VBAC Support Valentine’s Day 2013

By: Gail Tully |

2013-02-14 |

Birthing

From a Pregnant Woman hoping for VBAC
I am 37 years old and am about to give birth for the second time (I’m at 39 weeks, 2 days). Thank you so much for your website because I have been reading it and practicing your techniques for optimum baby positioning throughout my pregnancy. And it has worked! My baby is in the LOA position, looking directly at my right hip!!! And I think that is due to all my hard work. But I just found out at my scan yesterday that the baby’s chin is not tucked and that has worried me. (Also, I have an anterior placenta, located to the right of my belly button.)
I am 5 ft, 1″ and I have mild scoliosis, which tilts my hips, maybe an inch to the right. I had a lot of back pain first time around so I have been going to a Chiropractor since around 20 weeks, so everything should be as aligned as it can be. I have also had 3 sessions of reflexology over the last 3 weeks. I wish I had known about your website in my first pregnancy because my daughter was in a posterior position and didn’t have her chin tucked, because of this she never engaged and I didn’t go into labour. At 10 days overdue I was taken into hospital and given induction gels, it took three days of this for me to go into labour and get to 2.5 cm. But the labour waned even after breaking my waters and I was put on a sintocin drip. After two hours on this I needed an epidural because we could tell things were going to be slow. About 10 hours later I was fully dilated and started pushing. I was not able to push her out, even with ventose and we were sent for an emergency section. I should also say that all the women, my mother and 2 sisters, never have their babies before their due date. We have all gone overdue and mostly have induced labours. I am the first though to have a section.
So, my plan this time around was to try my hardest to avoid another section and give birth naturally. A lot of people don’t understand but I want to experience natural childbirth, not in a operating [room] where you barely get to hold your baby afterwards! I am a bit disheartened by the news I got yesterday because I thought the baby was in a really good position. Since I got home from my scan, I have only been sitting on my birthing ball, doing vigorous hula hooping motions on it (I’d say the neighbors are finding it very entertaining!). Last night with the help of my husband I did an inversion for 30 sec, Abdominal release, pelvic tilts and lots of sitting on my ball. So, my question is, and I’m sorry its taken me so long to get to it but I just wanted to make sure you have all the information, is there anything else you can think of that might help tuck this little rascals chin in? It has been difficult to get the doctors to let me go overdue, they wanted to schedule me for a section at 39 weeks, but I’ve managed to get them to let me go to term +7 days, then I’ll have a scan and if things haven’t changed probably a repeat section. So I have about 11-12 days to work on it!
Thanks so much for reading all this and for any help you can give. Let me know if you need any more information.
Dear VBAC Mama,

Hi, How do you feel after trying the inversion?

Can you repeat it 1-2x a day since you have less than 2 weeks left?

You are just beginning the exercises on my site. Think of them as play and a way to meet the many muscles of your body. Also, not on my site, lift your arms and release your upper body, making more room there for your ribs to expand and baby to come down later by helping those muscles that start high but reach low.

Please try the sidelying release also, its fantastic for most people, do it on both sides with a helper, and you can do it daily.

Please stretch your legs in deep lunges to help your psoas and alternately, squats for your legs. Look up hip openers on the internet and get going on hip flexibility.

Belly dancing movements and swishing your hips during pelvic tilts and while standing.

Try going the other way with those hula hoop moves on your birth ball!

Please see a professional myofascial person for additional pelvic alignment AND myofascial release.The chiropractor is great, necessary, but Chiropractors vary so extremely that I have no idea if you are getting the care you need for your situation. See professional help in my website for a list of what the chiropractor might add to your care.

Eat whole foods with little grain and milk, lots of dark leafy greens and smart fats, with salt to taste, and no “bad” fats. Smart fats are butter, avocados, cold pressed fish oils (Nordic Naturals are suggested or Spectrum –some conscientious brand) olive oil and coconut oil (extra virgin).

Borage oil is excellent to help hormonal function. You are doing everything well. These are additional supports for a great routine.

Term + 7 is Excellent! I’m impressed! Most women will start labor then, and if you do just start contractions, please consider giving yourself a day

to get active labor going. That said, even a little labor before a cesarean is beneficial to a healthy mom and baby.

Labor

Give yourself the opportunity to come into as much balance as you can.

Repeat the forward-leaning inversion in early labor through a couple contractions and between them.

Repeat the sidelying release through a couple contractions ON EACH SIDE and between them. Follow the directions posted on my website excellently.

There are tricks in labor

Inlet, or “baby’s high,” -3 station

In the presence of regular contractions,

Open your brim with the Abdominal Lift and Tuck during 10 contractions (but not between).

And if baby remains high, Walcher’s (during and between 3 contractions.

Midpelvis, or ‘0″ station

Lunges for more room

Put your longer leg up on a stool during contractions with your foot and knee pointing towards your side for lunges through contractions (but not in-between) and open up that side of your pelvis and pelvic floor.

Outlet, “+2” station

Squats.

Sidelying release works at all stations (all 3 levels) so do myofascial releases preventively as soon as contractions are regular enough to do it during 3 contractions on each side.

I have so much to say I should get off the email and write the ____ book!

Let’s see if we can find what your pelvis needs. The soft tissue body work will open your muscles and let your pelvic diameters expand.

Please keep in touch as I would like to learn from your situation.

Much love and support for your VBAC!

VBAC Support Valentine’s Day 2013

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