Maternity Nursing Q 13

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The most common normal position of the fetus in utero is:

  

     A. Transverse position

     B. Vertical position

     C. Oblique position

     D. None of the above

    

    

Correct Answer: B. Vertical position

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Vertical position means the fetal spine is parallel to the maternal spine thus making it easy for the fetus to go out of the birth canal. Most babies are lying vertically by the seventh month, with the baby’s head towards the cervix of the uterus. This is the safest position for normal delivery.

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Option A: The transverse lie position is where the fetus’s head is on one side of the mother’s body and the feet on the other, rather than having the head close to the cervix or close to the heart. The fetus can also be slightly at an angle, but still more sideways, than up or down.

Option C: If a fetus is lying diagonally across the uterus, the position is called oblique. It’s very unusual for a fetus to stay in this position right up until labor. Only one percent of babies will be transverse or oblique.

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