Baby Rolled up Like a Ball at 20 Weeks?

by Deborah
(Essex)

I had my 20 week scan today and my baby was rolled up like a ball, what does this mean?

Answer:

Hi Deborah,

At 20 weeks your baby is still pretty small :) Baby is around 16.4cm from crown to rump (head to bottom, which is how babies are measured in the womb). Your baby has lots of room to move around in your womb.

Babies like to do all kinds of floating, flipping, curling, and other acrobatics in your womb. As you know, babies favor a curled up position in the womb, thus why it's called the fetal position.

It's likely that your baby just wanted to be curled up - or perhaps he or she was sleeping in a curled position.

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Baby Rolled up Like a Ball at 20 Weeks?

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Feb 09, 2011
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Baby Balling Up
by: Esha

I watched a pre-term labor movie when I was 23wks pregnant; and it stated that if your baby balls up, that in fact is pre-term labor, not the baby trying to find a more comfortable position

Kristen's Comments

Hi Esha,

This question was in regards to a baby balled up during an ultrasound - contractions of the uterus and preterm labor signs would have been picked up during the examination.

Contractions can feel like a baby is "balling up" inside of you. If you repeatedly feel that your baby is curling into a tight ball, that could be an indication that you are having many contractions and should get checked out.

However, babies can and do change positions frequently, especially earlier in pregnancy when they are smaller. A baby in a curled up position on ultrasound is probably just that - curled up. The "fetal position" is called such because babies are often curled up in that manner.

Feeling like a baby is "balling up" over and over, and seeing a baby curled up into a ball on an ultrasound screen are two different experiences - if you're worried during an ultrasound, however, you can feel free to say something to the technician or doctor right there! If you feel worried about pre-term labor, call your care provider.

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