Little bit worried after shining torch on stomach

[lozrobin]

Hello,

My partner is 35 weeks pregant and we are possibly in a breech position, the midwives aren't sure and to be fair nor are we, we have felt what we thought are hiccups down low so might be his head in correct position but there has been almost no kick type movement up high and when he does move it does feel more like a head at the top by the ribs than feet.

Looked on internet and found loads of articles on ways to encourage them to turn naturally, one of which was to shine a torch down the bottom of the stomach the theory being he would turn towards the light. Got quite a bright head torch and held that directly against stomach and there was little movement, did a few time probably five minutes at a time, I am now a bit worried that might have damaged his eyes - been doing more reading and there are a few posts about that say this is dangerous (wish I had read them first) but quite a few that suggest other people have done it and the baby has followed the light about.

Hopefully worrying about nothing but wandered if anyone has also done it and have any thoughts or experience on doing it and then everything being fine ?

Any replies greatly appreciated.

Lawrence

I really doubt you've done any harm, shine the torch through your hand and see how little light gets through...

i am no expert but really this seems physically impossible

really, don't worry

have you looked at optimal foetal positioning? it is just ways for your partner to sit/positions to get in to that encourage the baby to get in to a better position

you may find this helpful

35 weeks is still early-ish, the baby may yet turn of his or her own accord

good luck + congratulations

I was at a bit of a loss as to which way my baby was lying, but when I saw the midwife last week at 32 weeks, my baby was head down, bum most of the way to my ribs and the arms and legs to one side. Which makes sense because at 32 weeks it should be 42cm tall.

So surely if your baby was head down you wouldnt have its feet under the ribs but its bottom.

Thats my thinking on it anyway.

I hope I make sense

Babies at this stage are sensitive to light and I read somewhere to shine light on bump if you haven't felt movement. But I am inclined to agree with the others. Shining a bright light on adults with their eyes closed is highly unlikely to cause damage. Torch light would have to get through quite a few a few layers before reaching baby's eyes. It is probably dissipates through the fluid anyway.

Thanks for all replies so far, can't believe had so many reasuring replies in such a short time, sounds like might not be breech after all and that I am probably worrying about nothing on the light - hope so, think people are hopefully right in that a lot of stuff and fluid to get through so will probably be dispersed quite a bit by time gets to him.

MN is brill for advice!

Hope all goes well.

Are you not getting a scan?

At my 38 week check mw thought there was a possibility ds2 was breech, it was only because it was so late in the day I didn't get sent for an immediate scan, but was sent the following morning instead.

No point trying to turn the babe unless you know it needs to be turned!

Btw, I was fucking mortified a bit concerned that rather than balancing it on his bum as I thought, I had in fact been spending large parts of my time resting my netbook on his head

thought this may reassure you - "The proportion of babies in the breech position declines with gestation: 20% at 28 weeks and 3-4% at term.5 The majority of fetuses turn spontaneously by 36 weeks, adopting the 'best fit' position that a normal gravid uterus provides."

www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Breech-Presentations.htm