Why Are Babies ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ And No ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ
During most of pregnancy, there is enough room in the ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs for the baby (fetus) to change position. By 36 weeks of pregnancy, most babies turn into a head-down position. This is the normal and safest fetal position for birth.
1- You are white. Sᴛᴜᴅɪᴇs show that Caucasian moms have more ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ babies.
2 – You aren’t a teenager. The incidence of ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ rises with maternal age. Teen moms have a 42.8/1000 rate of ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ babies at term, and the ɪɴᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ ʀɪsᴇs from there to a rate of 84.6/1000 for moms aged 40-54.
3 – It’s your first pregnancy. First babies are more likely to be ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ. There is some talk about the possibility of this being because your belly is significantly tighter (your ab muscles haven’t been stretched out from other pregnancies). When baby is packed in there, it’s not as easy to turn. On the other hand, there is also stuff in the literature about a stretched out belly being a reason a baby doesn’t settle ʜᴇᴀᴅ-ᴅᴏᴡɴ.
4 – Your ᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴇʟᴠɪᴄ ᴍᴜsᴄʟᴇs, ᴛɪssᴜᴇs ᴀɴᴅ Fᴀsᴄɪᴀ ᴀʀᴇ ᴜɴʙᴀʟᴀɴᴄᴇᴅ. Think of your ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs like a ballon. As the baby grows, the ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs does too, taking up more and more of your abdominal cavity. Your ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs is connected by ʟɪɢᴀᴍᴇɴᴛs to your body, ɴᴇsᴛʟᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜɪᴘs. If your hips or pelvis are ᴛᴏǫᴜᴇᴅ ᴏʀ ᴜɴʙᴀʟᴀɴᴄᴇᴅ, ɪᴛ ᴀFFᴇᴄᴛs the shape of the ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs. A tight ligament can pull on one side of the ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs, making it harder for baby to turn or settle ʜᴇᴀᴅ-ᴅᴏᴡɴ. Any ᴜɴʙᴀʟᴀɴᴄᴇ can make it ᴀᴡᴋᴡᴀʀᴅ for the baby to turn.
5 – The placenta or cord is in an unfavorable loacation. If your placenta is right on top or right on bottom (placenta previa) of your ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs, your baby’s position may be affected.
6 – Your ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs has ᴀʙɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ sʜᴀᴘᴇ ᴏʀ Fᴜɴᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. If you have bicornuate ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs or a ᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ sᴇᴘᴛᴜᴍ, you are much more likely to have a ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ baby. If you have had a ᴘᴇʟᴠɪᴄ ɪɴᴊᴜʀʏ, ᴍᴀʟɴᴜᴛʀɪᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀs ᴀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ, ᴏʀ ᴜsᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘɪʟʟ ɪɴ ᴀᴅᴏʟᴇsᴄᴇɴᴄᴇ before your bones were fully formed, you may have an increased ʀɪsᴋ of ᴘᴇʟᴠɪᴄ-ᴡᴇɪʀᴅɴᴇss affecting your baby’s position. Even so, seems unlikely.
7 – ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ position runs in the family. If you or your baby’s dad were ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ, or there are other ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ babies in your family history, ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ position may run in your family
8 – You experience a lot of sᴛʀᴇss/ᴀɴxɪᴇᴛʏ. The hard science is that sᴛʀᴇss causes ᴛɪɢʜᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ in the lower uterine segment. Anxious moms have more ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ babies. Your hormones go to your baby. If you are freaking out, your baby is feeling it.
9 – There is a ᴅᴇFɪᴄɪᴇɴᴄʏ ᴏF ᴋɪᴅɴᴇʏ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ in your body. A traditional Chinese medicine viewpoint says the main cause of ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ position (and any malpresentation) is a deficiency in Kidney energy which is related to the ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs and has a role in nourishment of the fetus.
10 – You’ve had previous ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ pregnancies. About 10% of of women whose 1st baby is ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ go on to have a second ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ baby. You have an increased ʀɪsᴋ of a ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ if any previous pregnancies were ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ at term
11- You sᴜFFᴇʀ Fʀᴏᴍ ᴅɪᴀʙᴇᴛᴇs. There is a serious increase in the chances of your baby being ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ, possibly from the ᴅᴇᴄʀᴇᴀsᴇᴅ Fᴇᴛᴀʟ movements that moms with ᴅɪᴀʙᴇᴛᴇs experience.
12 – You sit a lot. Sofas, recliners, and bucket seats (like in a car) are notoriously bad for baby’s position. Don’t sit in holes or little comfy nests. A generally inactive lifestyle also encourages baby to stay breech.
