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 presentation, where the occiput is the leading part (the part that first enters the birth canal).
What is a cephalic presentation at birth?
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 presentation, where the occiput is the leading part (the part that first enters the birth canal).
What is a cephalic position?
What is cephalic position? If you’re getting closer to your exciting due date, you might have heard your doctor or midwife mention the term cephalic position or cephalic presentation. This is the medical way of saying that baby is bottom and feet up with their head down near the exit, or birth canal.
What is cephalic occiput anterior?
Cephalic occiput anterior. Your baby is head down and facing your back. Almost 95 percent of babies in the head-first position face this way. This position is considered to be the best for delivery because its easiest for the head to “crown” or come out smoothly as you give birth. Cephalic occiput posterior.
Can you feel baby in cephalic position?
If your baby is in the cephalic (head-down) position, they might score a goal in your ribs or upper stomach. If you rub your belly, you might be able to feel your baby well enough to figure out what position they’re in.
What does longitudinal lie means in pregnancy?
Your baby's spine is between his head and tailbone. Your baby will most often settle into a position in the pelvis before labor begins. If your baby's spine runs in the same direction (parallel) as your spine, the baby is said to be in a longitudinal lie. Nearly all babies are in a longitudinal lie.
Which presentation is best for normal delivery?
Fetal Positions for Birth. Ideally for labor, the baby is positioned head-down, facing your back, with the chin tucked to its chest and the back of the head ready to enter the pelvis. This is called cephalic presentation. Most babies settle into this position with the 32nd and 36th week of pregnancy.
Does cephalic position means normal delivery?
Cephalic occiput anterior. Your baby is head down and facing your back. Almost 95 percent of babies in the head-first position face this way. This position is considered to be the best for delivery because its easiest for the head to “crown” or come out smoothly as you give birth.
Can babies change from cephalic to breech?
Will ECV work? ECV can work, although there is no guarantee of success. If it does work, there is a small chance the baby will turn again to the breech position. But overall, ECV improves a woman's chances of having a vaginal birth.
How many bones break during delivery?
There were 35 cases of bone injuries giving an incidence of 1 per 1,000 live births. Clavicle was the commonest bone fractured (45.7%) followed by humerus (20%), femur (14.3%) and depressed skull fracture (11.4%) in the order of frequency.
Where do you feel kicks if baby is cephalic?
Head-down (cephalic) position His other movements may feel different depending on which way he's facing: Anterior position (head down, with his back towards the front of your tummy). If your baby's in an anterior position, you're likely to feel movements under your ribs. Your belly button may pop out, too.
Can gender be determined in cephalic position?
In 100 women examined during the last trimester (15 with breech presentation and 85 with cephalic presentation) the sex of 28 boys and 34 girls could be diagnosed. This represents 72,9% positive determinations, if breech presentations are excluded. The best results are in fact obtained in cephalic presentations.
Is cephalic presentation good for C section?
However, newborns with a cephalic (headfirst) presentation are more likely to have a prolonged stay in the intensive care unit or to die before hospital discharge if delivered by cesarean rather than vaginally, and women delivering this way are twice as likely to experience severe complications (including death) as ...
Can compound presentation deliver vaginally?
Management for compound hand presentation is expectant because the extremity will often retract as the head descends. Manipulation of the extremity should be avoided. For term deliveries, compound presentations with parts other than the hand are unlikely to result in safe vaginal delivery.
What is normal fetal presentation?
Normally, the position of a fetus is facing rearward (toward the woman's back) with the face and body angled to one side and the neck flexed, and presentation is head first. An abnormal position is facing forward, and abnormal presentations include face, brow, breech, and shoulder.
Is posterior presentation normal?
It depends on how close you are to delivery. While as many as 34 percent of babies are posterior when labor starts, only 5 to 8 percent of them are posterior at birth. It's common for a baby's position to change during labor, often more than once. Most babies rotate on their own to the face-down position before birth.
Is posterior position good for delivery?
Occiput Posterior (OP) It is safe to deliver a baby facing this way. But it is harder for the baby to get through the pelvis. If a baby is in this position, sometimes it will rotate around during labor so that the head stays down and the body faces the mother's back (OA position).
What is the most common form of cephalic 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 presentation, where the occiput is the leading part (the part that first enters the birth canal).
What is the movement of the fetus to cephalic presentation called?
The movement of the fetus to cephalic presentation is called head engagement . It occurs in the third trimester. In head engagement , the fetal head descends into the pelvic cavity so that only a small part (or none) of it can be felt abdominally. The perineum and cervix are further flattened and the head may be felt vaginally. Head engagement is known colloquially as the baby drop, and in natural medicine as the lightening because of the release of pressure on the upper abdomen and renewed ease in breathing. However, it severely reduces bladder capacity resulting in a need to void more frequently.
