Preparing for Birth Australian Edition Partial Preview | Page 10

Variations: Fetal Position
Babies move a lot and their position can influence the start, speed or sensations of labour. “Presentation”
refers to the “presenting” part, or the part that is coming first (usually the head).
Transverse or Breech
The Occiput Anterior
(Anterior/OA) position,
when baby is facing
mother’s back, is ideal as
the baby fits more easily
into the pelvis, allowing
for steady pressure on the
cervix.
Transverse: baby is sidelying
and the presenting Breech may be footling breech
Breech: baby’s head is up.
part is a shoulder. (foot or feet presenting), frank
Vaginal birth
Preview
is not breech (legs are straight up,
possible for a baby in with buttocks presenting),
this position. Only 0.05% or complete breech (baby’s
of babies are transverse bottom is down with the legs
at term.
folded at the knees as though
sitting cross-legged). 3.5% of
babies are breech at term.
Posterior
If you know that baby is breech or transverse
Some babies are occiput
prior to labour, discuss your options with your posterior (OP), with baby’s
care provider for encouraging baby into a vertex back against mother’s back.
(head-down) presentation, such as:
This position may contribute
to a slower or stalled labour
and/or increased back pain.
• Chiropractic care (Webster technique)
• Specific exercises, movements and postures
• Homeopathy and herbal remedies
• Moxibustion done by an acupuncturist
• External cephalic version (ECV) to manually
move the baby into a head down position
If all efforts to encourage baby to turn to vertex
fail, a caesarean may be suggested. Most breech
babies are born via caesarean section, though
some providers and hospitals support vaginal
breech birth.
Positional variations may lead to labour that
is longer, more difficult or more painful. Ask
your care provider about their approach to
identifying and correcting baby’s position.
A vertex presentation, when
the baby’s head is flexed
with the chin tucked down,
allows for the narrowest
part of the head, the
occiput, to pass through the
pelvis first. 95% of babies
assume this position and
presentation for birth.
Baby may be encouraged into
an anterior position during
labour with the following:
• Use upright positions.
• Walk or move during or
between contractions.
• Rock, sway or do hip circles.
• Get on hands and knees or lean forward to
reduce pressure on your lower back and help
draw baby’s back toward your front (tummy).
• Use lunges, squats or other hip opening
positions to widen the pelvis.
• Push in positions that open the bottom of the
pelvis and allow the sacrum to flex.
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Labour and Birth