All In One Evening Shift
I found a note in my phone where I had written abbreviated notes regarding all the women that benefited from maternal positioning in an 8 hour time period during one evening shift of mine. Here they are….will try to put it in non medical terms for all.
Gravida 9 (9th pregnancy). 6cm for several hours. Frustrated. In bed. I encouraged her to get out of bed. All she did was two extended mountain poses (see November 1, instagram) and an abdominal lift (future instagram pic). One hour later, delivery!
G2 (second pregnancy), direct OP (occiput posterior/babe looking at the stars instead of the earth). Deep prolonged decels (decelerations of the fetal heart rate that are 15BPM for longer than two minutes). Infant was at +2 (almost crowning) but there was cervix all around (9cm dilated). Open knee chest with a slight inversion x2 (see instagram from 12/30). Infant rotated with second inversion and delivered OA (occiput anterior), vaginally.
G4, 36 weeks (4th pregnancy), PPROM (preterm premature rupture of membranes before 37 weeks gestation). Not in labor but intense back pain with contractions. Infant was ROT and acynclitic (right occiput anterior and at an angle to left hip) SLR (side lying release) and massage of hips done. Pain gone. Pt was able to sleep the night. Labor started with labor discomfort felt in the front cervical area in the AM, uneventful vaginal delivery.
G3 (3rd pregnancy). Epidural. 6cm for 4 hours. Infant ROA (right occiput anterior), acynclitic (fetal head not in line with birth canal). Extended mountain pose (see November 1 instagram) x2, gluteus maximus and hips massaged. Repeated on other side. Delivery, vaginal, 45 minutes later.
Asked to assist in determining position of fetus on a primigravida (first pregnancy). Second day of Pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) induction. Increased BP. SROM (spontaneous rupture of membranes). Infant ROT (right occiput transverse, acynclitic). I encouraged RN and patient to do maternal positioning to optimize infant position before settling patient in for the second night to decrease chance of longer labor related to malpositioned infant.