Babys position is ''ROA''? someone help!

[xZoeyx]

Okay so midwife explained his back is on my right side, hence why I feel all my movements to the left, cos thats where all his limbs are. I googled what ROA means and I get this:

ROA: the back of your baby's head is on your right-hand side and towards the front of your tummy

I am trying to visualize but failing! Does this mean his back is against my back or against my tummy, or against my side? And does this mean his face is facing outwards towards the front of my stomach, or is his face facing my back? or is it too the side, so hes looking at my left hand side? ahhh so confusing!!

 

[rosepetals36]

How about searchin google images see if there's a diagram?? Iv never heard of ROA before xx

 

[xZoeyx]

Hadnt thought of that. thank you, will try that x

 

[AC1987]

I googled it and it seems its a common position and shouldn't cause any complications in labour

 

[Reno]

probably by the time you've figured it out he'll have moved!

 

[xZoeyx]

Well midwife didn't seem too happy about the fact he is facing that way, because on top of that, my placenta is anterior which can make an ROA even more complicated :\

I really hope not cos I just want things to be as easy as they can be (never going to happen is it lol)

Im going to buy a birthing ball to try and encourage him to move but another problem with an ROA + anterior placenta is there is a higher risk of tangling when he tries too move so I am just going to have too watch carefully!

 

[candyem]

I am ROA and my midwife said as long as baby is facing either side it is in a good position for labour.

My son was always LOA, which I think is the ideal position, but he managed to get stuck and turn back to back in the later stages of labour and I ended up with an EMCS so I am hoping this baby being ROA will be a good thing.

 

[xZoeyx]

Yeah they do say LOA is best position from what I have read...

Here is a good bit of info I found:

https://spinningbabies.com/baby-positions/all-positions/right-occiput-anterior

What worries me as I say it not really the position as such, but the factors that can turn it from un-complicated to complicated, or which I fit 2, the anterior placenta and being a first baby

 

[OurLilFlu]

Hey there, since no one had actually explained ROA, I can! It's a very common way, in nursing in Canada, to evaluate position/ presentation...
First letter- can be left or right, or nothing in terms of moms pelvis, her left or right side or straight on (ex OA / OP)
Second letter- is the presenting part, O is for occiput ( back of babies head) can also be S for sacrum ( breech ) M for mentum ( chin/ face presentation) and ( I forget what letter) for shoulder/ transverse
The last letter has to do with what portion of the pelvis that presenting part is touching... Can be A ( anterior / front) P ( posterior/ back) or T (transverse, to the side)

It can be hard to visualize but it makes a lot of sense once you get it...
So in your case ROA, the back of babies head is presenting to the front right 1/4 of your pelvis... So facing your spine at an angle. All the OA (Loa, roa or oa) positions are very favourable for labour... Babies come out easiest if the occiput is the presenting part because that's the easiest way for their head to mold, and kind of the least maneuvering their bodies have to do to get out. face presentations are a larger circumference to deliver and obviously breech and shoulder presentations have their difficulties and we want to try to reposition.
And you've probably heard that back labour is terrible and hard, these are all the OP. presentations ( rop, lop, op) OP being the worst because baby is facing your public bone and is spine to spine, so on the way out has to fight friction of being back to back, bend its neck forward, turn and flex to get out...
Hope that's easier, there are tons of diagrams on the Internet that show a baby in the pelvis facing all the different directions like a clock...