labour
The old adage about baby ‘popping out’ can often be wide of the mark. no matter what you think you’ll do during labour, or what you're planning to do, when it comes to labour, things often don’t go according to plan...
Going with the
when it comes to labour is that you have to be prepared to cope with the unexpected.
I
Breech babies As your pregnancy progresses, and space in the uterus becomes limited, your baby will settle into its birth position. In 97 per cent of cases, this position will be head first, but in the rest the baby will be ‘the wrong way round’, ie, feet and bottom first. Tere is a possibility that your baby will
turn by itself before the birth, but, as the pregnancy progresses, this becomes less likely due to the limited space. Your midwife may decide to try and turn baby by using external manipulation on your tummy to convert a breech to a cephalic (ie, head first). Tis is successful in around 35 to 86
16MODERNMUM Autumn 2016
f low
t’s realistic to make plans for your baby’s delivery and it’s certainly a good idea to write a birth plan, but the important thing to remember
per cent of pregnancies, although baby will oſten turn and move back into the breech position. If your baby is lying in a breech position,
it doesn't mean that you are definitely going to have a Caesarean section. Provided there are no complications, a vaginal birth is a perfectly normal way of delivering a breech baby. Your doctor will try to turn the baby around - using a scan to see what's going on - by putting his hands on your bump and trying to gently push the baby into the right position. If this doesn't work, however, it's still possible to have a normal delivery with the baby in a breech position, but the doctor will advise what's best depending on circumstances. Te first stage of labour is very similar to what it would be like if the baby was lying the other way round. In the second stage, the midwife will usually inform the obstetrician and a paediatrician may also be present to check that all is well.
Assisted deliveries Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, it’s just not possible for you to push your baby out by yourself. Tis can prove very upsetting for some women, but remember, that, as labour goes on, you’ll become increasingly tired and be glad of some assistance. At the end of the day, some babies just need some extra help to be born, so don’t look at it as giving up on giving birth and just consider it a helping hand! Before they opt to go down the assisted
delivery route, midwives and doctors will watch for signs such as:
• Foetal distress – this is a sign that baby is getting tired and would rather be born
• Te position of baby’s head. It may not be in the best position for birth, particularly if it is lying in the occipito- posterior position and this means that the back of baby’s head is at your back >
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