Birth preparation is crucial for a healthy outcome. However it is important that we differentiate between outcome and mode of delivery.

A good outcome is a healthy,  happy mom and baby. Mode of delivery is either vaginal or caesarian section. Most moms who come to me, do so because they desire a natural birth, free of unnecessary intervention. My job is to assist them to prepare themselves mentally, physically and emotionaly for this. Part of this preparation is keeping an open mind about things that happen that are out of our control.

An example of this might be the postion of the baby's head not being ideal causing unexpected problems in labour. Often we think that if the baby's head is down (as opposed to to the buttocks being down or breech presentation) then everything is perfect. But the position that the head enters the pelvis is more important and this is where delays and possible problems occurr. Ideally the baby should be in an ANTERIOR position.

This is what an anterior position looks like. The body of the baby is nestled on the curve of the belly and as he moves down into the pelvis his head will flex as he tucks his chin in. A well flexed head usually provides evenly distributed pressure over the cervix which helps it to dilate. Ideally he will postion the crown of the head over the cervix. This is usually the best position for birth.