With each pregnancy, I've learned something new or experienced a new discomfort or pregnancy issue that needed to be explored and treated usually just with the assistance of an alternative practitioner like chiropractors or craniosacral therapists. With this pregnancy, I've had to overcome nearly daily my fear of losing the baby because I've lost my last three after my living daughter Sara Beth was born 3.5 years ago. See losses here. On top of that, I've had an emergency appendectomy in the first trimester. Then, I had emergency dental surgery in the early third trimester. I've had some intense contractions before term that led to me limiting activity. The healing process from surgery kept me on modified bed rest too. I followed my body and rested as needed but it was hard to live months not being active.
All of that leads to a baby not in the optimal position for birth. BG9, as we call him or her, has been persistently OP when head down and since 32 weeks has even flipped breech or transverse sometimes daily. Part of having nine pregnancies over ten years is the stretching of my core abdominal muscles (rectus diastasis). The two major abdominal muscles are actually separated and have been since my first pregnancy. This causes my belly to hang out more over the pubic bone than someone with a tighter abdominal core and no significant separation.
Because my belly hangs forward more, my uterus is also leaning forward or called pendulous and the angle of my baby is not well aligned with the inlet of the pelvis. This affects the baby engaging.
So two issues:
- OP positioned baby
- Pendulous uterus
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| OP positioned baby |
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| Pendulous Uterus |
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| Green line is optimal angle. Red line is baby leaning too far forward. |
To help with the first issue, I started utilizing Gail Tulley's www.SpinningBabies.com techniques to help rotate baby from posterior to anterior and relax the muscles and ligaments that would allow the baby to drop into the inlet. I also used the abdominal lift during BHCs (Braxton Hicks Contractions) with my hands to adjust my baby's angle to the desired 55-60 degree angle needed to engage.
Some techniques that helps that I use:
- Pelvic rocks to help adjust baby's position and stretch back
- 30 second inversion
- Psoas release
- BodyFlow class (yoga/Pilates/tai chi)
- Stretches (leg kicks, squats, arm/shoulders, neck, lunge)
- Walking to open the inlet and move baby
- Birth ball sitting knees below hips
- Birth ball hoola hoop motion
- Relaxation music
- Imagery/visualization
- Deep breathing
- Abdominal lifts or belly binding with rebozo (maya slings work great)
- Craniosacral Therapy
- Pulsatilla 30C
- Acupuncture with moxibustion
- Chiropractic adjustment
