Saturday, August 20, 2005

Move it, baby!

As a doula, one of the most frustrating things is when a woman's labor moves agonizingly slow, despite movement and good upright positions. It's been a mystery to me until now. I think I've found the answer.

In my reading lately, I have been learning about "optimal fetal positioning" or basically, getting baby into the best starting position for labor. There is a great site where you can learn about this online at www.SpinningBabies.com/BellyMapping.html. Gail Tully goes into great detail on how to determine where your baby is positioned, then how to position yourself so that baby will move (or stay) in the best spot.

Ladies, this is so important! If you can start labor with baby in the right position, his/her head will help the cervix to dilate at a good pace, and you won't have to wait while baby turns itself around during labor. (Or worse, face what can happen if it stays in the wrong spot - backache throughout labor, LONG labor, exhaustion, and sometimes a C-section!)

Spend the time reading and acting now (while you're comfy) and you'll spend less time in labor!!

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