What is fetal positioning and why does it matter? Fetal positioning refers to the position that your baby is in within the womb. Namely, whether they are head down, which direction the back of the head is facing and which of your sides their body is lying on. This matters, because for some women an OA (back of the baby's head towards your front) position makes labor easier than an OP (back of baby's head towards your back) position. Unfortunately, because many of us lead fairly sedentary lives OP positioning is becoming more common. Spending lots of time in a seated, semi-reclined position pulls the back of the baby's head back toward the spine and can result in that OP positioning. So what can we do? Here are my top 4 tips: 1. Go to a chiropractor during pregnancy: Ideally, a webster certified chiropractor. This helps to balance the pelvis and create room for the baby to get into position and it also improves comfort during pregnancy.
2. Drive with a pillow behind your back: use a small pillow behind your lower back to improve posture and avoid that semi-reclined position.
3. Use the "3 Sisters of Balance" exercises from Spinning Babies every day- These simple exercises help to reduce tension in the pelvic ligaments and encourage optimal positioning. 4. When relaxing or watching TV lay on your left side tilted slightly forward or lean over a birth ball or stack of pillows. Again, countering our tendency to be reclined and encouraging the baby to move forward into an anterior position. Practicing these 4 things, especially from the start of the third trimester on, can make a big difference in your labor and birth.
To get an overview of our latest blog posts and announcements about upcoming courses, events, and programs please click HERE to sign up for our email newsletter.