Breech presentation of the fetus at 21 weeks: causes, exercises, photos

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Throughout the pregnancy, the baby moves and rolls over. Many women are afraid of breech presentation at 21 weeks. Starting from this period, the fetus takes its original position. It is considered correct to place the baby head down, this position provides a safe and natural exit during labor. Since the largest part of the body is the head, after it has passed through the birth canal, the shoulders, torso and legs come out freely.

Every woman's pregnancy is different, and not in all cases the child takes the correct position. Often there is a breech presentation of the fetus at 21 weeks. The ultrasound photo at the same time shows that the baby has fixed the position with the head up. According to the results of an ultrasound examination, doctors enter this diagnosis in the book. But do not despair. Even if at 30 weeks the fetus has not changed its position, there are methods that can correct the situation.

How to identify

It is not difficult to detect a breech presentation of the fetus at the 21st week of pregnancy. Guided by the signs, the doctor easily establishes a diagnosis, which in most cases is considered reliable. There are several methods by which the doctor determines the position of the fetus in the womb.

Methods that determine the position of the fetus:

• Outdoor study. During this examination, the specialist feels the woman's stomach, determining the position of the baby.
• Listening to the heartbeat. The breech presentation of the fetus is determined at 21 weeks by applying a hearing aid to the pregnant belly. If the beating is heard above the navel, then the diagnosis is confirmed.
• Vaginal exam. In a breech presentation, the doctor may feel the baby's legs and buttocks.
• You can confirm the wrong presentation with an ultrasound examination. On the screen of the ultrasound machine, even the expectant mother will be able to see what position the baby is in.

It is difficult to determine presentation on your own without an ultrasound examination. In addition, visually, a woman may not be aware that the baby has taken a head-up position. Sometimes there are cases when cephalic presentation was diagnosed on ultrasound, and the child turned over after a few days. And the woman will not even feel this fact, therefore, before the birth of a pregnant woman with such a diagnosis, an additional ultrasound examination should be carried out. Such a presentation is dangerous for both the child and the expectant mother. Therefore, the breech presentation of the fetus is determined at 21 weeks. An ultrasound photo confirms the diagnosis, and doctors decide how to give the baby the rightposition.

Reasons

When a doctor diagnoses breech presentation, pregnant women are interested in the question of why this happened, whether it is a pathology and whether it is possible to bear and give birth to a child normally. Many women are diagnosed with a breech presentation at 21 weeks. The causes of this phenomenon in the future become a serious problem for the expectant mother and her baby, as well as for the doctors who will deliver the baby. Do not despair, because this issue is easily resolved. Women give birth to babies with a breech presentation in the same way as children with a head position. But still, when the baby adopts a head-up position, this entails some consequences.

How dangerous is breech presentation at 21 weeks? What causes it? Let's look at the main reasons:

• If a pregnant woman has polyhydramnios, then in such conditions the child leads a more mobile lifestyle, therefore, in the period from 21 to 38 weeks of pregnancy, he may take the wrong position - head up.
• With oligohydramnios, the baby, on the contrary, is limited in movement. Because of this, he assumes a pelvic position, as he is unable to roll over before giving birth.
• In multiple pregnancies, breech presentation is often diagnosed at 21 weeks. In the last stages, the babies become crowded, and in order to take a comfortable position, one of them turns over.
• Breech presentation is also observed with a decrease in uterine tone. This phenomenon may be causedthe presence of inflammatory processes. In addition, there is often a change in the tone of the uterus with multiple pregnancies, miscarriages and abortions.
• Uterine fibroids and cord entanglement also affect the position of the baby in the womb.

There are many reasons why breech presentation occurs, and it is not always associated with he alth problems of the pregnant woman. In order for the baby to assume the correct position, on the recommendation of a doctor, you can perform exercises that stimulate the coup.

Exercise

If you are diagnosed with a breech presentation at 21 weeks, do special exercises to get your baby into a head position. Before a woman begins to perform gymnastics, it is necessary to obtain permission at the doctor's appointment. Exercises have a number of contraindications, so you should not try to do them without the consent of the doctor.

Side position

The pregnant woman lies on the sofa, on the side in which the fetal head is turned. As a rule, it rests on the right hypochondrium, but there are other cases. The surface of the sofa should have a flat base. Having taken a position on her side, a woman should lie down for 3 to 10 minutes. After that, you need to turn on the other side and lie down for the same period of time. It is recommended to repeat the exercises two to three times a day. Going to bed during the day, as well as at night, doctors advise on the side against which the baby's head rests.

Super position

The woman lies on her back, while the pelvis should rise 20-30 cm abovehead. To do this, you can put a pillow under the lower back or create a slope with the help of an ironing board, which can be placed with emphasis on the sofa and on the floor. Under an inclination, the child begins to rest his head against the wall of the uterus. This position becomes uncomfortable, and the fetus gradually begins to turn from the pelvic position to the head. Doctors recommend doing this twice a day on an empty stomach.

If you were diagnosed with a breech presentation at 21 weeks, this type of exercise helps your baby roll over 75% of the time.

Contraindications for exercise

• Uterine scars after caesarean section.
• Diagnosed placenta previa, low anchorage and proximity to the reproductive tract.
• Toxicosis in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
• Uterine tumor.

Is breech presentation normal? Is there a risk of complications?

Many pregnant women are tormented by the question: "Is the breech presentation of the fetus at 21 weeks normal?" At this time, the baby weighs about 300 grams, and its height is about 25 cm. If the doctor made such a diagnosis at 21 weeks of gestation, then this is normal, and do not despair, because the baby can still turn around. Exactly half of the term is left before the onset of childbirth, and by doing special exercises for pregnant women, as well as performing exercises to turn the baby into a head position, you can change the situation.

However, at 34-37 weeks, if the baby has not taken a cephalic presentation, the doctor may prescribe an external rotation if there are no contraindications. In obstetric practice, the 21st week of pregnancy is especially noted. Breech presentation of the fetus is not a sentence, but an opportunity, with the help of gymnastics and special exercises, to reduce the risks of premature and complicated births. If the baby has not rolled over before 38 weeks, the woman will be issued a referral for a caesarean section.

What types of breech presentation are there?

• Buttock. The child rests his buttocks against the small pelvis, the legs are extended along the body or bent at the hip joints. This position occurs in 67% of pregnant women diagnosed with breech presentation. And with a mixed gluteal - in 20%.
• Foot. The legs can be bent at the knee and hip joints in full presentation. With partial, one leg is located above, the other is below.
• Knee. In this presentation, the legs are bent at the knee joint, this position occurs in 13% of pregnant women.

Breech presentation at 21 weeks: reviews of pregnancy and childbirth

Many women choose to give birth on their own after being diagnosed, because they believe that a caesarean section can be performed at any time. Many pregnant women with a diagnosis of breech presentation and entanglement of the umbilical cord note that they gave birth to a child on their own. The body of the baby was so long that he could not roll over on his own. The birth went well, and an incision was made to exit the headcrotch.

What is dangerous breech presentation of the fetus at 21 weeks? Those who had such a course of pregnancy leave reviews that they did not want to injure either the birth canal or the child, so they preferred to perform a caesarean section.

There are contraindications for vaginal delivery with the baby in the head-up position:

• placenta previa;
• narrow pelvis;
• fetus weighing more than 3.5 kg;
• male child;
• entanglement;
• a scar on the uterus.

In other cases, a woman can give birth on her own. All these factors should be analyzed by the doctor. With such a diagnosis, women are placed in the antenatal ward in advance. Already on the spot choose the method of delivery and plan for the upcoming birth.