Re: [ozmidwifery] Advice on positions for sleeping while pregnant

[Andrea Quanchi]

According to Jean Sutton ( and Pauline Scott)of Optimal Foetal Positioning fame) you need not worry about this until 34 weeks for primips and 37-28 weeks for multis. then you want to avoid any positions which encourage baby to adopt a posterior position. This is basically any position which encourages you to have your knees higher than your hips ( or your pelvis tilted back). Mostly this is things like sitting on couches ( esp with your feet up on the coffee table) or bucket seats in cars. These positions enc your spine to form a sling into which your baby will lie OP quite comfortably. In upright positions the S shape of your spine annoys the baby and encourages it to turn away or into an OA position. There is only anecdotal evidence to support this but if you read Jean (let Birth Be Born Again) and Pauline's (Sit up and Take Notice) books it all makes sense and can do no harm.

As for sleeping, I think sleep is important so forget about it overnight and sleep which ever way you get the most sleep. Start each day with 20 or so min in hands and knees position ( while the kettle boils) and sit well for the day. There is research to show that 20 min in hands and knees rotates 80% of babies from OP to OT or OT to OA but no evidence to show that they stay there. What Sutton and Scott propose is upright sitting will keep them there while you are upright. Just dont get hung up on it as like all things the stress undoes all the good.

Good Luck

Andrea Q


On 16/09/2005, at 3:16 PM, Ilana Solo wrote:

I am wondering if anyone can give me some advice.

I am 31 weeks pregnant and my baby has been lying head down with it's back on my right hand side for about a month.

I have heard that it is good for me to lie on my left side to encourage the baby to move to the left side to reduce the chance of it going posterior during labour. Apparently this is because they like to turn clockwise.

I have also heard that it is good for me to avoid slouching back as this could encourage the baby to move into the posterior position prior to labour.

This has made me worried about whether I should avoid lying on my back for the same reason?


The problems for me is that I am finding sleeping quite hard anyway, and I prefer sleeping on my back or my right side. I also love lying on my beanbag, which I would say is probably slouching!

Do you think I should worry about all of this now, in a few weeks, or just lie how I feel comfortable?


Thanks in anticipation
Regards


Ilana