New OB Nurses, Grads and Students, Please Feel Free to post your questions here:

This thread has helped me so much since starting my ob clinicals & I just had to share this. I got home today & had a letter from mt school informing me I had been selected to receive an academic award!!!! They also sent me 4 guest tickets to the annual awards presentation & banquet. I feel really honored & excited. I don't know what the award is but I will be happy with it regardless.I just had to tell ya'll! CRB

Does anybody know why this can't get a sticky???

Ok I am having a little trouble with fetal position. I have read this & read this & looked at pictures but I am confused. To me the LOA, LOP & the LOT look pretty much alike. Same thing on the ROA, ROP & ROT. Right & left are about all I can figure out aargh! I know it's a fixed ref. point on the fetus in relation to mom's pelvis but they all look alike to me except some are on the right/some on the left.If anyone can explain this simply I would sure appreciate it. Also transverse... my book shows the fetus crosswise.... then it lists the position as ROT & shows a picture of the fetus
with it's head down like it's diving out. I am confused terribly to say the least!! Thank you CRB

Start as simply as you can. I take it you know what part of the fetal skull is the occiput. There is a right and a left side. For optimal positioning for birth, the baby should be head down and be facing the mother's back. That way, the baby's back is facing out front. If that is the case, the baby's right side of the head is facing out, then the position is ROA (or right occiput anterior). The baby's back wuill be facing more to the mother's left. If the baby just turns on it's axis and the left occiput faces front, then the baby is facing more to the mother's right side and that position is called LOA (or left opcciput anterior).

That said (I hope that wasn't too confusing), if the baby's face is facing out front and the baby's back is facing the mother's back, then the baby is said to be in a POSTERIOR position which is a much more difficult position for coming down the birth canal. Then those occiputs are possterior (LOP or ROP).

If you could put a pole right down through the baby (with baby head down), imagine that you could turn this pole with your fingers and the baby would spin around and the position would always be changing, right?

If you go to any search engine and type in right or left occiput anterior (or posterior) you should get some pictures.

Hope this isn't too confusing. I don't think I explained this too well. This was my fourth day on in a row and I am tired! Too many babies lately!