The Abdominal Lift and Tuck to help engagement during labor. Hollie at themothersvoice.org sent this to Gail today:
I posted this on my FB, but in case you miss it, here it is. THANK YOU!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! You helped me spare this mama we were just talking about a c-section!!
Thanks to Spinning Babies, I believe we spared a c-section in St. Louis tonight! Tiny first-time mom had GD [gestational diabetes] and was induced with cervadil [an artificial prostaglandin gel put on the cervix].
Baby had never engaged in the pelvis, and mom had a posterior cervix and 0 dilation. When you have these conditions, the likelihood of having a vaginal delivery started by induction is statistically slim.
When I arrived at the hospital, they had just started pit. The nurse said she had made no changes, although she’d been contracting all morning, with stronger contractions about 30 minutes before I got there. The nurse also said she had little to no room in her pelvis. I had two moms walk this exact path and both ended in c-sections. So, I asked if mom would be willing to do Walcher’s Roll, and understandably, she just couldn’t get to her back.
So, I asked if she’d be willing to kneel (which opens the brim) and allow me to do an abdominal lift on her with her next contraction.
Now this mom was already very, very uncomfortable on pit, but she was willing. And she DID it…and later said something like, “I thought I was going to die, or split open” or something like that. Well, this mama moved her baby!!
She started making new vocalizations, so the nurse checked her 30 minutes later, and she was at a FIVE with baby now engaged in the pelvis! She went from 0, posterior cervix to 5 centimeters dilated with an anterior cervix in 60 minutes with just a little pit, a strong will and a kneeling abdominal lift!!!!!
And THIS never, never could have happened had she got an epidural early on. Not ever in St. Louis hospitals anyway. [Hollie, you just showed us to never say never. Since this was possible, than even more can be possible. Doulas are amazing! And doulas and nurses together will change birth in St. Louis and all over our nation.]
This mama worked so hard and finally gave birth to a 7.1 lb baby boy VAGINALLY! I’m soooo proud of you B and A and W/L!!
