Is this unstable lie, should I be worried? Am I over-reacting?

[Bananapancakes6]

I posted in pregnancy but didn't get many opinions, so posting here, hoping for some advice.

I'm 38 + 3 and worrying that my baby still seems to be changing position easily. Sometimes I'm certain he is transverse, sometimes diagonal and sometimes head down. He was transverse all the way to 30 weeks, I distinctly remember him turning because it was suddenly way more comfortable.

Between 30 weeks and my 34 week appointment my baby leapt from 50th to 90th centile. Midwife also commented that there was a lot of fluid and I was measuring 35 weeks.

At my 36 week appointment midwife commented that she wasn't that sure about his position and said it felt like he was bobbing around in there a lot. She then decided actually he was head down, just very low. I was also measured 38 weeks.

When I'm in bed he almost always feels transverse or diagonal, but annoyingly every time I've been to the midwives he has been head down because I've just walked there.

I rang my midwife today to voice my concerns, as I know there is a risk of cord prolapse with unstable lie / transverse position. She didn't seem worried at all and said "sometimes babies just move around a lot" she mentioned that at 34 and 36 weeks he was head down in notes and I explained that he always is after walking, but she said as I was overdue with my first DS theres nothing to worry about and that I would prob be overdue anyway (but she can't know this!?) and to come to my appointment on Thursday for a check.

Should she have referred me for a scan to check? or am I worrying over nothing?

Cord prolapse only occurs after waters have broken, so a scan now will tell you nothing about where the cord will be when your waters break. It is also a very rare event, so even if your baby was not cephalic at the time the waters broke, that does not mean there would be a cord prolapse.

The midwife can determine the position of the baby at time of labour. There really is nothing that can be done right now, as she told you, some babies just move a lot.

My last baby was transverse lie, she used to move from side to side (IE still across but head on different sides) and was very briefly breech during a scan (I was hospitalised from 37 weeks because of this, so had frequent scans!) but even during the scan went back to transverse, because of all this movement she was classed as unstable lie. I also had a lot of fluid as well as severe diastasis recti which they thought was the cause - basically she had a lot of room to move!
She never went head down despite walking, exercises, lying on an ironing board and off the sofa - you name it I did it! I had a scan at 37 weeks which showed transverse lie and the cord above the birth canal which was apparently high risk for cord prolapse and this combined with a history of very quick and earlyish labours (previous babies 35+2 and 37+0) I was admitted until I had a C-section. My understanding was that because she had never been head down it was pointless trying to turn her as she would likely flip back- I was told if she did go head down they could induce and try for a vaginal birth but it didn't happen. So if your baby has been head down, despite times when the baby moves, maybe they aren't worried as they feel baby will be more likely to move into the head down position once you go into labour? I was also told that lots of babies don't engage until labour starts, but when mine had never been head down by 37 weeks they did do a scan.
It's definitely worth asking again at your next appointment but my understanding is cord prolapse is incredibly serious but very rare (I was obviously terrified when they admitted me but midwife on the ward said she hadn't seen one happen in years despite lots of babies with transverse lie) and it was a combination of factors that made them worry for me, they may have assessed the risk for you as being less.
Good luck with everything, I hope you get the answers you want from your midwife and end up with a plan you're happy with.

Thanks so much for the response @Bloatstoat really interesting to hear your story. My baby is head down I'd say 75% of the time so that must be a good sign.

@aurynne the scan isn't to determine whether or not I have cord prolapse but to see what position baby is actually in as midwives have all been vague. They can also check position of the cord so that if baby was to be transverse as my waters went whether there would be a risk or not. Also my first labour was 4h so I've been warned that this one is likely to be even quicker.

But if, as you say, baby changes position often, a scan now will not help. Baby may move again an hour after the scan. The great majority of babies go cephalic for labour. The cord constantly changes position and is only a risk of prolapse if it is directly below the presenting part at the time of membrane rupture. There really is no point in worrying right now because the baby's behaviour and labour will be the determinants. Your midwives are aware of your concerns, and will check you at the time of labour to rule our a transverse position. if the baby is cephalic, a vaginal examination can determine whether there is a cord presentation or not. I am a midwife myself and have had this conversation with plenty of mums. There really is nothing that can be done right now.

My first baby wasn't head down or engaged until labour. She was born in under an hour! In fact my labours got longer each time (3 children). You just never know what will happen but I don't think you need to be concerned.

Interestingly I'm a doctor and myself and my midwife were convinced my first baby was head down during my antenatal checks. I was adamant I could feel his head and bum in the right places, as was the midwife. During established labour he was found to be in a different position and I then had an emergency Caesarean - verging on a crash section, done under general anaesthetic as they didn't have time to attempt a spinal. I would not be happy with what you describe, and in your shoes I'd ask for an ultrasound to check lie - if they won't agree to do it now, at least ask them to do a quick bedside ultrasound at the start of labour. If they refuse, politely explain that you will take legal action in the event that your baby is not cephalic and you suffer adverse consequences as a result of their refusal to scan you. I'm afraid that threatening to sue was the only thing that got me decent care in my second pregnancy.

@StoneColdBitch Thanks so much for your insight. I just don't feel happy that he is going to be head down if I go into spontaneous (and quick!) labour. Just this morning I woke up to a hard round lump right up by my ribs and I'm not sure but I think it might have been his head this time.

I am going to push for a couple of opinions at my appointment on Thursday and see if they will refer me for a scan if anyone is unsure.