# Both my babies born with hand next to head - is this common?



## elliemama (Apr 22, 2006)

I was just wondering if compound presentation tends to run in families. In my case, both my daughters came out with their hand next to their head, and I'm curious to know if anyone has theories or opinions about what causes this... is it something to do with how the mother is shaped internally, perhaps?


----------



## coobabysmom (Nov 16, 2005)

Subbing.

You might be interested in this old thread. I posted something simular a while back.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=636259


----------



## Spark (Nov 21, 2001)

My first baby was born with his hand beside his head & a posterior presentation. It was a weird stop/start kind of labor. A lot of back labor. I didn't like it!









I followed www.spinningbabies.com very closely for my other pregnancies & never had the same thing happen. I LOVE spinning babies for encouraging the easiest positions.

Sometimes though I think babies just fit best in some pelvises that way!


----------



## elliemama (Apr 22, 2006)

Thanks for posting that other thread! Interesting thought about AROM vs. SROM affecting the hand presentation. For what it's worth, I had SROM with baby #2 just a few minutes before she came out. I'm not quite sure when they ruptured with #1 but it was also SROM. Had quite a bit of tearing both times too... more so in the first birth. In my second birth I actually felt myself tearing and told the midwife, who managed to push the hand back in.
But based on the other thread, I'm clearly not the only one who's had a nuchal hand more than once. I keep thinking it must have something to do with the mother's physiology. I don't have an unusually roomy pelvis - mine is textbook average - but I do have lower back scoliosis and a bit of a twist in my hips, so maybe that's a factor?


----------



## attachedmamaof3 (Dec 2, 2006)

My first was OP with a nuchal hand SROM.

My second was OP with TWO nuchal hands SROM after head was birthed (almost born in caul).

My third rotated from OP just before the pushing stage, no nuchal hand (SROM shortly after labor began and then small *glugs* during labor)!!

LOTS of back labor in all 3. Not too much fun, but I had REALLY short labors!


----------



## canadiannancy (Feb 23, 2005)

Both my daughters were posterior with both hands on head....lots of back labour, not sure with this one...but have been trying positions to try to eliminate at least the sunnyside up position...would love a birth witrh a little less back labour!


----------



## WC_hapamama (Sep 19, 2005)

I've had AROM with 4 deliveries, with one nuchal hand... I tore with that delivery. He had a big head, which didn't help matters.


----------



## broodymama (May 3, 2004)

Both of my children were born with nuchal hands. DS was posterior for most of labor but turned about an hour before he was born, he was only a bit over 8 lbs but I did tear quite badly where his arm came out. I also had AROM with him.

I had SROM with DD (right before she crowned), even though she was 2 lbs heavier than DS I only had a slight skid mark where her arm came out.


----------



## Marymac (Oct 27, 2007)

My youngest is now a 20-year old student. A scan when I was pregnant with her showed her right hand up beside her head. She was born with her right hand alongside her head - and every night of her life, she has that hand against her cheek when she sleeps - you can sometimes see the finger imprint just after she first wakes!

She got together with some friends last year to rent a house. On the first morning, a new housemate came down to breakfast with a hand imprint on her cheek: she had also been born with a nucal hand and keeps that hand by her face when she sleeps.

Has anyone else found this pattern as their child has grown?:


----------



## queen_anne78 (Apr 2, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Marymac* 
My youngest is now a 20-year old student. A scan when I was pregnant with her showed her right hand up beside her head. She was born with her right hand alongside her head - and every night of her life, she has that hand against her cheek when she sleeps - you can sometimes see the finger imprint just after she first wakes!

She got together with some friends last year to rent a house. On the first morning, a new housemate came down to breakfast with a hand imprint on her cheek: she had also been born with a nucal hand and keeps that hand by her face when she sleeps.

Has anyone else found this pattern as their child has grown?:









DD had a nuchal hand and also started out posterior, but she rotated on her way out...felt weird







I also only tore (a little) b/c of her hand...we quickly found that she likes to keep that hand up by her face while nursing and sleeping..so I guess this might continue.


----------



## vforba (Dec 27, 2005)

My ds when he was born had his hand up over his head and had the cord wrapped around it 3x's. But I think he was like this for the last month of my pregnancy. Every night, when I went to bed when I would lay down he would thrash violently inutero. I always felt something wierd was going on.
vicky


----------



## Kino (Jun 18, 2006)

Wow interesting!

My daughter was born posterior with her palms over her eyes and her elbows jutting out. Very difficult and painful labor - 56 hours with back labor the entire time. I was induced and had AROM at 6 inches. I will definitely be trying spinningbabies next time! I pushed for 30 minutes, no tearing, and a quick recovery. At least I had that!

Oh and I could feel her scratching my cervix for weeks before the birth. Her hands were up by her face in her ultrasounds too. At 14 months she still sleeps with her hands up.


----------



## danotoyou2 (Jan 19, 2007)

DS2 kept putting his hand up to his cheek during labor, which we'd discover after the labor would fizzle out. My midwife would feel and "darn thing put his hand up there again!" He did finally pull it down and I didn't have to deliver a nuchal hand, but it did happen four or five times over a three day period.

My first labor went much the same way, but I had crappy OBs who didn't really feel to see why labor was stopping. They just did the old standard "more pitocin" route. He was eventually born via c-section, but all I know was that he was posterior, not if he had a hand by his cheek.

Funny though... DS2 was born with indents on his cheeks from where he had his hand pressed against his face for so long. He still sleeps that way. It's cute.


----------



## prothyraia (Feb 12, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kino* 
Oh and I could feel her scratching my cervix for weeks before the birth.

My son did that too! It was the *weirdest* feeling...


----------

