Positioning your baby for an easier birth!
Your own postural awareness and habits in your last trimester can potentially encourage your baby to lie with his or her back to your left front/side (occiput anterior) so that the baby's head engages in the pelvic brim in this position. This will increase the potential for normal and straightforward birth.
Here are some postural tips on making space for your baby to rotate:
Use upright, forward-leaning postures regularly. This allows more available space in the abdomen for your baby to lie rotate the spine to the front. Be on your hands and knees now and then, swinging your hips (baby hammock).
Lie the majority of the time on your left side, with a pillow or two supporting the top knee to rest or sleep. It is ideal to use forward-leaning postures when having Braxton Hicks (practice contractions) as this increases their effectiveness with regard to helping the baby maneuver into the optimal position.
Between 32-35 weeks many babies switch sides. You can tell by where the baby kicks, if that changes, too, then the baby changed positions. If your baby is favouring only your right and kicks towards your left then you can enter a period of activity without stress to play with your baby to see if you can influence their position.
We practice these positions in the Pregnancy Active Birth workshop with your partner. open knee chest, all fours, and lying on the left-hand side for resting.