Presentation Scan
Checking the position of your baby to exclude breech presentation and fetal wellbeing
The significance of your baby’s position
The main aim of the Presentation Scan (or Pre Delivery Scan) is to diagnose breech position or other abnormalities in the baby’s position. We also perform thorough checkup of fetal growth and estimate fetal weight. We assess fetal wellbeing by umbilical artery and middle cerebral artery Dopplers.
Normally, a few weeks prior to birth, the baby will move into a delivery position where the head is positioned close to the birthing canal. However, about 3-4% of babies remain in a breech position. This is where the baby’s buttocks are positioned closest to the birthing canal, resembling a sitting position. Delivering a baby in breech position can be dangerous, but in roughly 50% of cases the position can be corrected by external cephalic version (ECV), which is a manual process performed by an obstetrician to turn the baby upside down in the womb allowing a head-first delivery. Alternatively, a caesarean section may be the safest option.
If your baby is in breech or other abnormal position just few weeks before your estimated due date you need to meet your obstetrics team to discuss the safest way of your delivery.
What do we look for in this scan
In most cases, an experienced midwife can recognise a breech position through an external manual examination of the baby, which is done by feeling for the baby’s orientation through the mother’s lower tummy. However, in some cases, the breech position remains unnoticed until active labour and/or rupture of membranes.
Thus, the main aim of our Baby Position Scan is to recognise an undiagnosed breech position.
Some of the other things we also look out for include:
- Monitoring the growth of the baby,
-
Perform ultrasound estimation of fetal weight (EFW),
- Baby’s well-being (such as movements, amniotic fluid, and fetal Dopplers),
- The placenta.
