Dana writes, “I feel like I am having to relearn what a good contraction pattern looks like. It seems like women who are using the Daily Essentials video are having an early pattern similar to what I would expect from a posterior baby. Short, intense, and close together. A couple times I’ve suggested we go to the hospital not feeling sure whether they’ll be 2 cm or 8, but feeling I needed to give heed to the mother’s instincts, the women were 7-8cm when we arrived. Have you noticed anything similar?”
What we are seeing is that labor gets right down to business. Contractions build a labor pattern quickly, and it doesn’t take long to move the cervix open around that nicely flexed, anterior baby.
Left Occiput Anterior (LOA) and flexed: Smooth pattern, building gradually but quickly, not sharp and the sensations of the contractions are located on the cervix and front of the abdomen, primarily.
Right Occiput Anterior (ROA) and not so flexed but not extended… this neutral tilt of the head was called military presentation. Chin is up a little but the back of baby’s head is not tipped back. Each contraction may start fast.. Or not, but earlier labor might be stronger than active phase as engagement takes a bit, even for the ROA baby.
These differences are less likely in some sibling’s labors after easy first births, more likely to be noticed in somewhat balanced pelvises. If there is a muscle spasm, the labor is likely longer and more dramatic than these descriptions. However, remember these are people who have been doing self-care for body balancing through pregnancy so there isn’t a dramatic labor pattern difference… let’s hear more from Dana:
“Yesterday my client’s water broke at 3:30 and she was having easy waves that were 30 seconds about 2 1/2 minutes apart. The pattern remained the same (30 seconds long), but the contractions got stronger and she called me for support at 5:00. Normally, I would suspect that this type of pattern is a positional issue and that it is still very early labor, but I knew she had been doing the Daily Essentials exercises regularly and had a lot of doubt [that this was a positional issue].
We knew the baby was ROA, so we shook the apples and the contractions got longer – about a minute, and spread to 3-5 minutes apart. She wanted to go to the hospital, and I really felt very uncertain about where she might be, so I didn’t want to discourage it. She was checked at 7 pm and was 7cm. Baby was born at 10:30 pm after 34 minutes of pushing.
I guess I think of an active pattern involving longer contractions, but these short ones were doing the work!”
This is likely due to the ROA position…There is just a little less flexion and a little more need for oomph!
Short contractions that are effective are not likely to be positional, but more a situation of parity, I believe at this time.
So fun to chat with a doula!
