Its hard to tell baby's head position from a simple vaginal exam. The baby's skull is made up of portions of the skull that move and overlap somewhat. These are called "plates" and they have names. The borders between them are mobile and are called "sutures." Sutures lines are supposed to reveal fetal head position.

The angle of the head can put a suture or soft spot in an unexpect place or, often out of reach. A baby's skin makes wrinkles as the baby's head molds and can hide a portion of the suture or the soft spot. Sometimes, when space is an issue, the baby's head will swell where it presses down. These alterations can confuse a person. Provider's fingers come in different lengths and sensitivities. Skill varies. All in all, "digital" vaginal exams, meaning those with the digits or fingers, are not as accurate or as fast as a laboring woman would hope.

Babies turn their heads to get through the pelvis. Every once in a while, a baby will turn his or her head so far as to be in the opposite direction as the chest! I've seen it at least 3 times myself, and now that I get it, probably more in the past than I knew.

Before a doctor decides to put a vacuum on a baby to bring the head out of the pelvis or before the doctor or midwife (in unusual cases) decides to manually rotate the baby's head, it is advised to get an ultrasound to double check the baby's head position with a more accurate tool than touch alone.

These studies help show which babies may stay occiput posterior using modern university labor and delivery practices.

Finish researcher Gardberg has helped us understand the rates of occiput posterior and how often they rotate. We'll start with a 1998 Gardberg study here and I'll refer you over to the 2005 Lieberman study which finds similar rates, though reports it as new information. Both show that about 1/3 of babies that start OP stay OP. Again, we miss the rates of left occiput transverse (lateral) and right occiput transverse (lateral) and the route of rotation for these babies. 

It would be nice to have some research on all of the Spinning Babies recommendations and posted techniques. I can't wait to address the needs of birthing women until someone does the research on the Spinning Babies approach to childbirth. I can only be non-interventive and request that women work openly with their doctors and midwives about the techniques on this site. We'd all be being born out of glass jars before each of these techniques are thoroughly researched.  The Spinning Babies approach is active, holistic, anecdotal, and grassroots.

Check out the articles and books contributing to the Spinning Babies view on Breech position and birth.

Active Breech Birth: the point of least resistance by Maggie Banks. In March 2006, [Maggie Banks] attended the 1st International Breech Birth Conference in Vancouver, Canada with midwives, medical practitioners and researchers discussing research, safety and techniques used during vaginal breech birth ... (full article in PDF format) from BirthSpirit.

Will a mother going into a hands and knees position during late pregnancy help rotate her posterior baby? Many mothers advise each other to spend time on hands and knees each day. Pelvic rocking helps relieve a sore lower back. But will it help the posterior baby rotate before labor starts? Gail comments afterwards with her Spinning Babies point of view.