Are NHS midwives trained in Optimal Foetal Positioning (OFP) techniques, and if not, why not!?..

[floozieinthejacuzzi]

...because it seems to me that it could save on a lot of avoidable interventions!
The reason I ask is because I had to transfer to hospital from a planned homebirth for my DS (15 weeks), due to a cervical lip, and getting "stuck" at 9mm. I just wonder if my midwives could've advised me on more targeted techniques (ie to get rid of the cervical lip), I wouldn't have had to transfer at all. (Baby was also OP)
Have any of you had midwives that tell you to try this, that, or the other position?

I was basically left to my own devices (mostly on knees leaning forward for contractions), in the birth pool (which was lovely!).
I did a lot of reading up on OFP techniques before the birth (as baby was lying ROP, and I wanted to get him to move - didn't work!), but when you are in labour it's very hard to remember what to do, which is why it would be nice to have someone knowledgeable giving suggestions. Or is it only possible to get that if you hire an independent mw, or doula who have studied the techniques?

Are these technique evidence-based?

Every midwife I've had has been pretty clued up on best positioning for certain things, I had an op baby, they tried to get me to deliver on my knees as he was stuck and it would open my pelvis, but sadly the spd and dislocating hips (mine) meant it was a no go. When dd was having slow hr on the monitor they put me on my side which sorted the problem out.

There is no evidence base to OFP - it is all a theory which hasn't been tested.

Mws only really pay attention to you at the end, but they are presumably trained in SD, which includes amongst the procedures, a change of position.

I got given a leaflet and that was it.

And whilst it may not be evidence based practice, it's been around for millennia, knowledge passed down by birth attendants in many different cultures around the world, clearly they can't all be wrong! Just because no one has written a scientific paper on it, doesn't mean it doesn't work.

A lot of stuff which allegedly has been around for millenia often has only been invented by some new age hippie in the 70ies.

Also, just because something has been done for a long time, doesn't mean that it neccessarily have any effect, and if it has an effect, it doesn't mean that it neccessarily has to be positive.

That's why scientific studies are a good thing. It makes things safer.

Nope. I wasn't, not at all.

I wasn't trained in OFP as such but it was 20 years ago. Instead my tutors and MW's on clinical placements passed on their "tricks of the trade" and encouraged us to observe women's behaviour and encourage all sorts of movements in labour including climbing stairs, wide paced walking or lunges and hip swaying or pelvic thrusts. These are often instinctive and when you are privileged to witness women in tune with their bodies and not interfered with you learn a lot. Antenatally we were taught to advise women to remain active when possible, lie on the left side as a first choice and not slouch on the sofa. Oh and the scrubbing the kitchen floor trick.

I am dubious about some claims that acupuncture, homeopathy and ear candling will change the position of your baby. And having attended an OFP workshop, I was disconcerted by a technique which involved wrapping a heavily pregnant woman in a sheet and twisting her about quite vigorously - perhaps it was only those particular practitioners who did it with such enthusiasm but it didn't appeal to me. OFP to me isn't a textbook thing, it's thorough knowledge of anatomy and physiology and a bit of experience and common sense.

There was a trial of OFP done in Australia, reported in the BMJ a few years ago (sorry can't be bothered to get link). Showed no effect. (there are of course criticisms to be made of the study as with all trials)