I’m a midwife – how to tell which way your baby is laying in your tummy when you’re pregnant with three simple tricks
HAVING a baby can be both an exciting and bewildering time, and it can be hard to know what to expect.
Whether it’s your first pregnancy or third, there are so many unknowns, and you can feel silly asking questions.
However, the chances are no matter how odd or bizarre you think your query may be, a midwife will have no doubt heard it all before.
Here, registered midwife and co-founder of My Expert Midwife, Lesley Gilchrist, shares the answers to the most commonly asked questions she gets, and shares her top tip to try and work out which way your baby is lying…
‘Why am I so hairy?’
Lesley – who is a mum-of-two and has been in the profession since 2001 – says: “Women often ask ‘why am I so hairy?’
“There are two main reasons for this: a sharp rise in the levels of the
hormone oestrogen and the fact that there is reduced hair fall during pregnancy.
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“The latter often means luscious locks on your head and, yes, more ‘fuzz’ on your body.
“This can include a noticeable pigmented and hairy line down the centre of the belly.
“Hair fall resumes again a few months after your baby’s birth, translating into a less ‘hairy belly’ and, sadly, a less thick head of hair.
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Vagina monologues
Other common questions women can find ’embarrassing’ often centre around vaginal discharge.
Lesley says: “It can change and increase in amount especially towards the end of pregnancy.
“During pregnancy this discharge helps to keep the vagina clean by washing away unwanted bacteria and pathogens, protecting the unborn baby from infection.
“It also helps to maintain a balanced pH and acts as a lubricant in
labour.
“Most changes in vaginal discharge are normal, however, if it has an odd or offensive odour, is green or yellow in colour, looks abnormal or is accompanied by burning, itching or pain, it should be looked at by a midwife or doctor, who may offer to take swabs to identify the possible cause.”
Maybe baby
For most mums-to-be, the way in which their baby is positioned can also feel like a bit of a mystery, especially in the early stages.
Lesley says: “It can be difficult to tell how baby is lying until the third trimester as they are still able to move around and change position quite often earlier on in pregnancy.
“A good clue as to whether they are head or bum down in
the third trimester is to think about where most of their movements are felt.
“Feeling movements lower down can indicate baby is bum down and feeling kicks higher up towards the ribcage means it is more likely baby is head down.
“Although not an exact science, a midwife can usually feel if baby is head down later in pregnancy and if they are unsure an ultrasound scan can be offered to confirm the presentation.”
Soothing sounds
Another query people often ask is when their baby may begin to be alert to sounds around them.
Lesley says: “A baby starts to hear in the womb during the second trimester.
“The main sounds to begin with will be the sounds mum’s body makes such as breathing sounds, the heartbeat and the amniotic fluid swishing around.
As their hearing develops they will be able to hear voices, sounds and noises outside the womb but they will be muffled as baby is surrounded in fluid.
“Imagine putting your head underwater in a swimming pool – you can still hear noises but they are more muted.
“They will be able to recognise mum’s voice and those close around them and parents often say they can tell their babies know certain music or theme tunes to regular TV shows once they are born.”
‘I’m pregnant! now what?’
There is no urgency to call a medical professional as soon as you have a positive pregnancy test.
Lesley says: “Depending on how far along you think you are will indicate when it is advised to engage with maternity services, as there are screening tests offered which need to be taken within certain timeframes should you decide to have them.
“One thing that women often say is that they’ve taken multiple pregnancy tests as they didn’t believe the first
positive test!
“Just to save anyone the expense of this, it is highly unlikely that you will get a false positive pregnancy test, as the test looks for a specific hormone only produced during pregnancy.”
Lightening crotch
Women also report experiencing shooting pains in the pelvic area, which is known as ‘lightning crotch’.
Lesley says: “These are more common in the later stages of pregnancy.
“They are usually caused by pressure on the nerve complex that connects the womb, cervix and vagina or by stretching of the broad ligament, which attaches the womb to the groin area.
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“The baby’s movement can set off these spasm-like pains, which are sharp and short-lasting and can actually make you jump!
“Any longer lasting pain, or if accompanied by other symptoms, should be investigated.”