[Momma Aimee]

Theo was head down and enganged. his back cruved along my LEFT side. However he never got in the totally correct postion -- he faced the wrong was, and did not engage his head correctly thus dilating was a big issue and i could not push him out -- resulting in forcepts. i did get him started, but it just wasn't going well or "right" and after 3 hours i was so spent, my BP was being effect (though not him) and we decided to go for the forcepts .... yes i likly could have gotten him out -- but who knows how long and at what cost to me ... the choice was made to pull him out so i could still be with it enough to hold him and BF.

This baby is head down and curved with his or her back along my RIGHT side.

Is this better?

does it matter?

Could Theo's mal-position been that fact we birthed at week 38 -- my water broke after acupuncture which we were using to natrually induce in front of a medical induction date as the plcenta was failing and Theo had stopped growing int eh womb.

Thought?

Information?

AImee

 

[lisalulu]

I have the same question too! I could have sworn with ds (who was on the right side until the very end) that I was told left side is preferred for less pain during labor-to the point where I was doing some exercises to get him to switch. This baby is on the right side and its starting to worry me-but my midwives don't seem concerned?

 

[ComfyCozy]

Babies rotate clockwise (from what I learned, at least), so you would want the back to curve along your left side and the back of the baby's head to point to your left hip. The best position for rotation is LOA: left occiput anterior. The back of the baby's head is pointed towards your left hip and the baby's spine is towards your front. The head descends into the pelvis sideways, rotates upon exiting the pelvis so that the presenting part is the crown of the head, and then rotates back to the side for the delivery of the shoulders and the rest of the body.

 

[Momma Aimee]

hummmm

ok

then i wonder why i had such issues with Theo not being in the right place for dialation and all that?

intresting.

so we are wrong again. great.

Quote:

Babies rotate clockwise (from what I learned, at least), so you would want the back to curve along your left side and the back of the baby's head to point to your left hip. The best position for rotation is LOA: left occiput anterior. The back of the baby's head is pointed towards your left hip and the baby's spine is towards your front. The head descends into the pelvis sideways, rotates upon exiting the pelvis so that the presenting part is the crown of the head, and then rotates back to the side for the delivery of the shoulders and the rest of the body.

now how do we explain that to the BABY?

Aimee

 

[GinaRae]

Did anyone have you change positions? My son wouldn't align and come down the birth canal and they ended up doing an emergency c/s when his heart decelled.

But I can't help but wonder if I was encouraged to change positions... would he eventually line up? Who knows!! I also had this horrific stabbing pain in my right side with contractions, and that's not normal.

They thought he was maybe coming down brow first and they said he kept coming down and floating back up. Yet when they pulled him from me in the operating room, he had a VERY molded head. So I really have no clue what really happened, you know?

Right now my babe is happily laying in the opposite -- s/he's facing my left, head down. I wonder if this will be my back labor baby. I've wondered that the entire pregnancy!! Just because this should be my easiest yet if I get my water and homebirth... but nothing ever works like you want it too, eh?

 

[Momma Aimee]

i guess in womb is just supposed to get us ready for teh 2 year old who won't stop hangin on the frezzer door in loud desire for a popcycle at 8 am.

AImee

 

[GinaRae]

: laughup laughup

:

 

[Undercover Hippie]

Aimee, if I was guessing I'd say Theo might have been asynclitic--head engaged a little cock-eyed or off center. It definitely makes it harder to dilate because the head is not putting even pressure on the cervix, and it makes it harder to push them out because they don't have the correct range of motion for their head to navigate the pelvis. Doesn't matter how big or small a baby is, or what position the rest of their body is in, if they are asynclitic it can be really tough like what you went through!

Sometimes a knee-chest position where you get on your knees with butt up in the air and chest down on the bed can help pull baby up and reposition them, sometimes they are born asynclitic (usually with some crazy molding off to one side of their head), sometimes they need help like the forceps you had, or even a c/s if it's really severe--like my friend whose baby tried to come out ear first...

Gina, my baby is mostly laying ROA like yours... though sometimes in the last week he is more ROP or even totally OP (!) which worries me. If I lay on my left side I can get him to rotate to LOA but he moves back as soon as I get up... I keep telling myself that the more I worry about it, the more I am giving energy to it. So I need to just chill out and trust my body. Maybe I will have back labor, maybe not... I had back labor with DD even though she was LOA through my whole PG so there is really no predicting. I am going to review with DH where the correct place is for counterpressure during back labor though! Then try to just visualize a great birth and give strength to that. Maybe we can help each other relax and trust our bodies.

 

[Valerieg]

I think all the PPs gave you the information you need...I just wanted to offer support!

 

[Hezzy]

See, now my MW was saying that what we want is for the baby's back to be just off center from my belly button, either right or left. At my last appointment the baby was head down, but the back was sort of deep on the left side - like s/he was lying completely sideways - and my MW said that we wanted the babe to turn so his/her back was more to the front. But she didn't say anything about it being better if s/he was to the left or right.

Anyway, that's what my MW said.

 

[chrysalis]

mine is supposedly LOP...he seems to prefer the right side and has been head down the whole pg so far...i rotate on the birth ball and try lying on my left side w/ right leg over as far as it can hang or go but he hasn't shifted yet i don't think, at least...thats ok. he's head down and that is all i care about. i think.

:

 

[Beckula]

Ok here is my question: How the heck do you ladies know where the baby is specifically? I know mine was head down until last night when I'm pretty sure she decided to flip head up again (GRRR) and that she likes to hang out on my right side usually and head butt my cervix for entertainment but other than that no freakin' clue. Heck my OB barely even measures my fundus, I had to ask her at the last appointment and I'm 32 weeks now never mind palpatating. And she didn't say whether it was big, small, basically nothing. I wanted hands off maternity care from them but that was before my midwife abandoned me. I need to have a chat with them. I mean do you guys think maybe its a little strange that the first time my OB measured my fundus was two weeks ago and it was only because I requested it?

