is a special gymnastics - exercises to help the child roll over head down.

Causes of malposition of the fetus

Instinctively, the child takes the correct position by about 36 weeks. If it doesn't, then something is blocking it. The reasons may be:

Narrow pelvis of a woman.
Uterine tone, high tension.
Excessive relaxation of the muscles of the uterus, for example, due to many pregnancies. In view of this, the fetus has a lot of room to move.
The length of the umbilical cord and/or the position of the placenta is such that the baby cannot physically roll over. No manipulation can force the fetus to change its position.
The habit of a pregnant woman to sleep in one position from evening to morning every night. The child instinctively finds a comfortable position for him and gets used to it. He sleeps with his mother, practically not moving, all night. If this happens 6-8 weeks before delivery, when it is already difficult to change position, the fetus remains in its usual position, often upside down.
Wrong nutrition. If a pregnant woman eats a lot at night (especially for fatty, protein foods), the fetus may feel so bad that it will turn its head up.
Insufficient mobility of the expectant mother.
Strong feelings, stress.

If the baby is not positioned correctly before 34 weeks, there is no need to worry. He still has enough time to roll over easily. But even after 34 weeks, it is quite possible to help the fetus change its position.

If the ultrasound revealed the entanglement of the baby with the umbilical cord or the position of the placenta, which does not allow the child to change position, there is no need to even try to do something. Most likely, in order not to harm the little one, the doctor will recommend a caesarean section. You should not be afraid of this. Women tend to tolerate surgery quite easily, and newborns avoid the trauma and complications that could occur during natural childbirth due to the head-up position.

With a breech or transverse presentation of the fetus, the expectant mother should, first of all, change her habits:

eat right, consume more vegetables and fruits;
exercise sufficient physical activity, walk, breathe more air;
do special exercises for pregnant women;
pay attention to sleep: its duration, posture.

If you have a habit of sleeping in the same position all night, you need to change it. Before rest, you need to lie down in several comfortable positions for at least 5 minutes. Every night you should try to fall asleep in different positions, this will make the child move. In search of comfort, he must take the right position.

Exercises

The coup of the fetus is facilitated by special gymnastics. But you don't have to do anything on your own. First, you need to consult a specialist. There are contraindications for gymnastics:

placenta previa (it blocks the exit in the uterus);
risk of miscarriage;
individual contraindications.

Some exercises are contraindicated for preeclampsia, problems with the heart, liver, kidneys. The doctor will recommend a suitable complex. Before gymnastics, you can not eat for 2 hours. Exercises cause the movement of amniotic fluid, an increase in the activity of the child, and change the tone of the uterus.

Trained women who practiced yoga before pregnancy can resort to yoga to turn the fetus upside down. Here, too, there are nuances. The best result is achieved with the so-called inverted postures, head down. Women who have never practiced yoga should not even try, you can greatly harm yourself and your child.

You can go in for sports after consultation with a specialist under the supervision of an experienced instructor. A special warm-up is also important, which will prepare you for the implementation of the main exercises.

For example, untrained pregnant women are advised to do a half bridge. Lying exercise is performed. Under the lower back, it is necessary to put a pillow, blankets so that the pelvis is about 20 cm above the level of the bed. The shoulders are at the bottom. You need to lie in this position for 20 minutes. You should start with a few minutes, increasing the time every day. Do 3-4 times a day.

This position gives the child some freedom, it becomes easier for him to move in the uterus. Instinctively, he must find the right position - upside down.

If the uterus has an increased tone, doctors recommend performing the exercise by I. F. Dikan. You need to lie on your right side, spend ten minutes on it. Then roll over to the left, and stay on it for the same amount of time. Repeat 4 times. Do the same three more times a day.

If the tone of the uterus is low or normal, the V.V. Fomicheva complex is used. It is quite intense, causes contractions of the abdominal muscles, from which the tone of the uterus grows. It is shortened, which helps to move the child to the desired position.

