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The Sideways Baby
Dealing with Transverse Pregnancies
By Teri Brown
The only thing a woman in the last couple of weeks of pregnancy wants to hear is "everything is fine." To hear anything else is disturbing and just adds to the general discomfort of the home stretch.
Johanna Zumallen from Nixa, Mo., was in the 8th month of her pregnancy when she first heard the words "transverse lie," which refers to the way the baby lies in the womb. It isn't the way they are supposed to be lying, either!
"My uterus apparently is in the shape of a heart, thus allowing her to go sideways," Zumallen says. "She also was 10 pounds, 3 ounces at birth, so her sheer size made her not want to go head down. I was really nervous only because I was scared of having a C-section. They tried to turn her, but that didn't work. Within two hours she had moved right back."
The baby wouldn't budge and Zumallen ended up having a C-section that went very well, which isn't unusual for a transverse lie pregnancy.
"A fetus in head-down position, the most desirable position, is called a vertex or cephalic lie," Dr. Anderson says. "When the fetus has either bottom down or feet down, this is referred to as a breech lie. Transverse lie means that the head is to one side and the feet or bottom are to the other so that neither the head nor the feet or bottom are presenting to the cervix. The fetus is lying sideways."
Fetuses cannot deliver safely in a transverse lie. They either need to turn such that they are facing head down or need to be delivered by C-section.
Can mothers notice their baby is in an abnormal lie before the doctor diagnoses the condition? Sometimes, but not often. "Mothers occasionally notice that they feel the fetus' head on one side of their abdomen and the bottom on the other side," Dr. Anderson says. "Generally mothers whose fetus is in either breech or transverse position feel pressure of the presenting part in their pelvis and may feel a firm structure in the upper part of their abdomen."
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Re: The Sideways Baby by anonymous on 12/28/2008 10:28AM
I am 29 weeks preg with my first baby. Due to my uterus being heart-shaped, the baby is in transverse position. I'm looking forward to a c-section and I've really got courage from your articles.
Re: The Sideways Baby by anonymous on 12/26/2008 08:05PM
I am 36 weeks, and I found out my baby is sideways what can I do to help him move?
Re: The Sideways Baby by anonymous on 12/22/2008 05:12PM
I am 28 weeks pregnant with twins (boy/girl), and my boy is transverse with no room to move! The "water breaking and cord getting stuck" business really freaks me out. I had no idea a transverse lie was so uncommon. My doctor made it sound like it happened all the time. I guess a c-section is my only hope. So much for natural childbirth. :(
Re: The Sideways Baby by anonymous on 12/06/2008 09:10AM
Glad to hear from someone who has had a c-section for the same reason. But I am very nervous about my waters breaking and the umbilical cord coming out. If this happens I know we have to lay down, put our bottoms in the air and call an ambulance. Good luck everyone.
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Re: The Sideways Baby by anonymous on 01/06/2009 10:12PM
I'm now 40 weeks. My baby which was transverse for most of the last month & 1/2 has turned to be head down this week. So my doctor is going to induce me on Friday. Really hoping for a vaginal delivery as I had with both my other 2 pregnancies. I've found lying on my side helps take some pressure off and helps turn baby. Good Luck to all!