The little bugger flipped....

[njbeachgirl]

From LOA back to ROA. Is this a big deal? I was all excited about the recent flip to LOA because that is supposed to be the "ideal" position, plus it was more comfy for me. Is there any way to encourage him to turn back again?

[veganf]

No, not a big deal. Probably move again during labor if all else fails. Maybe a little hands and knees during labor will fix it, but it will probably resolve on its own.

[yamilee21]

I don't know... mine has been anterior, varying between left or right, since 34 weeks or so, but has suddenly gone posterior.

[Linzie2]

This little one is always ROA...one time he was LOA early on during an exam, but other than that he loves him some right side!! DD was the same way, and she did not become posterior or cause me any back labor. I know the placenta is on the left side, I assume there's just more room on that right side. I don't think I'll be able to convince him to switch...and I'm not really worried about it.

[prairieo]

as long as that baby is going into it head down and face down, I would say you're in pretty good shape! no worries!

[mama to 2 girls]

Not a big deal at all! DD2 was ROT/ROA up until the day she was born and she came out just fine.

This little guy is also ROA at the moment...and has been at my last few appts.

[Kidzaplenty]

They tend to flip when they want to. Mine stays in the "optimal" position most of the time (as far as sides go), but I "think" Baby may be tails first. I guess I will see when I see an end come out!

[prothyraia]

My babe is still rotating in there. I figure, if there's enough room to flip from right to left, there's enough room to flip back once labor starts if s/he's on the "wrong" side.

[VaMountainMomma]

Weebu seems to prefer ROA, too.

[Tenk]

can you ladies tell me what ROA and LOA and all that means?? Sorry I'm no help at all.

[prothyraia]

Right Occiput Anterior and Left Occiput Anterior, meaning baby is head down with the back of their head (occiput) pointing towards the front of mom's body (anterior) and their back on either the right or left side. Babes that are in an LOA position are lined up the best to enter the birth canal.

Babes with the back of their heads pointed towards mom's back (LOP or ROP)are Posterior, and if they don't turn can lead to painful back labor.

[veganf]

Originally Posted by yamilee21

but has suddenly gone posterior.

My third was posterior right up until labor, and I instinctively spent most of it rocking on my hands and knees, and right in the beginning of transition he flipped around and there was a second gush of amniotic fluid because he'd been corking the opening in his posterior position and the rest rushed out when he turned around...and then I pushed him out without any trouble.
So just do whatever your body tells you and hopefully babe will come out in the best position it can. But as long as it's head down I personally wouldn't worry too much.

[Linzie2]

Veganf: How's your babe's position these days??

[Tenk]

Originally Posted by prothyraia

Right Occiput Anterior and Left Occiput Anterior, meaning baby is head down with the back of their head (occiput) pointing towards the front of mom's body (anterior) and their back on either the right or left side. Babes that are in an LOA position are lined up the best to enter the birth canal.

Babes with the back of their heads pointed towards mom's back (LOP or ROP)are Posterior, and if they don't turn can lead to painful back labor.

Oh wow, I had no idea what that meant. Thank you. So if my little guy turns on a regular basis and puts his feet from one side to the other and moves his body to the opposite side, he's in a good spot, but will deliver easier if the baby's back is on the LEFT side??? of did I get it backwards?

[prothyraia]

Originally Posted by Tenk

Oh wow, I had no idea what that meant. Thank you. So if my little guy turns on a regular basis and puts his feet from one side to the other and moves his body to the opposite side, he's in a good spot, but will deliver easier if the baby's back is on the LEFT side???

Pretty much!

http://www.spinningbabies.com has a lot of information about fetal positioning, but the site is all wonky and hard to navigage because they're rennovating or something.

Here's some of what they have to say:

"The three “Anteriors.,” LOT, LOA and OA are all ideal for the start of labor. Both LOA and OA require less rotation than LOT and may start a faster labor, but may be less common than LOT. Generally, few midwives or doctors pay strict attention to the actual head position so the LOT baby is very often called LOA or just OA.

Four starting positions often lead to (or remain as) direct OP in active labor. Right Occiput Transverse (ROT), Right Occiput Posterior (ROP) and Left Occiput Posterior (LOP) join direct OP in adding labor time. The LOP baby has less distance to go to get into an LOT position. The incidence of posterior babies at the start of labor is scantly studied, and existing studies almost universally ignore all but direct posterior babies. "

[veganf]

Originally Posted by Linzie2

Veganf: How's your babe's position these days??

LOA

[bluebirdmama]

Yay veganf - hope that's still the case now?

njbeachgirl - both my babes flipped back and forth but spent most of their time with their backs on my right. i didn't find it a problem for labour at all. i hope you're not too worried about it. sleeping on your left side could make a difference maybe? (i always sleep on my right).

[njbeachgirl]

These days I sleep on whichever side I can get comfortable on! I'm probably on my right for half the night and my left for the other half. And sometimes I wake up flat on my back

Babe is still ROA but I feel better about it after hearing your responses. The midwife said, maybe he will turn around, or maybe just come out this way! She was not concerned though.