First you should warm up (walk in place, leaning on different parts of the foot). Then it is recommended to do the exercises slowly:

From a standing position with legs slightly apart, bend to the left, straighten up, then also to the right, five times. Then the same back and forth. Pay attention that the inclinations are performed on the exhale, straightening - on the inhale.
Standing raise your arms to the sides (on inspiration). Exhale and close them in front of you, turning to the right, then repeat the same to the left. Do four sets.
Standing near the support, raise the bent leg to the side, without touching the stomach. Five times with each leg.
Perform standing. The right leg is on a support (chair), the left leg is on the floor. Inhale, raise your arms to the sides, exhale, turn your upper body and pelvis outward, lean forward. Three times right and left.
Leaning on your knees and palms, raise your legs back in turn, five repetitions each.
Lying on your side, inhale, bend the upper leg, exhale - unbend. Five reps. Then, from the same position, describe circles with your foot. Do four repetitions.
Exercise cat. Leaning on your knees and palms, tilt your head down, while arching your back up, inhale. Perform slowly. Then raise your head, bend your lower back down, exhale. Repeat ten times.
Leaning on your knees and palms, straighten your legs, raise the pelvic area up (it turns out the letter "L"). Do five repetitions.
Take the half-bridge position. Inhale, tear the lower back off the floor up, exhale, lower. Run four times.

At the end, slowly breathe, calm down.

When the tone of the uterus is uneven, the complex of E. V. Bryukhina is performed twice a day, aimed at relaxing the abdominal muscles. All exercises are done in the knee-elbow position:

Inhale slowly, slowly exhale. Repeat six times.
Inhale, lower the torso down, bending your arms, exhale, rise up. Perform five repetitions.
Straighten your leg, lift it up, take it to the side, down, touch the floor, put it on your knee. Four repetitions with each leg.
"Cat". Ten times.
Kegel exercises. It is necessary to strain the muscles of the vagina and anus.

In 76% of cases, exercises help turn the child upside down.

After another visit to the gynecologist in the third trimester of pregnancy, you may hear that the baby has not yet taken the proper position in the uterus. That is, he is turned down with his legs and buttocks. In this case, there is no need to be afraid, since the babies take the correct position after 32-34 weeks, some on the eve of childbirth. And yet, how to turn the child in? Let's try to figure it out.

Why is the baby in the wrong position?

Why the future baby may be in a breech presentation, your doctor will definitely tell you. He will tell about medical reasons, and there are others.

The habit of sleeping all night in one position of the expectant mother negatively affects the position of the fetus in the uterus. In such cases, doctors recommend lying in bed before going to bed in several positions, changing them several times. Such “movements” will help to lay down a sleep program with alternating several positions. And perhaps in a week the habit of sleeping in one position will be forgotten.

Convince to turn over!

There are other ways to gradually turn the fetus in the womb into the desired position:

Communication with a child. Mommy, comfortably sitting in a chair, mentally directs her gaze inward, to the child. She speaks her thoughts out loud, talking about how dangerous the prospect of a breech birth is. Thus, you can convince the baby to roll over, explain to him such a need. You can also convince with the help of tactile contact by stroking the abdomen, light massaging. To do this, the mother must communicate with the child every day for a certain time, while persuading him to take the right position. Hand movements should be directed so that the child moves behind them and thus turns over.
The natural curiosity of the child can also be used for your own purposes. So, the included flashlight must be attached to the mother's belly and move it in the direction necessary for the coup. The child, as it were, is carried away by the light from outside and turns over.
You can also resort to the method of acupuncture. It is safe for expectant mothers if a specialist does it. Influence on the meridians contributes to the coup of the child.

Physical exercise will help

Very good effect on pregnant yoga. And in this way, you can easily get the baby to take the correct position. For women who have not done this before, you can try to do a “half-bridge”. To do this, put blankets or other soft objects under the lower back. To be effective, this position should be held for 15 minutes a couple of times a day. But you need to start with 2-3 minutes, so as not to aggravate the situation immediately, not to overdo it.

Turning the unborn child after is much more difficult than avoiding such a situation. And for its prevention, you need to lead a healthy lifestyle, including motor activity.

Lie on your side in fetal position (with legs and hips bent at the knees). Lie down like this for a few minutes. Take a deep breath, roll over to the other side through your back, take the same position. Lie down again for a few minutes. Straighten the leg that is on top, the second leg remains bent. Inhale and bend the straightened leg again. Grasp your knee with your hands and take it to the side. Repeat the same on the other side. Perform the exercise 5-6 times.
Exercise "Cat". It is done standing on all fours and bending the back up and down with the head raised. We repeat the exercise 10 times.
Lie on your back. Legs bent at the knees stand on the floor, arms extended along the body. Slowly, while inhaling, raise, and while exhaling, lower the pelvis. We repeat the exercise 7 times.

Such exercises should be done every day for a week, or even 10 days.

This is a simple gymnastics that does not require effort and a lot of time. When, during such physical education, you feel noise, movement in your stomach, this may mean that the child is already listening to you and doing what both of you need so much. To be sure of this, do . The bandage will help the baby to fix in this position. Good luck and activity to both of you!

