obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

, position is the orientation of the

fetus A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal deve ...

in the

womb The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The uter ...

, identified by the location of the presenting part of the fetus relative to the

pelvis The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

of the mother. Conventionally, it is the position assumed by the fetus before the process of birth, as the fetus assumes various positions and postures during the course of

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births globall ...

Positions

Depending upon which part of the fetus is expected to be delivered first (fetal presentation), there are many possible positions: *

Vertex presentation A cephalic presentation or head presentation or head-first presentation is a situation at childbirth where the fetus is in a longitudinal lie and the head enters the pelvis first; the most common form of cephalic presentation is the vertex pr ...

with longitudinal lie: *

Breech presentation A breech birth is when a baby is born bottom first instead of head first, as is normal. Around 3–5% of pregnant women at term (37–40 weeks pregnant) have a breech baby. Due to their higher than average rate of possible complications for the ...

with longitudinal lie: #Left

sacrum The sacrum (plural: ''sacra'' or ''sacrums''), in human anatomy, is a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine that forms by the fusing of the sacral vertebrae (S1S5) between ages 18 and 30. The sacrum situates at the upper, back part ...

anterior (LSA)—the buttocks, as against the occiput of the vertex presentation, like close to the vagina (hence known as breech presentation), which lie anteriorly and towards the left. #Right sacrum anterior (RSA)—the buttocks face anteriorly and towards the right. #Left sacrum posterior (LSP)—the buttocks face posteriorly and towards the left. #Right sacrum posterior (RSP)—the buttocks face posteriorly and towards right. #Sacrum anterior (SA)—the buttocks face anteriorly. #Sacrum posterior (SP)—the buttocks face posteriorly. *

Shoulder presentation A shoulder presentation is a malpresentation at childbirth where the baby is in a transverse lie (its vertebral column is perpendicular to that of the mother), thus the leading part (the part that first enters the birth canal) is an arm, a shoulde ...

with transverse lie are classified into four types, based on the location of the

scapula The scapula (plural scapulae or scapulas), also known as the shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). Like their connected bones, the scapulae are paired, with each scapula on eithe ...

(shoulderblade); note: the presentation is significantly different from asynclitic positioning, and in most cases needs to be delivered by

cesarean section Caesarean section, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen, often performed because vaginal delivery would put the baby or mo ...

. #Left scapula-anterior (LSA) #Right scapula-anterior (RSA) #Left scapula-posterior (LSP) #Right scapula-posterior (RSP)

Notes

References

External links

''Normal Labor and Delivery'' from Management of Labor and Delivery provided by Google books
{{Pregnancy Presentations and positions in childbirth Obstetrics Midwifery

Positions

See also

Notes

References

External links