Why do singletons prefer cephalic presentation?
The piriform ( pear -shaped) morphology of the uterus has been given as the major cause for the finding that most singletons favor the cephalic presentation at term. The fundus is larger and thus a fetus will adapt its position so that the bulkier and more movable podalic pole makes use of it, while the head moves to the opposite site. Factors that influence this positioning include the gestational age (earlier in gestation breech presentations are more common as the head is relatively bigger), size of the head, malformations, amount of amniotic fluid, presence of multiple gestations, presence of tumors, and others.
What is the Leopold maneuver?
Usually performing the Leopold maneuvers will demonstrate the presentation and possibly the position of the fetus. Ultrasound examination delivers the precise diagnosis and may indicate possible causes of a malpresentation. On vaginal examination, the leading part of the fetus becomes identifiable after the amniotic sac has been broken and the head is descending in the pelvis.
What are the factors that predispose to face presentation?
Factors that predispose to face presentation are prematurity, macrosomia, anencephaly and other malformations, cephalopelvic disproportion, and polyhydramnios. In an uncomplicated face presentation duration of labor is not altered.
What is chin presentation?
The chin presentation is a variant of the face presentation with maximum extension of the head. Non-cephalic presentations are the breech presentation (3.5%) and the shoulder presentation (0.5%).
Can you deliver brow presentations via cesarean section?
In a large study, a majority of brow presentations were delivered by Cesarean section, however, because of 'postmaturity', factors other than labour dynamics may have played a role. Most face presentations can be delivered vaginally as long as the chin is anterior; there is no increase in fetal or maternal mortality.
What does it mean when a doctor says "cephalic presentation"?
Cephalic presentaton: Means at the time of delivery the baby's head is facing downward.
What to do if i'm 35 week old pregnancy normal delivery possible fetal is in cephalic presentation?
Yes: Cephalic presentation just means the baby is head down. Breech presentation would mean the baby is butt down and that is usually delivered by c-secti... Read More
What does "cephalic" mean in a baby's head?
Head down: Cephalic means that the baby's head is down, which from an obstetrical perspective is the desirable position, as opposed to breech, when the baby is b... Read More
Does cephalic presentation at 39 weeks mean i'll need a c-section?
No: Cephalic presentation just means the baby is head down. Breech presentation would mean the baby is butt down and that is usually delivered by c-secti... Read More
Overview
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 presentation, where the occiput is the leading part (the part that first enters the birth canal). All other presentations are abnormal (malpresentations) and are either more difficult to deliver or not deliverable by natural means.
Engagement
The movement of the fetus to cephalic presentation is called head engagement. It occurs in the third trimester. In head engagement, the fetal head descends into the pelvic cavity so that only a small part (or none) of it can be felt abdominally. The perineum and cervix are further flattened and the head may be felt vaginally. Head engagement is known colloquially as the baby drop, and in natural medicine as the lightening because of the release of pressure on the upper abdomen …
Classification
In the vertex presentation the head is flexed and the occiput leads the way. This is the most common configuration and seen at term in 95% of singletons. If the head is extended, the face becomes the leading part. Face presentations account for less than 1% of presentations at term. In the sinicipital presentation the large fontanelle is the presenting part; with further labor the head will either flex or extend more so that in the end this presentation leads to a vertex or face prese…
Reasons for predominance
The piriform (pear-shaped) morphology of the uterus has been given as the major cause for the finding that most singletons favor the cephalic presentation at term. The fundus is larger and thus a fetus will adapt its position so that the bulkier and more movable podalic pole makes use of it, while the head moves to the opposite site. Factors that influence this positioning include the gestational age (earlier in gestation breech presentations are more common as the head is relati…
Diagnosis
Usually performing the Leopold maneuvers will demonstrate the presentation and possibly the position of the fetus. Ultrasound examination delivers the precise diagnosis and may indicate possible causes of a malpresentation. On vaginal examination, the leading part of the fetus becomes identifiable after the amniotic sac has been broken and the head is descending in the pelvis.
Management
Many factors determine the optimal way to deliver a baby. A vertex presentation is the ideal situation for a vaginal birth, although occiput posterior positions tend to proceed more slowly, often requiring intervention in the form of forceps, vacuum extraction, or Cesarean section. In a large study, a majority of brow presentations were delivered by Cesarean section, however, because of 'postmaturity', factors other than labour dynamics may have played a role. Most fac…