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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Optimum Foetal Positioning and how/when to do it

68 replies

MoosMa · 17/11/2006 20:52

DD1 was OP and DD2 seems to be following suit - I woke up lying on my back this morning with a tangle of limbs poking out through my tummy button! I mentioned it to a consultant I saw today, who said that nothing I do will make a difference, the shape of my pelvis will determine the baby's position and that if DD1 was OP then that was obviously the best way for her to be. I really can't believe this to be true so I'm going to give OFP a try - I figure it may work and if it doesn't I haven't lost anything.

Sooooo, what have you found worked for turning your baby the right way, and when did you start doing it?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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NotSoupyOhNoNoNoShesOnABreak · 18/11/2006 15:48

"if DD1 was OP then that was obviously the best way for her to be." Oh that is just hilarious! DS1 was OP, DS2 and DD perfectly presented.

lulumama · 18/11/2006 15:51

soupy....where have you been ??

bananaloaf · 18/11/2006 15:52

ds1 was back to back and presented looking at my side - therefore long long labour and assisted delivery. ds2 i started kneeling over a ball from very early on did it every night for 30 mins from about 5 months. ds2 was head down form 6 months and back to tum and labour was 4 hours.

mrsmalumbas · 20/11/2006 17:20

"I'm quite short (5'4") and am small build, I think I have quite a short gap between my ribs and my hips, and I was wondering if anyone else who's had OP babies is the same? Nothing scientific, just my roving mind....."

Me too, I'm exacltly that build and had two OP babies. I've seen this lots of times in other people too. I do believe there is a correlation. But nothing to prove that!

I still believe, and I'm a doula too, that babies rotate during labour rather than before. Personally and professionally I just don't see the point of lots and lots of proactive work during pregnancy trying to get the baby to get into the "right" position during pregnancy - it's just tiring for Mum and until labour begins you don't even know if it's necessary anyway - even if you get them into the "right" position before labour they might flip back again anyway. I don't suppose it could do any harm, and if Mum wants to do yoga or whatever for general fitness then fair enough, but I just thought that people might like to know that even if you go into labour with a malpositioned baby, or even if you find yourself coping with a back labour, then it's not too late. Rotational Positioning as taught by CBI basically means using the power of the contractions as well as gravity to help the baby turn.

The trouble with the Jean Sutton stuff is that she emphasises getting baby into an OA position but if baby is ROA then they will still rotate around the back anyway - babies hardly ever go ROA to LOA they nearly always go via OP. So things like hanging over a birth ball can actually be counter productive.

Sorry, I realise that most of the above is completely boring and incomprehensible to most people but this is a bit of a pet subject of mine! Perhaps we should have a separate little doula type chat.

lulumama · 20/11/2006 17:27

i'd certainly love to see more info about that! i think anything a mum can do to potentially make a labour 'easier' is worth discussing! i didn;t mean to be dismissive of your suggestion and i would certainly like any links you have to it .....

feel free to CAT me.....! i;ve not had the opportunity to attend a birth yet as still relatively new to this, but i have read up soooooo much re birth and have not come across this . so would love to hear more. a fair bit of interest i have had has been from women who've struggled with first labours due to malpositioning!

hop you didn;t think me rude.

mrsmalumbas · 22/11/2006 17:16

Hi Lulumama didn't think you rude at all - think you make some great contributions on the childbirth related threads!

Take a look at
this page

lulumama · 22/11/2006 17:17

thank you MrsM.....xxx

Original poster

MoosMa · 11/12/2006 08:51

I saw the midwife a few days ago and she assures me that BabyMoo is LOA - hoorah! She told me the reason I can feel so much out the front is that my muscles have separated. NowI just have to keep her where she is...

OP posts:

lulumama · 11/12/2006 09:17

woohoo!!! did you try any of the tips or not? interested to know as 2 people have tried some of the tips for turning a breech baby from the gentlebirth website and it has worked !!!

that is super news !!!

have also been pointed in the direction of this website, which is also really good re positioning baby for birth

\lin{http:www.spinningbabies.com\spinning babies......sounds similar to mrsmalumabs's ideas}

lulumama · 11/12/2006 09:18

spinning babies......sounds similar to mrsmalumabs's ideas

Original poster

MoosMa · 11/12/2006 16:39

I haven't been doing anything yet as I still regularly wake up lying on my back so I figure whatever I do will be undone at night. I have been walking quite a bit though - 2.5 miles every 1-2 days - and I have been feeling generally more comfortable in the day. I don't feel so squashed and seem to have more food-space!