Specially for Elena TOLOCHIK

The news that her baby is in breech or transverse presentation, a bit of a shock to any mom-to-be. Today our article is about how to help a child roll over, which breech exercises for this are useful, on the site for moms site.

Breech presentation: how to turn the baby?

As you know, childbirth in the wrong position of the fetus is often accompanied by complications, therefore, often this situation is exited with the help of a caesarean section. However, recently a lot of attention has been paid to changing the abnormal position of the fetus to a normal one even in the prenatal period.

How to turn the breech presentation of the fetus according to the method of I.F. Dikanya

This method can be applied from the 29-30th week of the "interesting situation". We talked about him earlier in one of the site site.

To perform it, a pregnant woman needs to alternately lie on a couch or bed turn from side to side, lying on each of them for 10 minutes. You need to repeat the exercises up to 4 times a day, before meals.

This method of rotation operates not only due to the mechanical moment, but also due to changes in the tone of the walls of the uterus. Such exercises are harmless, affordable and can be used even by women who have a complicated pregnancy. However, for many, they simply do not work!

Breech presentation: exercises for a coup according to the method of V.V. Fomicheva

This method can be applied from the 32nd to the 38th week of pregnancy, however it does not give 100% result. Each lesson lasts about 25 minutes, you need to perform the complex twice a day - in the morning and in the afternoon. The pace of classes should be leisurely, the room is well ventilated. Before class, you need to warm up for 3 minutes.

Tilts to the side. Starting position (ip) - in an upright position, legs slightly wider than shoulders, relaxed arms below. While tilting, exhale, returning to the starting position, inhale, tilt to the opposite side. Repeat several times on each side.
Tilts back and forth. I.p. standing, your hands are on the belt. Slowly lean forward, inhale. Return to I.P. Bend back at the waist, inhale. Repeat at least 5 times.
Body twists. I.p. - standing, legs are wider than shoulders. Spread your arms to the sides, turn to the side, bringing your hands together in front of you. Returning to I.P. spread your arms again. Repeat 4-5 times on each side.
I.p. - kneel on the floor, lean on your elbows. In turn, at a slow pace, lift and straighten your legs back and up. Repeat 4 times for each leg.
I.p. - stand on all fours. Lower your head down, round your back - inhale. Return to SP, bend in the lower back. Repeat slowly 10 times.
Pelvic lifts. I.p. - lie on your back, leaning on the back of your head and feet. Raise the pelvis up, inhale, return to I.p. - exhale. Repetition - 4 times.

After completing this complex, well sitting or lying down, perform a few more breathing exercises to relax the muscles.

Alternative methods of coup

If a pregnant woman has been diagnosed with a breech presentation, non-traditional methods can also help turn the fetus upside down. There will be no harm from them, that's for sure, although there is no scientific evidence of their effectiveness.

Suggestion technique. You can inspire yourself and tell the child that his task is to roll over. The father of the child can also do this.
Imaging technique. Try to relax and imagine that your son or daughter is rolling over. These breech or lateral presentation exercises will help you relax.
Use music and light. If you place a light source directly above the womb, this will stimulate the fetus to turn over in relation to the light. You can also use music: place the headphones in the lower abdomen, and the child will reach for the sounds.

The pool is here to help!

Exercises in the pool with breech presentation are very useful. It's not even an exercise, it's just relaxation. The water should be warm, from swimming the muscles of the uterus go out of tone. At the same time, the volume of the uterus increases, so the baby becomes more space and there is a "place to maneuver."

Manual flip

If the child still does not roll over on his own, and his breech or breech presentation is observed, then you can turn him over manual flip on the head in an obstetric hospital. The procedure is not easy and has many contraindications (obesity, scars on the uterus, the threat of miscarriage and early childbirth, preeclampsia, pathological pregnancy, narrow pelvis, cord entanglement, etc.).

The procedure is carried out up to the 37th week of pregnancy, before that, a woman is given special drugs that relax the uterus.

Osteopath will help turn the child on his head

According to many pregnant women, it is the osteopath who can painlessly and quite easily turn your baby head down. The technique is somewhat reminiscent of an obstetric coup, but it is more gentle, as a competent osteopath Feels the patient's body well and will not cause harm.

It presses special points, and the uterus relaxes, so turning upside down is easy for both mother and child. Again, the main thing here is to find a good osteopath, so before you decide, read the reviews of moms!

Don't let the rollback happen!

If your efforts were successful, and you still "persuaded" your baby to roll upside down, now you need to keep him in that position.

