can someone explain "asynclitic?"

[readytobedone]

i've read it several times but still have no good idea what it means.

thanks.

[touka]

I did a little searching for you (I'm still learning these terms myself!) and I found another thread about a birth that included it.

momnmidwife answered your question like this:

"Asynclitic" means instead of the baby entering the pelvis with its head strait and flexed nicely, it is tilted.

[doulakris]

Basically, the head comes down crooked. It causes very long and especially painful labors (usually). Sometimes contractions are really spaced out and irregular, sometimes they are right on top of each other with literally no break for hours and hours. The bad contraction patterns are due to the head not being positioned in a way that dilates the cervix evenly and effectively. My son was asynclitic, and his head was sort of sideways, with his ear on his shoulder. So the side of the head was coming first.

[JanB]

Yeah, my son was asynclitic. His birth eventually resulted in a C-section, but as a result of the hours spent unproductively jammed up in the birth canal, he had a very amusing (in retrospect) off-center conehead. You could really see the effects of the bad position, because the "cone" was like off to the left side of his head!

Doulakris is right about the painful labor. That was my first labor, and not knowing any better, I thought that all labors were as painful as that. When I went into labor with my daughter, I was like, "Wait, this is it?"

[Gemberly]

That was how my first birth was too. Her head was just slightly off. They gave me pitocin to help me along because she just wasn't coming down (doesn't help that I was trapped in the bed) and the contractions were just one after another with no breaks, and no epidural.

[doulakris]

JanB- tell me good things about your second birth. I'm trying to come up with courage to do it again. I'm terrified of having another asynclitic.

[Synchro246]

doulakris- my first was asynclytic and I'm 36 weeks and a bit nervous. I've been told time and time again on here that it's unlikely that it will repeat.

[doulakris]

I've heard that too. My mw told me that second labors are really quick and easy for moms with previous asynclitics, because if a body can get that out, it can get anything out. Good luck! I hope it's true for us!

[Rockies5]

My last was this way as well. The birth felt more "held up" then my prior. I did lots of high stepping and sweating until she was ready to be born.

I it was more intense, just that the transition period had double and triple spiked contractions. It was humerous because I was trying to count my way through them and had to start over again and again. It was my most exhausting labor.

If you aren't already in labor SEE A CHIROPRACTOR!!!! I *KNow* babies don't choose this route as it isn't the route of least resistance. I had severe SPD which I feel had alot to do with her position, I was also far less active durring that pregnancy.

[doulakris]

I am by no means saying that a chiro can't help, but it didn't help me. I saw one throughout my preg, and every 2-3 days for that last 2 months. But it definitely helped with other pregnancy problems.

[AugustLia23]

Other PP's are on target, acynclytic means "tilted". Means the baby head is not well and evenly applied to the cervix.

I think that doing lots of deep squats(imagine peeing in the woods) in my late pregnancy helped him to engage deeply in my pelvis before he had his head at the right angle. I did NOT have a ainful labor compared to others I have witnessed, and I considered it fairly mild for labor, but I had a nice stall for about 12 solid hours, where I had just the last little bit of cervical lip remaining. The contractions during the stall spaced out and became less intense, I ate 2 small meals.

Ironically enough, it was one last deep squat that helped baby to push away that little bit of remaining lip. I pushed my baby out at home, as planned.

[JanB]

Well, my second birth was a breeze, relatively speaking. I had about two days of very mild early labor with contractions 15-20 minutes apart, and then things started to speed up a bit, and I had to start focusing and concentrating on relaxation to get through them on the afternoon/early evening of the third day. When we arrived at the hospital that evening, I was already about 6 cm dilated, which is further dilated than I ever got with my son.

At that point, I did get an epidural even though I didn't really feel like I needed one, because it was hospital policy, blah blah blah, and I wasn't in a mood to argue with them. (I'm more prepared this time around and will have a birth plan and doula in tow to help me avoid the stupid epidural.) But, they gave me a very light dose, I still felt contractions and was able to move, and a few relatively short hours later, I pushed my daughter into the world.

Seriously, it was like night and day from my previous labor, most of which I spent wishing I could just throw myself out the window.

