This image is courtesy of Gail Tulley, of Spinning Babies.
If later on in pregnancy you find that your isn't currently OA, don't worry! Make sure that you have a care provider whom you trust to guide you through your pregnancy and birth. Gail Tulley's site, www.spinningbabies.com will be a great resource for you, as well as a regular yoga practice.
Specific yoga practices can help to open the pelvis and encourage your baby to turn, however midwife lore dictates that babies face their placenta, so if you are working to encourage your baby to turn before labor begins, don't be frustrated if your baby doesn't want to move, or does but returns to his or her original position.
Frequently during early labor, mothers with OP babies, sometimes referred to as sunny side up or posterior, have contractions that aren't cervix changing, but ones that I believe are working to move the baby into a more favorable position for birth. If you are unsure of your baby's position but are experiencing a lot of back labor, it could be a sign that your baby is malpositioned, and trying the practices below might help your baby find a better position. If you suspect that your baby isn't in an ideal position, use early labor as a time to work with your body to realign your baby. Remember to let your intuition guide you through this experience.
Move through cat and cow poses between contractions, really lifting your tailbone high during cow. This helps widen your hips and encourages baby to turn. Try to move with your breath, inhaling as your lift into cat, and exhaling as you sink into cow. Make your breath long and pliable, so that your body follows.
Use a rebozo, which is basically a large cloth, like a scarf. Find tabletop pose, on all fours, and have your doula or birth partner wrap the cloth around your belly and tug gently, alternately on either end of the scarf. I've seen this jiggling motion between contractions essentially wiggle a baby into a more favorable position.
Try finding child pose with pillows stacked under your chest and forehead. This position widens your hips and helps baby drop down, so during contractions, baby has space and your body can do its thing.
Use a birth ball instead of a chair when sitting, and move your hips in wide circles and figure eights. A birth ball helps to widen your pelvic outlet, rather than a chair, which encourages your hips to close and tilt backward.
Lastly, relax and trust your baby and your body. By this point I am sure you have a great care provider and support team, so trust in them, trust in yourself and trust that your baby knows how to be born. Labor comes from a place of peace, so allow yourself to accept your birth and baby, and trust that your baby will arrive the way that both of you need, however that happens.