 

[GinaRae]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undercover Hippie Gina, my baby is mostly laying ROA like yours... though sometimes in the last week he is more ROP or even totally OP (!) which worries me. If I lay on my left side I can get him to rotate to LOA but he moves back as soon as I get up... I keep telling myself that the more I worry about it, the more I am giving energy to it. So I need to just chill out and trust my body. Maybe I will have back labor, maybe not... I had back labor with DD even though she was LOA through my whole PG so there is really no predicting. I am going to review with DH where the correct place is for counterpressure during back labor though! Then try to just visualize a great birth and give strength to that. Maybe we can help each other relax and trust our bodies.

If I lay on my left, even for hours, I just cannot get this babe to turn. I don't know HOW s/he stays ROA! But sometimes I feel kicks and scratches and squirms like s/he isn't happy with me in that position, but I have never seen/felt evidence that babe has turned.

The latest trick has been moving into a diagonal transverse position by morning (I go side to side all night) and then soon after I get up, right back to ROA.

Okay, back labor with an LOA. Interesting! I may just need to convince myself not to worry about it anymore. I've got a friend who wants to be here and she is a massage therapist. I don't want to call her in the middle of the night, but if it's terrible, I might!

Since the whole MW thing is going on, I haven't been visualizing my birth lately. I know that helps me. But I will get back to that when the dust settles.

We ROA's need to definitely have a chill thread!

 

[GinaRae]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beckula Ok here is my question: How the heck do you ladies know where the baby is specifically? I know mine was head down until last night when I'm pretty sure she decided to flip head up again (GRRR) and that she likes to hang out on my right side usually and head butt my cervix for entertainment but other than that no freakin' clue. Heck my OB barely even measures my fundus, I had to ask her at the last appointment and I'm 32 weeks now never mind palpatating. And she didn't say whether it was big, small, basically nothing. I wanted hands off maternity care from them but that was before my midwife abandoned me. I need to have a chat with them. I mean do you guys think maybe its a little strange that the first time my OB measured my fundus was two weeks ago and it was only because I requested it?

I don't think it's strange, I think it's great! There's really no need for a ton of measuring, I think, unless you're worried about something.

Anywhoo, check out my answer here as to how I know where the babe is. Another clue is if your bambino has hiccups, you can feel them where the head is and for me, to the left where the baby is facing.

 

[Momma Aimee]

Quote:

Aimee, if I was guessing I'd say Theo might have been asynclitic--head engaged a little cock-eyed or off center. It definitely makes it harder to dilate because the head is not putting even pressure on the cervix, and it makes it harder to push them out because they don't have the correct range of motion for their head to navigate the pelvis. Doesn't matter how big or small a baby is, or what position the rest of their body is in, if they are asynclitic it can be really tough like what you went through! Sometimes a knee-chest position where you get on your knees with butt up in the air and chest down on the bed can help pull baby up and reposition them, sometimes they are born asynclitic (usually with some crazy molding off to one side of their head), sometimes they need help like the forceps you had, or even a c/s if it's really severe--like my friend whose baby tried to come out ear first...

we got him wiht forcepts while they preped the CS unit.

I was in active labor -- contractions every 5 to 3 to 7 minutes -- for 33 hours.

I pushed for 3 hours.

--- i get soooooooooooooooooo itred just remembering it

------------

all they told me, CNM and IBV, was he was facing the wrong way and not turning.

---- i know where the baby is -- i know she or he is head down, i get feeet (I can feel the heel) in my ribs, and i can push along one side of my fat tummy and feel mush and ont eh other side i feel a lot of hard -- the back.... and if i push around on my tummy -- bothers DH -- i can "feel" a lot of the baby ...sholders sloping, round butt .....

 

[brooklyn_warbler]

at 28weeks baby was ROA. at around 29.5weeks s/he turned to LOA and i was pretty pleased partially because i had been more cognizant of my posture and stuff and felt like we worked together! s/he stayed like that for several weeks, actually and then a couple of days ago, s/he switched to ROA again!

it doesn't end there, though: s/he was like that for two days, and then this morning i woke up and s/he was back LOA. my suspicion is that this switching will continue happening until the baby has really just run out of room and who knows when that will be. luckily s/he seems to prefer LOA and at least s/he's always got the anterior part of the equation down.

 

[Momma Aimee]

going to OB in a hour i will ask him what he thinks..... not that it really matters

: the baby will be where the baby wants to be !!!! and as long as it is not breech ......

AImee

 

[Undercover Hippie]

So I guess this is more for the mamas whose babies are flipping all the time and won't settle into a "good" position... but I talked to my MW today about how much baby was rotating, how hands & knees or pelvic rocks move him into a good position but then he moves right back out, etc. For the record she was never concerned *at all* when he was ROA, but when he was OP last time she mentioned doing stuff to move him. But when I described what he is doing now she said obviously he has lots of room still so there is nothing to worry about and not to even worry about my positioning that much. Just that if he's still doing this when I start labor, to spend the first part on hands & knees. And to absolutely trust that my body knows what it is doing! No worries at all.

A good message to pass on to other mamas!

 

[Momma Aimee]

not that my baby stays in one place

but at the OB appt Tue where we did a fast US to check weight gain -- due to slow gain in me and Theo's history -- like 2 minutes ... the baby was in "indeal" position.

Great -- 5 weeeks out

: what are the chances of THAT happneing when i need it to ?????

As long as baby stays head down, i am going to try to stay soooo much more active in labor so this baby can "line up right" and we can have a better birth.

AImee