Advice on how to encourage baby to move out of a painful position

[birthofawoman]

36+3 weeks. Up until Thursday DS had been in a perfect head down position, causing me no pain but just a little discomfort from bladder pressure every now and then. On Thursday, he managed to twist himself into a very strange and awkward position resulting in an elbow or shoulder protruding from my side every since. There's a lot of sharp pressure on the right side of my uterus (side with protruding limb), which has been causing me a s**t load of pain. He's had regular movements since he moved into this position, so I'm struggling to understand how that particular limb is still protruding. I actually think he's still head down cause I'm still getting a lot of bladder pressure, I just think he's turned a little and gotten himself into a bit of a pickle.

Any advice on how to help him wriggle out of this awkward position?

Get in the shower and put it on as cold as you can take it. Point it at baby's head. They should move away from it.

Also midwives recommend getting on all fours and letting your stomach hang down. Then rock gently... baby may shift.

YouDancin on the head or on the protruding limb?

I tried that and for some reason it's not working for us! 😭

YouDancin at the head *

Have you got a yoga ball? Gently bouncing on one encouraged DS to move.

Bet that's a knee

I had the exact lump, but both sides. He was very head down, but cross-legged with knees sticking out both sides. Was bloody painful!

With my first I was trying to get him to move to a better position for 3D scan as we has been back ages times and he was stuck in an awkward position and we couldn’t see his face. So as much as possible I lay flat with my bum raised by a pillow. I think the theory was that without gravity pulling him down into my hips he would be free-er to move. After a few sessions it worked as I felt a big movement and the next scan he was in a completely different position. Bonus also he had turned from breech to head down. Worth a try!

• Sit the wrong way round on an upright chair and lean over the back.

• Sit on an upright chair, with your feet flat on the floor, and lean forward so that your belly hangs between your knees.

• Sit on a birthing ball.

• If you sit a lot at work, take regular breaks to stand up and move around. If necessary, sit on a couple of cushions to keep your hips raised up above your knees.

• Kneel forward over a pile of pillows, a beanbag, or a birthing ball, with your knees apart and your bottom down. You can read or watch TV in this position.

• Get onto all-fours and move around.

• Put a cushion under your bottom if you’re travelling by car.

• Lie on your left side, with your right leg over and in front of your left leg (with a cushion or pillow between your knees).

• Swim or float on your front (avoid breast-stroke leg actions if you have any pelvic pain).

www.nct.org.uk/birth/helping-your-baby-good-position-birth

Look at website called spinning babies.m

Have you had any luck moving them?