Wanna know the Spinning Babies way to help a baby settle down on the cervix?
First, Help the mother, according to her intuitions, choice, conscience, agreement and/or inclinations, to
Straighten (balance) the lower uterine segment with
- Sacral release 3-10 minutes
- Sifting 3 minutes,
- Inversion 30 seconds, then crawling forward to hands and knees to catch breath and stabilize before swinging upward to kneeling position
- End this segment by lying belly down on a partially inflated swim ring with pillows positioned at thighs, shoulders, and face, to relax 5 minutes or so.
If the baby is posterior,
precede the above with an abdominal release (diaphragmatic release). This can be done by a CST or myofascial worker, or anyone who knows how (yourself, for instance).
These activities can be down at any weeks gestation. They are to relax and balance the uterus. Other activities, such as chiropractic or soft tissue work by a professional body worker are also helpful. I’m just listing here, what a mother can do herself or with a clever friend.
If the mother is 39 to 42 or more weeks pregnant, repeat what releases are needed until the desired softening. But importantly, repeat the sifting and inversion even 2x a day until, either the baby is facing the right hip, or 2 days before an induction is threatened.
When you have given the posterior baby every chance to rotate to face the mother’s right hip, her back, or between her right hip and her back (all these are good), then continue with this way to flex the head and help the baby drop.
Then relaxing while sitting on the ball while someone stands behind her and does the “peak of the shoulder” pressure points for downward movement.
This is sometimes called the Shoulder Well (GB21) Find it about 4 finger-widths from your shoulder joint, which is like a bony knob, up towards your neck. There is a dip there, I guess that’s the well. It’s found where your shoulder muscle is highest. The point is likely to be the most tender spot along the shoulder. Zingy. Teach this point to your partner/friend. Your partner will use the pads of both thumbs with a firm downward pressure on both shoulder wells at the same time. The pregnant woman is sitting, either in a chair or on a firm ball. She can hold a steady piece fo furniture for stablizing herself.
The pressure can feel strong, so take a deep slow breath and then exhale slowly. Three breaths later the pressure will have let up considerably, but your partner won’t have changed their pressure. That’s the release, you see? Using it in labor may reduce labor pain and help descent. No need for this with a fast birth, eh?!
The mother may need to sit up in general so that her spine is lifted away from her pubic bone. But she is stable on the firm birthing ball. For some women, leaning forward while sitting, even in the birthing pool, can reduce baby’s chances of engaging, descending or even later, allowing the shoulders to be born after the head is out.
Be sure to ask her caregivers if there is any medical reason not to do any of this stuff! Without making that connection to the caregiver first, the releases adn pressure points may be edgy on the doula Scope of Practice. To avoid a smudge mark on your Scope, ask the mother’s caregivers about your plans first. There is nothing here that will cause a problem in the usual situations.
About the inversion as shown on my blog. If she has polyhydrominos, or her water broke with a gush because the head is high, or the head is so far above the brim to be not over the brim, then she may be cautious and skip the Inversion. The reasoning is to protect the umbilical cord. She can, instead ask a chiropractor to help with a pelvic adjustment of both the SI joints, the pubis symphysis, and include a neck adjustment (or the pelvis may not correct as far as desired).
This pattern of comfort measures, will help relax the ligaments around the uterus enough to let the baby flex the head, rotate, and settle lower into the pelvis. Remember that once a woman has had a baby, the baby may get into position over the pelvic brim without needing to fully engage before labor. Even a posterior baby is more likely to rotate in labor when a woman has had a vaginal birth before, and certainly with this daily exercise plan. Remember, this is a set of activities put together for descent. Don’t try and get a baby to descend before 38 weeks unless the doctor insists on inducing (hopefully, ONLY because it is medically imperative).
If this set of activities doesn’t help the posterior baby rotate, try other techniques listed at www.SpinningBabies.com Don’t try to get the posterior baby to descend before a medical induction.
Once the head is on the cervix labor will begin, for a mom 41 weeks or later, in a couple days….Or in several hours in occasional cases.
