Childbirth educator Pauline Scott coined the phrase Optimal Fetal Positioning to describe the work of Midwife Jean Sutton.  These two women published Understanding and Teaching Optimal Fetal Positioning in 1996.

Two facts will help you to understand why fetal position is important:

1. Baby's rotate to come from the womb through the pelvis and out.
2. Fetal position effects fetal rotation and descent.
   

Optimal Fetal Positioning aims to help a fetus into the occiput anterior position for labor by giving the mother guidelines for maternal positioning in pregnancy and during labor. Many studies show that posterior labors are more complicated for mother and baby-in general. Of course, some women have short and rather easy posterior births. But, more posterior babies have cesareans than anterior babies. And, more posterior labors are longer labors than are anterior labors.

The idea is that the baby's position will have an effect on the course of labor. The angle of the baby's head changes the diameter of the head. So that a baby facing the mother's back most often fits the pelvis more easily than a baby who faces the front. The back of the baby's head is the landmark, however, so that the baby facing the back is in the "anterior" position. The baby facing the front is in the "posterior" position. The baby facing the right hip and coming into the pelvis from the left fits more easily than the baby whose back is on the mother's right.

Now this last detail is a clue. If the pelvis was the only factor in fetal positioning concerns, then left and right would simply be mirror images and of equal ease (or challenge) during birth. But other anatomical features play a part in fetal position. The mother's liver and spine can make the baby's whose back is on the right have a more extended chin. This puts the top of the head at the pelvic brim. The top of the head is longer than the crown of the head. The baby can't help with the birth as well as the baby whose chin is tucked close to the chest.

Spinning Babies approaches Optimal Fetal Positioning with more focus on the mother's body than her posture.

Posture is important, I agree. Good posture will help a baby into a more optimal position unless there is a twist or significant tightness in the broad ligament, pelvic floor, or other soft tissues of the mother's reproductive anatomy. In other words, some women need more than gravity to help the baby into a good position. That's why I start with Balance as the first Principle of Spinning Babies, and have Gravity as the second principle.

Jean Sutton's little book has become the diving board for my life's work. Its amazing to me how the circle widens. I didn't see this coming in my life. I thought I'd like to be a paperback writer!