Natural Birth and Baby Care.com

Baby Lodged to Right Side Ok?

by Kammie
(Jamaica)

I am 8 months pregnant and my baby is lodged to my right side. Is that ok?

Answer:

Hi Kammie,

The best positioning for your baby is to have his or her back towards your belly and slightly to your left side. This position is best for helping the baby's head engage (settle deeply).

If your baby is towards your right that's ok, too, but it's not the absolute best position for starting labor from.

If your baby is towards the right, or if your baby's back is to your back, or if your baby is lying any other way (breech with head up or sideways across your belly, for instance) now is the time to work on your baby's position.

First, make sure you're not spending a lot of time reclining. That encourages your baby to relax into a position that's not the best for birth.

When you sit down, sit up straight. Lie on your left side when you lie down.

A birth ball (exercise ball) is a good investment and will help you maintain correct posture. I used a birth ball frequently during the final weeks my last pregnancy. They provide a lot of support to the pelvis and are very comfortable to sit on.

Spending time on your hands and knees is one of the best ways you can encourage your baby to go into a good position.

Doing "cat stretches" and "pelvic tilts/rocks" are also good. You do these on your hands and knees.

With the cat stretch you arch your back up like a cat, and you let it sink down into a curve. These give a nice stretch to your back, too.

For the pelvic tilt (or rock) you simply rock your pelvis up and down while you're on your hands and knees (though you can do this even while you're standing).

You can also kneel and prop yourself up on your birth ball (any stack of pillows will work well but a birth ball is excellent because it doesn't collapse).

Stay active - getting out and walking daily is good. Swimming is an excellent activity for helping babies position. Often babies who are not in good positions will shift to good ones during a mother's long swim.

Do try to avoid doing very deep squatting until you have baby to the position you'd like best - deep squats will encourage the baby to engage down in your pelvis. Once you have baby to a good position do squats to help encourage him or her to stay there!