PSA: feeling lots of kicks/movement in the front?

[tinyshoes]

are you feeling lots of kicks and movement in the front of your belly?

Maybe your baby is posterior, and maybe you're interested in helping your baby assume a more optimal fetal position now, while pregnant, vs. later, during labor. Posterior means your baby's back is aligned with your back--it is better for birth when baby's back is not against your back! (A posteriorly-positioned baby is where dreaded 'back labor' comes from, ladies.)

Fetal Positions Defined
http://spinningbabies.com/index.php?...d=23&Itemid=32

Posterior Symptoms in Pregnancy
http://spinningbabies.com/index.php?...=104&Itemid=27

and what to do, if your baby is posterior? The Spinningbabies.com site has many suggestions about ways to improve your everyday posture, how to sit on a couch properly, etc.

Crazy but true, I'm lucky enough to have the spinning babies author as one of my midwives. After my prenatal yesterday, we decided the technique I'm going to use is:

The Inversion
http://spinningbabies.com/index.php?...d=15&Itemid=51

There are lots of mamas who have on-and-off contractions before labor, or long labors, because the contracting uterus is trying to urge baby into a better position for birth. Thinking about optimal fetal positioning can help a mama skip all of that extra uterine work while pregnant, thus promoting a relatively quicker/easier labor.

I know I'm not the only mama in this DDC with a posterior baby right now! hopefully this info is helpful and will promote cooperative, anterior babies!

[sg784]

Thanks for posting this! Baby is posterior now and Im already having back problems. Ive heard of all fours but not the "inversion".

[pixiepunk]

yup, me too. been working dilligently to try and get baby to turn. i still have some time as i'm not quite 37 weeks, but it would make me awfully happy to get baby turned now so i could stop thinking about it! been doing hands and knees, some inverting as part of my yoga practice, and seeing a chiro. here's to hoping something works!

love the spinning babies site - how cool that the spinning babies lady is your m/w! lucky you!

sending all the posterior mamas some 'turn, baby, turn' vibes *~*~*~*~*~

[KariM]

Interesting info, but my DD was LOA and I had LOTS of movement and kicks to the front.

Just wanted to point out that not every baby who moves and kicks in front is malpositioned.

Just as not every mama who has prodromal labor has a posterior or breech baby!

[Grivas]

I'm a little confused. I know baby is head down, which is great, but it seems to be ROA. They barely say anything about ROA and if it's an ok position. So, the baby is head down, feet to my side, as it should be, but it's just on my right side and not on my left. Is this a problem, or will it just be born facing my left leg rather than my right?

[aloneinid]

Grivas- my first baby was ROA, too, and I was concerned since LOA is optimal. So, I saw a chiropractor to optimize the baby's position, but he never turned, staying ROA the from July 6 to his birthday in late August. I had a very short labor and no complications. It is a variation of normal and preferable to posterior.
This baby is fluctuation between LOA, posterior, and ROA on a predictable 24 hour schedule. I can get him to turn either LOA or ROA with pelvic tilting, but he just goes back to posterior in between. I have been seeing my chiro weekly since my first trimester and am aware of the Spinning Babies techniques (meaning I have not been lounging on my couch during this pregnancy). I did just read in one of Sheila Kitzinger's books that this situation suggests a roomy uterus and that if the baby is moving freely like that it will most likely rotate into a good position in labor. A "roomy" uterus has been confirmed by my chiro. Despite all of this, I am still very anxious about having a posterior labor/birth...do you hear that, baby?

[KariM]

Originally Posted by Grivas

I'm a little confused. I know baby is head down, which is great, but it seems to be ROA. They barely say anything about ROA and if it's an ok position. So, the baby is head down, feet to my side, as it should be, but it's just on my right side and not on my left. Is this a problem, or will it just be born facing my left leg rather than my right?

The midwife I used for my last pregnancy would have preferred a ROA versus a LOA. I'm not sure why, but she kept wishing DD would flip.

Now this pregnancy my LO is moving from LOA to ROA, but with a preference for LOA. Like aloneinid, I'm taking it as a sign that my pelvis/uterus is roomy and the babe has room enough to reach an optimal position for birth.

[~patty]

I seriously have a spinning baby in there. She twirls around on her head a lot, so where she ends up will be interesting. Thanks for the links though.

[snugglebutter]

It is also possible (unfortunately) to have back labor without a posterior baby.