Where There Is No Doctor 2011 257
Checking if the Baby Is in a Good Position
To make sure the baby is head down, in the normal position for birth, feel for his
head, like this:
1. Have the mother breathe out all the way.
With the thumb and 2 fingers, push in
here, just above the pelvic bone.
With the other hand, feel the top of the
womb.
The baby’s butt is
larger and wider.
His head is hard
and round.
Butt up
feels larger
high up.
Butt down
feels larger
low down.
2. Push gently from side to side, first with one hand, then the other.
If the baby’s butt
is pushed gently
sideways, the
baby’s whole body
will move too.
But if the head
is pushed gently
sideways, it will
bend at the neck
and the back
will not move.
If the baby still is high in
the womb, you can move
the head a little. But if
it has already engaged
(dropped lower) getting
ready for birth, you
cannot move it.
A woman’s first baby
sometimes engages 2 weeks
before labor begins. Later
babies may not engage until
labor starts.
If the baby’s head is down, his birth is likely to go well.
If the head is up, the birth may be more difficult (a breech birth), and
it is safer for the mother give birth in or near a hospital.
If the baby is sideways, the mother should have her baby in a
hospital. She and the baby are in danger (see p. 267).