Optimal Foetal Positioning (OFP)
The position and movement of a mother can influence the way in which her baby lies in the womb, making birth either easier or harder on mother and baby. Difficult labours can be the result of a malpresented baby, such as a baby lying in the posterior position.
Learn to tell the position that your baby is lying in – your midwife can help you do this The best way to keep a baby lying in the optimal anterior position (their back to your tummy) is to spend lots of time kneeling or sitting upright, or on hands and knees. Always make sure when you sit on a chair that your knees are lower than your pelvis.
See Pauline Scott’s book ‘Sit Up and Take Notice: Positioning for a Better Birth’.
See also Spinning Babies
Natural Breech Birth
Around 3-4% of babies are breech, or bottom down, at term. Many babies can be turned with simple treatments, such as maternal positions and acupuncture, and doctors or midwives can perform External Cephalic Version (ECV) to turn the baby. Breech vaginal delivery is more complex - but not necessarily more difficult - than that of a head-down baby, and an experienced and confident carer is recommended. Caesarean delivery is often performed routinely, but the final decision must rest with the mother.
See Maggie Bank’s book ‘Breech Birth, Woman-Wise’