I'm seeing the mw again on 3rd Jan so will see what she says then, then will probably start "doing things" after that as I'll have just over 6 weeks to go. Will keep you updated if you like...

OP posts:

lulumama · 11/12/2006 18:31

if you can,, do let me know how you get on!! xx thanks xx

Original poster

MoosMa · 24/12/2006 13:41

I still haven't been actively doing anything about the positioning, but I think maybe I ought to start soon. I'm pretty sure she's turned the wrong way again, I suddenly look enormous and a funny shape, and I'm getting knees and elbows sticking out the front again. I'm also getting lower back pain which I never had with DD1 and I don't like it! I'm seeing the mw on 3rd Jan so will see what she says then...

OP posts:

lulumama · 24/12/2006 13:43

ok..thanks for the update.....will just do a link about op babies...one sec !

lulumama · 24/12/2006 13:45

positive OP baby stories!!

have a merry christmas.......xx and a happy new year.....xx

lulu xx

Original poster

MoosMa · 01/02/2007 13:26

I've been very good for the last week or two now, have been leaning over ball in the evenings, sleeping on my left etc and baby seems to be fairly settled LOL. She does wriggle madly when I get into bed and sometimes I feel a back pushing forwards but never stays there long. Soooo, there seems to be hope that it'll be ok in labour!

OP posts:

lulumama · 01/02/2007 13:41

thanks for the update xx

Original poster

MoosMa · 02/02/2007 16:01

Grrrr, I drove yesterday and she's settled happily ROL which is how DD1 was and is very uncomfortable!

OP posts:

lulumama · 02/02/2007 16:04

tell her lulu will be very cross if she doesn;t move back !! at least you know she can be shifted...did i give you the link for hints to turn a baby during labour ?

Original poster

MoosMa · 18/02/2007 16:19

Well after 10 days of being on my right, one night (while I slept on my right) she popped round to my left and stayed there until last night. I've been very good at leaning forwards and sleeping on my left but for the last couple of days I felt like she was sinking back towards my back.

Yesterday evening I was in tears for an hour with the excruciating pain of her head scraping against my pelvis as she turned around. Today she is happily back on my right while I am getting kicked at the front of my tummy on the left.

I'm now 40+1 so am running out of time! The mw is coming to do a sweep on Tuesday to see if we can get things going, but honestly I think I'm going to go way over and be induced again. Half of me wants to give up and just let her be OP if that's how it's going to be, but then the other half kicks in and reminds me what it was like getting DD1 out! It's getting very depressing now and I'm doing my best to keep busy while I wait for whatever's going to happen...

OP posts:

lulumama · 19/02/2007 10:16

oh moosma.....

even if baby is op for labour, can turn during labour, and if not, you know how to deal with a n OP labour

don;t lie on your back

try to keep upright and mobile

listen to your body

have the confidence you can birth this baby, you can do this...you have done it before, you can do it again , and you know , you know you can cope xxx

Original poster

MoosMa · 19/02/2007 21:45

I've know I've done it before but it was pretty horrendous and I don't want to do it like again. The rational part of me says that even if it's as bad as last time it won't be as it's my 2nd IYSWIM.

Am feeling much better about it today though as she turned round again last night [exasperated emoticon]. This time it was painless which is a good sign that maybe she can still turn easily and will continue to do so. Mw is coming to do a sweep tomorrow (40+3) so we'll see if anything's happening (I've had a few bits of what I think is a show today). With DD1 they failed to do a sweep at T+9 and at T+13 I was only 1 cm so hopefully things will be a bit more advanced this time...

OP posts:

lulumama · 19/02/2007 21:48

all the best !! fingers crossed xxxxxx thanks for keeping me updated x

Muminfife · 19/02/2007 22:06

This reply has been deleted

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Original poster

MoosMa · 23/02/2007 14:54

Well it worked! I had a quick labour and my LO was born easily in a nice LOA position

OP posts:

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