This is facilitated by the so-called "tailor's pose"

To do this, you need to sit on the floor, attach your feet to one another, and press your knees to the floor. Pull the feet as close to you as possible. This exercise helps to establish the fetal head in the small pelvis. In this position, you need to spend 15-20 minutes. per day until birth.

Do your best to ensure that the baby is in the correct position in the uterine cavity before delivery. However, before that be sure to check with your doctor.

The location of the fetus in the womb is an important indicator on which the method of delivery largely depends. The safest and most physiological is the flexion head presentation, in which childbirth takes place naturally. Consider which week the child turns upside down and what to do if the change of position does not occur on time.

Types of presentation

After conception, a gradually developing embryo can move freely and turn over in any direction. As the fetus grows, there is less and less free space in the uterine cavity, and the baby seeks to take the final position, preparing for the birth. In the absence of complications, this occurs at a period of approximately 32-34 weeks. If the pregnancy is not the first, the baby may roll over 2-3 weeks later. Sometimes his position remains unstable until the very day of delivery.

There are several types of presentation, depending on which part of the body the baby is pressed against the birth canal:

head;
pelvic;
oblique or transverse.

The most dangerous is the oblique or transverse arrangement, in which a caesarean section is performed, regardless of other indications. With a breech presentation (feet or buttocks down), both natural and surgical delivery are possible, depending on the health of the expectant mother and baby. Childbirth is the least traumatic when the fetus is head down, pressing the back of the head against the entrance to the small pelvis.

How to determine the position of the fetus

It is almost impossible to independently reliably determine the position of the baby in the uterine cavity. To do this, during scheduled examinations in the antenatal clinic, the following manual and instrumental studies are carried out:

external palpation through the anterior wall of the abdomen with simultaneous determination of the heartbeat with a stethoscope;
vaginal examination;
ultrasound examination (ultrasound).

The position of the child should be monitored at each visit to the doctor, starting from a period of 28 weeks, so that, if necessary, timely measures can be taken to correct it.

Causes of malposition of the fetus

The main reasons for the pelvic, oblique or transverse location of the fetus are:

malformations of the child;
excessively high motor activity of the fetus caused by hypoxia or other complications of the course of pregnancy;
oligohydramnios or polyhydramnios;
narrow pelvis and asthenic physique of a pregnant woman;
diseases and anomalies in the structure of the internal genital organs (scars, polyps, fibroids, neoplasms, bicornuate or saddle uterus);
hypotonicity (stretching) of the walls of the uterus after a previous multiple pregnancy or surgery;
short umbilical cord;
entwining the child with the umbilical cord;
small weight and height of the baby;
low position of the placenta;
stress and unhealthy lifestyle (insufficient physical activity, the habit of eating at night).

If the baby is located upside down or across the abdomen, during childbirth in a natural way, the risk of complications for both the newborn (hypoxia, asphyxia, trauma) and for his mother (ruptures and hematomas of the genital organs) greatly increases. In case of incorrect presentation, weakness or absence of labor activity is noted, cases of death or disability of infants are not uncommon.

Exercises for correct presentation

What to do if before 32 weeks the child is in no hurry to take the correct position? If the breech or lateral presentation is not caused by causes that cannot be corrected, the woman may try to help him turn. During this period, it is recommended to do exercises that stimulate the baby to make certain movements that contribute to the entry of his head into the mother's small pelvis:

Walking on all fours, arching at the waist and swaying the hips. It is advisable to perform this effective exercise as many times as your health and free time allow.
"Cat Pose". Get on your knees, leaning on your bent arms and bending strongly in your back, while maintaining calm, even breathing. Fix the position for 5-10 minutes.
Fitball swings. It is convenient to sit on a well-inflated gymnastic ball, legs wide apart, bent at the hips, and make springy movements up and down with the pelvis. During the exercise, hold on to the back of a chair or other fixed support with your hands.
Half bridge from a prone position. Lie on the floor or any hard surface with your knees slightly apart. Slowly raise the pelvis, holding the lower back with your hands, fix the position for 15-20 seconds.
Turns from side to side. Lie on your side with your legs straight and one hand under your head. After 5-10 minutes, while inhaling, quickly roll to the other side, repeat 4-8 times.
Leg curls. Lie down on your left side, bending your left leg at the knee. Raise the right straightened leg and, sharply bending at the knee, bring it to the stomach, helping with the hand. Hold this pose for several minutes.

An absolute contraindication to exercise is the threat of premature birth, fibroids and scars on the uterus, preeclampsia, placental pathology and other severe complications of pregnancy.

