Baby positions at labour – They all make a difference
Fetal position (baby position) is the location that your baby is in during the last weeks of pregnancy and early part of labor. This plays a very essential role in determining the course of labor and whether your baby will ultimately fit through your pelvic opening. It also helps you understand how to best handle your discomfort as well as how to speed labor once the time comes. The different fetal positions best describe why certain women go through vaginal delivery really well while some find it completely undeliverable.
What exactly happens
In the weeks before your due dates, your baby moves into position as your body prepares for delivery. He might drop lower in the uterus. Your doctor or midwife will usually carefully assess your baby’s position throughout the last month of your pregnancy to make sure he Is in the ideal position for birth.
If you are confirmed for normal delivery, it is important to understand that there is usually a relatively tight fit between the head of the baby and your pelvic opening. And since your baby’s head is not perfectly round because It is not completely fused, it will allow bones to overlap as your baby makes its way through your pelvis. Ideally, your baby is head down, facing your back with his chin tucked on its chest. It Is commonly referred to as Occiput Anterior. This makes it more helpful because when labor commences, the back of the head will lead the way letting other parts of his body maneuver out of your pelvis with a lot of ease.
Of course, not all babies cooperate this way and this brings us to the other fetal positions as described below:
Right or Left Occiput
Anterior: These are the two most common positions in labor. In both, the back of your baby’s head is slightly off center towards either your right or left thigh in the pelvis respectively. I hey generally present no problems or pain but normal labor pains.
Right or Left Occiput
Transverse: In these positions, the chin of your baby may not be tucked. It tends to face out of your left or right thigh respectively. This makes labor a little more painful, difficult, and much slower because the position of your baby’s head creates a slightly larger diameter. To alleviate pain and encourage your baby to continue his rotation towards the anterior positions, you can use labor positions like lunging; pelvis tilting, or you could simply stand and sway a little. This will encourage your baby to move into a more favorable position for delivery and reduce your pain.
Right or left Occiput
Posterior: Here, your baby lays in the pelvis facing forward and slightly to the right or left such that he will either be looking at the left or right thigh respectively. This presentation can cause you to experience more contractions on your back than on the front of your body. It is referred to as back labor. To help prevent this pain and encourage your baby to move to a more comfortable position, you can rock your pelvis and kneel on both your hand and knees. Other comfort measures that you could embrace include massaging or swaying and dancing
Breech Positions: Your baby may just decide to be totally uncooperative and choose to assume the breech presentation. The most common breech presentation is when his bottom comes first, instead of the head. Although the rear which is much smaller may pass through the pelvis opening faster, the head which is always larger may then be trapped and because of this, he will not breathe until the head is successfully delivered.
Other presentations may include a footling breech where one or both of the baby’s feet point down towards the birth canal. This is risky in that it increases the chances of the umbilical cord slithering down into the mouth of the womb.
This could easily cut off the blood supply to the baby. This explains why breech presentations make for a more difficult and life-threatening delivery that always calls for an obstetric emergency.
Transverse Lie Position:
This is an undeliverable position no matter how strong the contraction or the intervention is employed. In the transverse lie, your baby lies crosswise in the uterus pressing against the cervix. This makes his shoulder more likely to enter the pelvis first. A C-section will be inevitable.
You can tell where your baby is positioned by: Paying attention to how your baby moves and where you feel! the good kicks. Where you feel the kicks is where your baby’s legs are located. Through feeling your tummy, you could detect a hard ball which will most likely be your baby’s head and if it is softer, it will likely be your baby’s bottom. This is called belly mapping.
END: PG35/39