The presentation of the baby in childbirth is how the baby is positioned.
Normal Presentation
A normal pregnancy will have the baby lying head down, with his face facing your back.
His chin should be tucked into his chest so he can better fit through the birth canal.
Occiput Posterior
There are times when the baby will be facing your front. This is known as occiput posterior or sunny-side up. This causes intense back labor because of the pressure of the baby on your spine.
Malpresentation of the Head
This is when the baby’s head is hyper-extended with his chin away from his chest. The presenting part of the head is the largest diameter, and at times the use of forceps (an instrument that grabs onto the baby’s head in order to gently guide and pull through the birth process) are required to birth the baby.
Breech Presentation
Breech means the baby is head up. There are several different breech presentations.
- Frank Breech – the presenting part (part coming first) is the buttocks. The
baby’s legs are up around her head. This type of breech presentation is the safest one to delivery vaginally.
- Complete Breech – the baby is “sitting” on top of the birth canal. The feet
and the buttocks are together. This is dangerous to deliver vaginally, as a foot could come out first along with the umbilical cord, thus cutting oxygen off before the baby is fully delivered. This type of breech presentation almost always requires a cesarean.
- Footling Breech – the presenting part is one or both of the baby’s feet. A
cesarean birth is the safest mode of birth in this situation.
Transverse Lie
The baby is lying sideways in the pelvic cavity. This type of presentation is impossible to deliver vaginally and a cesarean birth is a must.