It should be understood that gymnastics should be done under the supervision of a specialist and only in the absence of contraindications. Classes should be stopped immediately if you feel worse or have any discomfort. Exceeding the load or performing exercises through force can harm the baby, so you should not do more than 15-20 dynamic exercises per day.

With regular exercise, the child can take the correct position in 8-10 days. However, do not despair and stop exercising if the baby is in no hurry to turn around. Often this happens a few days before the onset of labor, when the pregnant woman's tummy drops. At this time, the child turns over much more readily, since the displaced bottom of the uterus gives him more room for movement.

other methods

There are other ways to help your baby roll over in the right direction. One of the most unusual but effective methods is to draw the baby's attention to the mother's lower abdomen. To do this, it is recommended to shine a flashlight just above the pubis or bring headphones with the music turned on. The curiosity of the child forces him to make the necessary coup and remain in this position until the birth.

Some women try to persuade the baby to change position by stroking her stomach and talking to him out loud. Sometimes, in order to turn a child, it is enough to refuse to wear tight clothes with uncomfortable straps and elastic bands.

How to understand that the baby rolled over

How can a future mother understand that the child has turned upside down? It is best to regularly determine its position during routine examinations by a gynecologist. If a woman wants to find out the location of the fetus at home, you need to carefully feel the stomach: in its upper part there should be a large rounded bulge - the baby's buttocks. At the bottom, the movements will be less active and intense than under the breasts.

Most often, by the 35-36th week of pregnancy, the baby takes the head position and retains it until childbirth. However, about 5 out of 100 babies occupy a breech presentation, that is, they are located with their buttocks or legs at the entrance to the small pelvis. In this case, there may be some difficulties during childbirth. Therefore, in modern obstetrics, breech presentation is an indication for delivery by caesarean section, which avoids severe birth injuries in mother and child.

What if the child is in a breech presentation? Is it possible to help him take the correct position before childbirth?

It is possible and even necessary. After all, natural childbirth is much better than cesarean section: the mother recovers faster after childbirth, and the child's body adapts better to life outside the mother's body. To date, most doctors are in favor of natural childbirth. The position of the fetus at 35-36 weeks is considered the final presentation before childbirth. Up to 35 weeks, the presentation is unstable, and the baby can change it several times. The location of the fetus in the uterus is due to neuroendocrine mechanisms. If the pregnant woman had endocrine disruptions or severe stress, then the child may take a pathological presentation. How can you help your baby turn from breech to cephalic?

Several methods are known to help correct this situation.

1. Special exercises. Lie on your right side and lie down like this for 5-10 minutes. Then turn on your left side for 5-10 minutes. Repeat turns several times. The fetus may not like this, and its activity increases, which helps it to get into the correct position. As soon as the fetus turns and this is confirmed by ultrasound, wear a bandage, it fixes the baby and maintains his desired position.

2. Another option for special exercises: lie on your back for several minutes, placing a pillow under your lower back, resting your feet against the wall. The baby in this position does not feel very comfortable and can turn 180 0C.

3. Belief. You and your child are one. The baby perceives your feelings and understands your words. Think about your baby turning his head down and taking the correct presentation. Praise him, convince him that in this position it will be easier for him to be born and meet his mother. Despite the apparent dubiousness of the method, it often gives positive results.

4. Toddlers are connoisseurs of beauty. They really like to listen to melodic music. Let the baby listen to music by putting headphones on the lower abdomen. To better hear the melody, the fetus can move its head down.

5. Reflexology- a method from traditional oriental medicine. The method consists in exposing certain points that control certain functions of the uterus with special cigarettes or needles.

6. obstetric turn- an operative method for changing the presentation of the fetus. In modern obstetrics, this technique is rarely performed due to its lack of effectiveness and the risk of complications.

The above methods are effective in most cases. If in your case breech presentation is the only indication for operative delivery, try to do everything possible to correct the situation. After all, a caesarean section is considered a big intervention in the work of the body, which will never be forgotten. The uterus will remain damaged, and the recovery period will be delayed. Happy pregnancy and easy delivery.

Read also

Most often, it is difficult to establish the exact cause that led to the development of this disease (each case is studied and considered individually), although doctors name several of the most common points. Among them:

uncontrolled intake of various medicines, which include dietary supplements and vitamins consumed by expectant mothers without consulting a specialist;
viral diseases (influenza, acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections, etc.);
smoking;
drinking alcoholic beverages during pregnancy;
taking illegal drugs, etc.

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