How the head is positioned as it enters the pelvis can have an impact on labour and birth

How the head is positioned as it enters the pelvis can have an impact on labour and birth.

Ideally, the baby's head should be as flexed as possible with the chin on their chest. This makes the diameter of the part of the head that hits the pelvis first, smaller.

When the head is deflexed, a larger part of the head hits the pelvis, sometimes obstructing labour and slowing it down.

Sometimes this malpresentation is mistaken for a head that is too big for the pelvis.

If labour is slowing, or the 2nd stage (pushing) is taking some time, it could be that the head is not fully flexed.

Encourage a flexed head during pregnancy by maintaining a good posture yourself (take care of that back!), try exercise such as yoga, and have a look into positions from the miles circuit. I've included a link to this in my bio.

Brow and face presentations occur in around 1 in 500-700 births. Face presentations are usually easier to give birth to vaginally than brow, due to the smaller diameter.

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