I am hoping that this third birth goes more like my 2nd. I honestly have no idea why my first baby was asynclitic but suspect it may have had something to do with the fact that my water broke very early, before labor had even really started, and that he was possibly not ready to be born. He had signs of prematurity even though I was 38.5 weeks.

[Synchro246]

Originally Posted by JanB

I am hoping that this third birth goes more like my 2nd. I honestly have no idea why my first baby was asynclitic but suspect it may have had something to do with the fact that my water broke very early, before labor had even really started, and that he was possibly not ready to be born. He had signs of prematurity even though I was 38.5 weeks.

I've heard that asynclytic babies often *cause* prelabor rupure of membranes because of the uneven pressure, then because the water is broken they are even less likely to tilt properly.

In one of my texts it blames persistant asynclytism (and occiput posterior)on tight abdominal muscles (maaaaybe that's a reason why second pregnancies are less likely to be affected). The abdominal hypothesis makes sense for my case. I have a pretty tough core (with a nice layer of fat over it) and I actually made a concerted effort thru my pregnancy to hold my abs in. My baby was occiput posterior as well as asynclytic.

Could I use any more parenthesis? (no)


A few more notes about asynclytism: There are two types of asynclytism. Posterior and anterior. This is seperate from Occiput posterior and anterior. A baby can be Left Occiput Anterior, yet be posteriorly asyclytic. This means that the posterior side of the baby's head (it's left in LOA) is the part that's presenting more.
The anterior asynclytism is generally less problematic and is more often associated with a pendulous uterus, really lax abdominals, or a grand multip. A rebozo around the mom's lower abdomen is a common solution.

It's normal and healthy for a baby to enter the pelvis asynclyticly (even a little advantageous). It's when they don't untilt that it becomes problematic.

[JanB]

Thanks for the info! That's very interesting, regarding asynclitic babies causing PROM.

In the obstetrical notes from my son's birth, they also noted that he was "occiput transverse". Is that the same as asynclitic or a different problem?

As far as the ab muscles, I'd been weight-lifting before I got pregnant, so I wonder if that could have been a contributing factor. I guess it's really hard to definitively say what causes these things.

[Synchro246]

Oh yeah, I meant to say that I had PROM too.

Occiput isn't a "problem". It's just half way between Occiput anterior and occiput posterior. It's another one of those things that can become problematic if the baby doesn't rotate and remains "persistant". It will often be called "transverse arrest".

[doulakris]

Laura- Thanks so much for your post! That makes so much sense. And I remember my midwife commenting throughout my pregnancy that I had very tight abs. She said it wasn't a problem, but she just noted it. I was an avid rock climber before and during the beginning of preg. And to think a part of me has been thinking I should get back into shape before getting pregnant again. This is the best ever excuse to not do crunches!

[Synchro246]

LOL tooo funny.
Since my last pregnancy I have been all over the spining babies website and read "Sit up and Take notice". The part that really struck a chord with me was the part about Allowing your abdomen to be a hammock for the baby. I've been making a concerted effort to do that this time. We shall see what comes of it in the next 6 weeks. :

[2+twins]

Originally Posted by doulakris

JanB- tell me good things about your second birth. I'm trying to come up with courage to do it again. I'm terrified of having another asynclitic.

I know you didn't ask me, but my first was asynclitic (and compound presentation - hand to cheek). It was a fairly quick birth (relatively speaking - shy of 10 hours) but about 4 hours of it was spent pushing which just sucked. Anyhoo, my 2nd birth was *easy* (hard work, but very straight forward). She was born in approx. 90 min, unassisted (due to speed), and not asynclitic at all. You can do it!

[doulakris]

Thanks for that! I really can't get enough of second births are easier stories. I mean I believe it's true, but to hear actual stories is great. Thanks!

[Sam05]

Did anyone's asynclitic baby have torticollis? No one ever said that my son was asynclitic and I didn't ask but I have a hard time believing he wasn't with the severity of his torticollis. My labor was very typical of an asynclitic presentation and he was also a compound presentation. Just wondering if torticollis is a cause/result of asyncliticism.