Face Down Ass Up That's the Way I Like To...

Make my baby turn?

37.5 weeks today. All is well regarding weight, blood pressure, baby size... but little Nibbler is Left Occiput Posterior. What does that mean? This:

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It's why my sacrum hurts primarily on the left - his skull is grinding against it. It's why he can get a foot over the top of my right ribs. It's why I can feel his little claws raking at my insides below my belly button.

Posterior babies are not the end of the world. Many turn on their own during birth, and many can be turned. But there are some complications. The position of the skull in the pelvis can prevent the kiddo from descending to start labor and from descending into the birth canal. In all likelihood, this is why yours truly was a c-section: after 23 hours of labor I was just stuck in my mom's pelvis. Labor with posterior babies tends to be longer, harder, and especially difficult on the back as the little one's skull and spine grind their way down mom's pelvis. This means longer and harder for mom as well as for the coach (L). Posterior position is also associated with a higher risk of 3rd and 4th degree tears, the need for forceps or vacuum extraction, and a much higher incidence of c-section. Basically the pain and length of labor prompts most moms to ask for epidural pain relief, often rending you numb and with limited to no lower body movement. However, being able to move around, change positions, stand and walk around, are essential to wiggling posterior babies into better positions. Once you get the epi the pain is gone, but you don't have the freedom of movement necessary to make the baby move... which leads to a vicious cycle and not infrequently ends up in the OR.

Per my midwife, it's not too late to get him to turn into a better position, but it's going to require work. Specifically, being on my hands and knees 4-6 times a day  for at least 10-15 minutes. Doing pelvic inversions, and leaning forward when I'm sitting (no sitting on the couch until I deliver). Nibbler is not engaged in the pelvis, so all we need to do is get him to rotate 90 degrees, and then get him to lock into the right position for birth. (whenever I think of engaging all I can think of is Patrick Stewart....). So I'm on a strict hands-and-knees regimen for the next two weeks. I've never before wished I had tile floors and grout to scrub.

On the other hand, where 24 hours ago I was puttering around muttering about how impatient I am to get this damn kid out of me... all of a sudden I want every minute of the next two weeks so that I can get the little bugger into a better position. At least I have something to do other than wait.

I can still birth at the birth center, but I'm preparing for a more intense and painful birth than originally anticipated. L and I are also preparing for a longer and more physically exhausting birth, meaning that we need to make sure he gets the food and rest he'll need so that he can continue to support me. It's like finding out that the marathon you've been preparing for may actually be a 36 mile race instead. Not unmanageable, but you need to adjust your expectations. I'm going to do my damnedest to make this little one spin into position, but incase he stays stuck and stubborn (like me!), I'm preparing for and LOP birth. I'm also so glad that I'm going to be able to labor and birth at the birth center supported by nurses and midwives who have ample experience helping women through labor like this one. They say the do OP births all the time and are not concerned. Their confidence and expertise is definitely a calming force in my current emotional storm.