8th Month of Pregnancy and Baby Position:
Your visits to the doctor will be increased to twice a month. There will be routine check-ups. The doctor will check the position of the baby to determine if the baby has turned his head down in preparation for birth.
If the head of the unborn baby is near your ribs, then the practitioner chances of a breech birth. An ultrasound helps confirm if the child is in the breech position. In such cases the foot or the bottom of the baby comes out first.
In some cases babies in breech position can also be delivered vaginally. But it is a difficult procedure and is dangerous for the baby. First time pregnancies are advised against this option.
External cephalic version is successful in about fifty percent of the cases when it is attempted. But if external cephalic version is done much before the estimated due date, the fetus can flip back to breech position.
Breech positions can be further classified into – frank, complete and incomplete. In frank breech position the baby stretches his legs close to his chest and uses your pelvic bone as a seat. In a complete breech the baby’s bottom is positioned on your pelvis, but his legs and arms are crossed in front of his body. In incomplete breech one or both the legs are dropped down and during delivery the leg will come out first before the rest of the body.