The head will often initially engage looking to the right (ideal) or left of the pelvis. For some births this may occur before labor has begun, and for some it will not occur until much later. This begins with the baby’s head moving into the upper oval of the lower pelvic bowl. The first thing that must happen for the baby to navigate the birth path is they have to get into it. Rotation (sometimes called internal rotation) Understanding how baby moves within and is guided by the structures of the pelvis can be immensely helpful in learning to work with your own individual labor.
Far from being a straight channel, the pelvic birth path is in fact curved from the top to the base, as well as different widths depending on which level of the pelvis the baby is moving through. Called the Cardinal movements, these extensions and rotations help the baby find the best fit to spiral down and out of the body. Similarly, while it might seem like a baby simply slides through its mother’s pelvis to be born in fact the baby makes a series of twists and turns in order to emerge. When we unlock the front door to our homes the key we insert into the lock fits in one specific way, and it must turn at the right time in order to release the tumblers within the lock mechanism and open the door.