Giving birth? You need optimal foetal positioning!

[JanetF]

Optimal Foetal Positioning Essential and FREE for all birthing women! :D

http://www.horns.freeserve.co.uk/ofp.htm


'Optimal Foetal Positioning' is a theory developed by a midwife, Jean Sutton, who found that the mother's position and movement could influence the way her baby lay in the womb in the final weeks of pregnancy. Many difficult labours result from 'malpresentation', where the baby's position makes it hard for the head to move through the pelvis, so changing the way the baby lies could make birth easier for mother and child.


UK Midwife Archives page on presentation, from the Association of Radical Midwives (www.midwifery.org.uk)

The Midwife Archives on the gentlebirth.org website have an amazing collection of wisdom and experience on just about every subject related to pregnancy and birth. The pages on positioning start at http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/position.html

Belly mapping, labour and pregnancy positions.
http://www.spinningbabies.com

Diaphragmatic release to move a posterior baby.
http://www.naturalchildbirth.org/natural/resources/labor/labor29.htm

Pelvic rocking and other OFP manoeuvres.
http://pregnancytoday.com/reference/articles/foetalpositioning.htm

A birth story from a woman who had a poorly positioned baby and a c-sec then a great vbac using OFP.
http://www.victoriousbirth.com/ofp.htm

[Goosie22]

This is fantastic stuff. I have seen this work miricles. Thanks Janet for finding it.

[Kaileysmum]

Hi,
When I was pregnant with dd, I tryed optimum fetal positioning as bub was postiror (sp??) and not engaged, and it did nothing for me. Do you need to do them for a long time, as I did them for around 4 weeks and nothing???
Just wondering!!!
E:D

[JanetF]

It's practiced from around 30 weeks, as a lifestyle, not just short bursts. So you sleep on your left, you always sit upright, not with your feet high etc, spend considerable time on your hands and knees and always make sure bubs is in the right spot or correct it swiftly. (See the articles for the exact list!) About 4% of babies are persistantly OP in birth and it's not always a problem but hospital births with early rupture of membranes (which can cement a poorly aligned baby by removing their cushion to rotate on easily) and women lying on their backs so they can't help their baby move forward lead to many problems with poorly aligned babies. Noticed how many women on bubhub say their babies were posterior in labour? If OFP was practiced, midwifery techniques like the Pink Kit employed and no one strapped down with an epidural without an emergency, we wouldn't see it happening like that. OP babies are rare in home births because women are active and undrugged, therefore having undrugged babies who can move themselves as well, and midwives help their clients with OFP all through their pregnancies.

[tickle]

Thanks for that info Janet!
Only wish I'd had it 15 months ago.:rolleyes:

[LilShenanigans]

If only I knew that before! Didn't think my labour was much different or unusual (apparently because posterier is quite common now)...

It's good to know for future use and I probably won't be spending that much time on the couch as I did first time around! lol

[JanetF]

The power is ours, sisters!!!! Use it! :D

[Foxymoron]

Thomas is quite stubbornly Posterior, even though I sleep on my left... spend loads of time on all fours, and his placenta is posterior... He is supposed to prefer to face it :rolleyes: LOL.. still I have little arms and feet sticking out of my belly most of the time. I figure he'll rotate during labour if he won't now :D he'll have to be quick though, my last DD only took an hour from first contraction to being in mamas arms!

[JanetF]

Some bubbas just are, aren't they?! I've a friend whose babies ALWAYS rotate into posterior just before she pushes them out. Fortunately she's always at home so no problems but I think sometimes she's tempted to try another just to see if she can get an OA baby through birth ;)

[lukaelmo]

Hey there,

I just thought I would add my little 2 cents worth to this thread.

When I was pregnant with little dude he was both breech and posterior.

Optimal foetal positioning was actually gone through with me with the midwives.

They also recommended acupuncture and massage, with a shen therapist who was well known for turning breech babies.

I held my positions and had the acupuncture and yep, the dude turned and was all lovely and ready to go.

I ended up having to have an emergency c-section though!

[cosmic]

Janet, thanks for the info and links. Very interesting!

So are you saying I'm ok to keep lying on the couch with my feet up until 30 weeks? :rolleyes: I'm hoping I can keep my ankles from getting too fat until then, and after that maybe I can start working on the optimal positioning thing! :p

[Foxymoron]

I just wish for my own comfort that my bub would move... it would be blessed relief to have bum aligned with my belly button instead of the wriggly knees and feet poking out of there all the time. When school starts again I might hit the student clinic for some acupuncture and see if they can get him to move :)

[cosmic]

Head is round and hard, right? Sometimes it feels like the baby rolls over and I can feel my stomach being pushed out. When I feel it is round and rock hard below my belly button and to one side (looks very weird too!). We always assumed it was her back/bum, but maybe it's her head??

Good luck with the acupuncture Keara! I've never heard of that before (before this thread I mean). Sounds like a good plan!

[Pixie]

My lil one is either head down back to my tummy as I have these weird thumps in the bum lol or she's transverse I will try to sit up more later on in my pregnancy I have very bad circulation issues so for at least 3 hours of each day I have to either swim not for 3 hours lol or have my legs up! either that or I can't walk!!

[JanetF]

Have a look at the spinning babies website for great mapping hints :)

[Pixie]

hmm I like that spinning babies website looked before hopefully she is smart like me and her dad and will behave and go head down and i'll have the perfect birth lol

[JanetF]

She probably has a good reason for wanting to be upsidedown right now LOL. I've seen women's babies move after the woman has cleared an emotional block she was unaware of in her birthing mind too. I hope your bub obliges and at least you can give her every help! :)

[reAllytee]

This is great stuff !!!!
My bubs turned posterior when he shouldve been making his entrance & then turned again & yet again back again little bugger !
Next one better be on its best behaviour or else :p
Just gotta fall pregnant now hehehe i will certainly be using these techniques !