Babies head position in birth canal - please advise

[Backgammon]

Hi there,

Had my lovely DD on Monday - ended with ventouse then forceps. She was a big baby - 9 pounds 11. Straight after she was born the Dr came and said to me that it wasn't my fault it had ended how it did (think I was apologising profusely to the baby at this point). Anyway, she said that her head was in the wrong position which is why she'd got stuck and I wouldn't have been able to get her out. She wasn't back to back I don't think but I think her head was facing up instead of down, does that sound right? Just trying to get an idea of exactly what was wrong with her position.

Thanks to anyone who can help, I may ask for my notes at some point but not brave enough at the moment.

[Notanexcitingname]

It sounds like maybe a deflexed head; so the chin not tucked well in. A brow presentation (looking up) is very unlikely to birth vaginally at all; unless it deflexes completely to be a face presentation, which is pretty rare in the West as we tend to go to theatre before then.
Deflexing the head increases the circumference of the presenting part (about 31cm for a tucked in chin, 38cm for a brow) which makes it hard (grading to impossible!) to deliver

(not a midwife or doula, just interested!)

[WhereTheWildThingsWere]

I agree with Notanexcitingname, both my babies were brow presentation (and back to back )

The first was a forceps delivery like yourself, the second I managed to squeeze out after 2 hours of pushing hell [proud emoticon] (nobody realised she was brow until she came out, I was in a very hands off midwife led birthing center)

And after 2 of them I'm never doing it again, my babies obviously don't know the correct way out.

[Weegiemum]

Congratualtions on your lovely dd.

I had a face-up baby first time. She was back to back and came out with her face looking at the ceiling. Obstetrician called it "face-to-pubes" mmm nice! Midwife called her "Stargazer" - much nicer. She was also big (9lb12oz) and a ventouse delivery.

Have since had 2 more babies, both simple deliveries, both smaller (9lb3, then 7lb13).

She's here, she's out and it probably wont happen again. Enjoy being a mum, but get your notes if you want to when you are feeling braver. It was probably "just one of those things".

[WhereTheWildThingsWere]

I wasn't implying that any of your subsequent pgs will end this way btw.

I am aware that I was quite unlucky.

[DisplacementActivity]

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[DisplacementActivity]

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[vbacqueen1]

have a look at this page which shows exactly what each position means.