Determining the baby’s position based on kicks

From a certain stage of your pregnancy, you begin to feel your baby move. They even give kicks! Is it possible to determine their position based on the kicks they give?

Determining the baby’s position based on kicks: let’s take a closer look.

Understanding fetal movements

In addition to representing a first connection with you, the fact that your baby moves and kicks is reassuring for the monitoring of your pregnancy.

Why do babies move in the womb?

Fetal movements generally begin to be noticeable from the second trimester. These movements play an important role in your baby’s development:

• they ensure the proper development of their muscles and bones,
• they help establish important neural connections,
• they allow your baby to begin exploring their body’s abilities.

The intensity and regularity of movements also reflect the development of your baby’s state of alertness. For example, from 16 weeks of amenorrhea (WA) / 20 WA, your baby begins to develop sleep and wake cycles. The fact that they move more during certain periods and less during others may reflect the establishment of these sleep cycles (note, however, that fetuses—just as you may later observe with your baby—also move, and sometimes a lot, during their sleep!).

The different movements of your baby

Even in their pocket of amniotic fluid, your baby can make many movements. Here are a few examples:

• Kicks: they are often felt on the sides of the belly and may indicate that the baby is in a head-down position.
• Rolls: these gentler, more fluid movements can occur when your baby changes position.
• Jerks: these movements, sometimes compared to vibrations, are usually reflexes in response to a stimulus.
• Waves: a wave-like sensation may be felt when the baby stretches their arms or legs.

Good to know: there are no “worrisome” movements. Jerks, waves, vibrations—what matters is that your baby moves regularly and as usual. If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to talk to the healthcare professional who is monitoring your pregnancy.

How can you tell the baby’s position based on kicks?

As your baby develops, it becomes easier to feel their movements. While certain kicks or hand placements may lead you to imagine your baby’s position, it is difficult to be sure: your baby is very flexible, and it is not uncommon for them to adopt the most unexpected positions.

Common positions at the end of pregnancy

At the end of pregnancy, your baby has less space to turn around. As a result, they usually adopt one of the following positions while waiting for the day of delivery:

• Head-down position: this is the most common position, where the baby is head down, ready for birth. Most babies settle into this position around the 7th month of pregnancy, though it can happen earlier or later.
• Breech position: here, the baby is sitting in the uterus, with their buttocks or feet down. There are several variations: incomplete breech (buttocks down, legs raised), complete breech (feet under the buttocks, similar to a cross-legged position), and frank breech (one leg bent under the buttocks, the other raised).

It is also possible for your baby to present in a rarer position:

• Face presentation: similar to the head-down position, except that the baby presents their face rather than the top of their head.
• Brow presentation: this position is also similar to the head-down position, except that your baby presents their forehead instead of the top of their head.
• Transverse presentation: here, your baby is lying horizontally, with their head on one side and their buttocks on the other.

Interpreting the baby’s position based on kicks

Indeed, your baby’s kicks and movements can give you clues about their position:

• Kicks under the ribs: this may indicate that the baby is in a head-down position.
• Low movements in the belly: kicks near the pubic bone may suggest a breech position.
• Waves or rolls: these fluid movements are often felt when the baby changes position.

Of course, even if you have your own theories about your baby’s position based on the kicks you feel, only a palpation of your uterus or an ultrasound performed by your healthcare professional can confirm it with certainty.

You can try to determine your baby’s position more reliably than by interpreting kicks alone by palpating your uterus yourself (this becomes easier as the pregnancy progresses!). To do this:

• Place your hands flat on your belly.
• Move them down toward your lower abdomen and press your fingers just above your pubic bone: if you feel something hard and round, that is your baby’s head.
• If you don’t feel a head at the bottom, move your hands upward toward the top of your uterus, just under your ribs, looking for a large, hard, round shape!
• Finally, move your hands to the right and then to the left of your belly. You should feel one hard side and one side where your fingers sink in easily: the hard side is your baby’s back.

This exercise is not easy to do without experience, so don’t worry if you don’t understand what you’re feeling under your fingers!

When should you worry about your baby’s movements?

Let’s remember: no movement is worrisome. However, certain changes in your baby’s movements may require medical attention. Here are a few signs to watch for:

• Sudden reduction in movements: if you notice a significant decrease in the number of movements or their intensity, especially after the 28th week of pregnancy, it is advisable to consult your midwife or gynecologist. This may be a sign that the fetus is not doing well.
• No movements for several hours: if you haven’t felt your baby move for several hours despite trying to elicit a response (eating or drinking something sweet, lying down, manual stimulation, etc.), this requires immediate medical attention. Babies have rest and wake periods, but a prolonged absence of movement should be evaluated.

Want to learn more? Feel free to download the May app, where you’ll find plenty of resources to support and guide you throughout your pregnancy.

You can therefore make assumptions about your baby’s position based on the kicks you feel; however, only a uterine palpation or an ultrasound performed by your healthcare professional can confirm them ;).

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Photos: msvyatkovska | nd3000 | Prostock-studio

This text was translated from French by an artificial intelligence. The information, advice, and sources it contains comply with French standards and may therefore not apply to your situation. Make sure to complement this reading by visiting the May US/UK app and consulting the healthcare professionals who are supporting you.