Who knows about the position names babies can lie in? Breech, Transverse etc

[shouldIbecrossaboutthis]

So today I went for a sweep (40+5) which couldn't be done as my cervix is too far back.

The MW thinks it's to do with how the baby is lying and told me to lean forward to get him to move. I thought I'd look on spinning babies for some more advice but can't determine the label for the way my baby is lying.

His head is down, his spine is against my left side, his bum is in the middle and his feet are on my right, quite high up. I think the midwife wants me to get his spine more vertical.

Does anyone know what this style of lie is? Also any tips?

The lie is longitudinal, cephalic (head down), left occipitotransverse if you want to know the technical guff term for it . The leaning forward advice is to try to get baby's back round to the front so you don't go in to labour with his back next to your back which can lead to a long and quite painful labour at times. Good luck xx

Wow thanks MidLine, that is a mouthful. Do you have any tips for shifting him over? I sleep on my left side for eg, should I switch?

Both of mine were longitudinal, ceph and LOT (what you're describing). I tried every recommended thing going for weeks with both. Neither moved.

During labour both stayed LOT or swung to OP (back to back).

Cons said different women and different babies opt for different positions based on pelvis shape and position of placenta and a hundred other things besides. Mine liked to be OT. Many women can delivery OT babies without even knowing the position or worrying about it. It's not a 'problem' necessarily.

Yep, agree with Nim. Whilst leaning forward may encourage him into a slightly better position, most babies tend to do what they like in labour and it's not really something we can fully control. Even the back to back position doesn't rule out a "normal" delivery, can just make it slow and sore.

I'm more trying to avoid induction really, the MW seemed certain if he was a little straighter my cervix would come forward and I would dilate "properly".

NimChimpsky, does OT mean occipitotransverse? Di you go into labour without induction?

I do have a slightly twisted pelvis and go and see a chiropractor every 6-8 weeks for it; could it be because if that?

sorry for all the questions and thanks for answering. I'm just trying to decide if I should be doing headstands or relaxing & watching trash TV!

Now I'm really confused, according to spinning babies, "The left occiput transverse (LOT) is one of the ideal starting positions for labor."

I'm not so worried about baby slipping round back to back during labour, sure it makes things harder but he does have a mind of his own, so I wouldn't bother trying to move him. But if it means I wont be induced I'd give the exercises a go.

Does LOT stop you going into spontaneous labour?

You'll get a million opinions - it's a pretty unproven science. For every person on here who had a horrid time with a B2B labour, there's another one saying that it was fine and the baby just popped out. I'd personally be giving the exercises a go and try to keep fairly mobile. Regular gentle walks etc. Try sitting on a birthing/yoga ball if you are watching telly . If he doesn't shift you'll always wonder what if and it can't hurt.
Had a look at spinning babies and it sounds like your baby is pretty close to perfect. Not quite there as yet though and could potentially move back to back as easily as properly around so perhaps that's why your midwife is keen for you to help matters along. I'm no expert but I can only assume that gravity is going to help kick things off if the baby is fully engaged, and putting pressure on the cervix from the right angle.
Or she might just have large hands and be looking for an excuse to make you scrub your kitchen floor

There is no way whatsoever you can predict what sort of labour you would have from the position of the baby. Some people will have a straightforward labour with a baby starting in a less desirable position, some will end up with all manner of intervention with a baby seemingly in the perfect position. You can do small things to try and nudge things along or to encourage things but really for the large part, labour and delivery are all down to luck. To that peculiar set of circumstances on the day. I learnt the hard way that trying to control the uncontrollable leads to nothing but sadness and some degree of guilt. There's a vast gulf between expectation and reality sometimes and in that gulf there's often a lot of pain. You don't have to consent to an induction if you don't want to. You can ask for expectant management. But just like peculiarities of position don't tell you anything about how labour will go, there's actually no reason to suggest that an induction has to be a negative experience, should it become necessary. Inductions can be brilliant and lifesaving things but I really think they're best approached from an attitude of positivity. You don't HAVE to have one if it's not medically necessary but if you do have to then isn't it marvellous that modern medicine has these options for us? That sort of thing. And then if it does happen, approach it from the pov of can I be mobile, how to they manage pain relief, where will it happen, can I use a pool later on etc etc. Just because it's not your ideal, doesn't mean it's not something you can engage with positively.

I found that while I couldn't control the variables, I could control what I wanted in each eventuality. So when I had my first, I thought it was my fault I ended up with the delivery I did because I hadn't done enough optimal foetal positioning or bounced on a ball enough or I'd sat wrong, or slept wrong. And that's a foolish belief. I did NOTHING wrong. Second time round, I thought about what I'd do if x happened, if I'd consent to y or z if they were the options available to me. Because if it had to happen, I could be involved. I couldn't decide things for the baby though. I couldn't will it into a certain position or change my pelvis shape or any of that stuff. Just make decisions as they presented to me with the information available. And it's quite empowering to think of it that way. Knowing that you and the baby are facing this unknown thing together and grasping it for what it is is infinitely better than railing against that which you can't control.

Yes OT is occipito transverse. My waters broke spontaneously at 39 weeks and 37 weeks respectively. Just to be utterly honest though, as I wish I'd known in advance... my waters broke spontaneously yes, but my body wasn't ready to labour. My waters going did start labour both times but both dd and ds were a little undercooked. The babies were in a bit of an awkward position (they weren't just ot, they were something called asynclitic). Their awkward position was because I have a twist in my pelvis and it caused my waters to break prematurely. It also meant that they couldn't fit through my pelvis and I had two emcs. I am NOT trying to worry you. My pelvis is my pelvis and it's probably nothing like yours. The first time round I was fairly traumatised but I know this was because I blamed myself for something which wasn't my fault. Second time was the most positive, empowering experience, because it was just the day I met my son and I felt in control and knowledgeable. I gave it a go and made each decision with a smile. Not panicked and full of regret.

Giving birth is a massive thing but having a baby is bigger. At the end of it all, that's all any of us is doing.

Thanks NimChimpsky for the lovely reassuring post, I'm not really worried about the labour as such, if it ends up being horrific then so be it, I understand I can't control everything sadly. And you're right, the baby at the end is the bigger picture.

I'm just trying to determine if I should stress myself out worrying about getting the baby into a better position or whether I should try not to place to much pressure on myself and the baby.

I think I've decided to do the exercises 3 times a day as spinning babies suggests and then leave the rest to my body/baby/midwife. I'd sooner have the baby in my arms so being induced isn't a thing I'm going fight over - I'd quite happily go today!

Thanks again NimChimpsky