NHS Suffolk and North East Essex - Your Pregnancy Booklet

51 Getting ready for birth • aim to massage the area inside the vagina, not necessarily just the skin on the outside • aim to apply the massage for roughly five minutes. Stopping work/slowing down When you choose to stop work is a matter of personal preference, but it is worth considering your commute, your working environment, your proximity to your maternity hospital and allowing time to prepare for your baby’s arrival. You can discuss this with your midwife or doctor. Towards the end of pregnancy you may feel quite tired and uncomfortable, and therefore may need help from friends or family to get things done, particularly if you have other children. It’s important to stay active but to also make time for rest, particularly if you aren’t sleeping too well. Your baby’s position From 36 weeks pregnant, your baby should turn to the head down (cephalic) position in preparation for birth. A small number of babies will not be in this position, and may be either breech (bottom first) or transverse/oblique (lying sideways across your abdomen). If your midwife suspects that your baby is not in the head down position, you may be offered a scan and appointment with a doctor/specialist midwife to discuss your options. These options can include either attempting to turn your baby (see below), vaginal breech birth or planned caesarean birth. Moxibustion for breech babies This is a traditional Chinese technique which can be used to turn breech babies. It is done by burning a ‘moxa-stick’ (a tightly packed tube of dried herbs) between the toes from 34-36 weeks of pregnancy. It has no known negative side effects and success rates appear to be high. You can ask your midwife or local acupuncturist for more information. External Cephalic Version (ECV) This is a procedure in which a doctor, or specialist midwife attempts to the turn the baby into the correct position using gentle pressure on your abdomen with their hands.