ROA experiences

[elibumbum]

DS was ROA presentation. I was told that this was the second best position (LOA being the best) and nothing to worry about by mw before DS was born. Subsequently a mw said that is probably why I had a long labour (although I didn't think 16 hours was that long for a first timer). I was wondering if it was the reason DS didn't tuck his chin in and I had to push really hard for 2 hours to get him out. Did anyone else have this with ROA?

hi there,.....not 100 % sure but ...here goes...don;t think it is neccesarily the ROA bit of the babies position that made a difference, but that his head was not as well flexed as it might have been.... ie his chin wasn't down towards his chest ..as you say. if that happens...then it is harder to get the baby out as a larger diameter of his head has to pass through the pelvis first......which does make for harder work...

16 hours is not excessive for a first delivery....especailly when 2 hours was for the 2nd stage.....

if i am wrong, then apologies...but i think his actual position was fine..it was the amount his head was flexed that was a little difficult! the fact you pushed him out yourself is fantastic!

contgratulations on the arrival of your baby boy!

Thanks lulamama. I was expecting longer than 16 hours. I had a textbook labour until the pushing stage and over all I feel it was a positive experience but have always wondered about the ROA/chin bit! I had to wait to push because I had a bit of cervix still there (can't remember the name for that) and I think I missed out on a lot of the natural urge to push as by the time they told me I could push the urge wasn't as strong - which didn't help! I had a wonderful mw who said (as we were coming up to the 2 hours of pushing) that if I didn't push harder with each contraction she would get the Dr in - lets just say he arrived shortly after that!

you might have had an anterior lip...which is a teeny bit of cervix that gets swollen and needs to be moved out of they way or allowed to subside before you can push! it's nothing to worry about! just better not to push on it as can get more swollen and impede the descent of the baby!!

it sounds like you did so very well. and your midwife sounds like a star!... !

you got him out by yourself...fantastic! i do hope you are enjoying your little one!

I wonder also whether your baby rotated round to LOA the long way round, ie going OP (back to back ) first. This might also explain why you had a cervical lip which is more common with OP presentations as the head isn't applying even pressure to the cervix.

I'm enjoying my DS v much - he is actually 8 months old today and very gorgeous!

I was told in my NCT classes that if they are ROA they have to turn the whole way around. Both DH and I never understood that. Sounds like going down the plug hole (which I suppose they are really!)and they have to go in one direction only! I never had back pain though.

It is funny really because I used to jokingly say to him when he was in the womb 'head first, chin tucked in and arms by your sides' - 2 out of three isn't bad!

Hiya

ROA is a good position for the baby to be in, it sounds like from what you are describing that your baby had a deflexed head this would/could slow down the labour and certainly the 2nd stage. It could also be the reason for the lip of cervix, because the head was deflexed it is not so well applied to the cervix so it makes it dilate a bit unevenly. Hope that makes sense, Im rubbish at explaining things.

www.who.int/reproductive-health/impac/Symptoms/Malpositions__malpresetations_S69_S81.html

Helen

Thanks Helen.

The WHO website is very interesting.

Are there any positions that I could have used to help get the head more flexed?

sorry to jump in....this might help

google optimal foetal positioning

and have a look at this!

OFP

Jean sutton is brilliant and we recommend her a lot the positions she suggests are ones we also encourage or try to encourage in labour.

SOme women have a pelvis shape that encourages poor fetal position if that is the case you are a bit limited you cant get a new different shaped pelvis but the positions do help especially in labour.

have a look at this page its near the bottom it tells you about the different pelvis shapes and the postions that the fetus is most likely to get into

www.brooksidepress.org/Products/Military_OBGYN/Textbook/LaborandDelivery/labor.htm#Pelvic%20Evaluation

helen

Thanks for both those links - very interesting - they led me to other links and I feel I know more about what was happening. I wish I had seen them when pg. Will store the knowledge for next time! Actually, I think I will bookmark them as it is very unlikely that I will be able to remember in a year or 2!