At 31 weeks of pregnancy, many babies are lying in odd positions in the womb. There’s still plenty of room for your baby to move around, especially if she isn’t your first and your abdominal muscles are a little more relaxed than usual. Over the next few weeks, the proportions of your baby’s body will gradually change, as her head becomes larger and heavier. It’s then highly likely that she will start lying straight (or ‘longitudinally’) in the womb, bottom up and head down, ready for a normal vaginal birth. In the meantime, an oblique lie is actually better news than a transverse lie. Oblique means that she is lying somewhere between longitudinal and transverse. This suggests that she is gradually working her way around to lying straight in the womb. If your baby is still lying across your womb at 36 weeks, your midwife and doctor will probably start to wonder what is stopping her lying otherwise. This could be a low-lying placenta, or (more rarely) a fibroid low in the womb. An ultrasound scan may be recommended to ensure that all is well. If there’s no obvious cause for your baby lying crosswise, your obstetrician may then offer to help turn your baby into a head-down position. This may be done towards the end of pregnancy, and combined with induction of labour. Even if this has to happen, there’s still a good chance that you will be able to give birth vaginally. As you probably found out when reading about transverse lie, the main risk associated with these positions is ‘prolapse’ (falling out) of the umbilical cord. This may happen if your cervix is beginning to open and your waters break when your baby is still oblique or transverse. Because the baby’s head (or bottom) isn’t there to block the way, the gush of fluid may sweep a loop of cord down into your vagina. If this happens, your baby will probably have to be born by emergency Caesarean section. Although a prolapsed cord is rare, women whose babies are lying across the womb are generally invited to stay in hospital for the last few weeks of pregnancy, so that help is at hand should this emergency arise. Please try not to worry, though. There’s every chance that your baby will probably be lying straight in the womb by the time you next see your midwife or doctor! In the meantime, you can start encouraging her into a good position for birth by spending some time each day in forward-leaning postures – so that your baby has plenty of room to move freely in the womb. Watch television sitting on an upright chair with your legs apart and leaning forwards, rather than sitting slumped back in a low easy chair or on a sofa. Alternatively, kneel on the floor, resting forwards on a beanbag or chair.