Stargazer is a nice term, but it doesn’t exactly have a pleasant connotation. Have you ever heard of stargazing? Let me tell you one thing up front: it has to do with the position of your baby during birth.
Although the term stargazer could be a baby product as part of the baby’s initial equipment, this is not the case.
Stargazing means that the child looks up at the stars, but why should that be a bad thing? How does a stargazing birth work, and what are its consequences?
Why is it said that stargazing can make vaginal delivery more difficult? And what can a good midwife do?
What does cephalic position (SL) mean and when do babies turn?
Here you will find the answers to these questions.
In contrast to the stargazer – what is the norm?
The normal fetal position is head-down at birth. This usually occurs in the 36th week of pregnancy (GW).
During pregnancy, the baby moves and rotates several times. Its back is usually positioned sideways at birth and turns toward the mother’s front during birth.
This allows the back of the baby’s head, or occiput, to move forward. The baby’s nose points toward the mother’s anus. During the rotation, the baby bends its chin toward its chest, allowing it to be born with the smallest possible diameter.
At birth, the baby enters the world head first. The child pushes its way through the birth canal by pushing its head upward, which until then had been resting with its chin on its chest. This causes the baby’s entire head to slide out.
After this, the shoulders emerge slightly offset; these broadest parts of the child do the best preparatory work and the rest of the child comes into the world much more easily.
The so-called anterior occipital position in the mother’s abdomen is the most optimal, as the baby can slowly and fairly gently stretch the birth canal with its head circumference.
The vast majority of births take place in the delivery room, and in medicine there is now a kind of pathologizing of birth, with anything that does not conform to the norm being immediately labeled as a medical emergency and treated with medical interventions.
Let’s take a look at some of the situations that do not conform to the norm.
Stargazers & Co. – What locations are there?
When it comes to the position of the child, doctors distinguish between breech position, transverse position and longitudinal position, with a stargazer baby meaning the longitudinal position.
It’s quite rare for a baby to be positioned head up in the mother’s womb before birth, rather than head down. This positional abnormality is called a breech presentation. Often, but not always, such stargazing babies require a cesarean section.
Breech presentation is a common and temporary position for babies at the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy. The number of babies who are still in the breech position at birth is 3%.
Before considering a cesarean section , an attempt can be made to turn the baby manually using a procedure called external cephalic version.
However, if the baby is persistently breech, it may not turn or it may return to its original position after treatment.
For safety reasons, a Caesarean section may also be necessary if the baby is in a transverse position, meaning the head is on one side and the feet are on the other.
Stargazer – What does that mean?
If the baby is a stargazer child, then his lying position is such that his nose points towards the mother’s belly button.
This is called the posterior occipital presentation because the baby is rotated 180 degrees compared to the anterior occipital presentation described above.
This means the baby’s head circumference is larger at birth. If the baby’s head isn’t facing the mother’s back, it can’t stretch and thus be pushed out more easily.
When stretching, the baby’s head cannot make its way through the cervix in the posterior occipital position, but can only press on the rectum.
In general, the baby’s head puts more pressure on the intestines in this position, so that the mother feels the need to push even before the contractions have fully begun.
The birth can take longer and be more stressful for both mother and child.
However, the stargazing position is quite rare and is not, in itself, an indication for a cesarean section.
The President of the Professional Association of Gynaecologists (BVF), Dr. Christian Albring, explains that this positional anomaly occurs in 0.5% to 1% of births.
To put it another way, in larger hospitals, a stargazer baby is born every six weeks.
An emergency caesarean section becomes unavoidable when the baby is very large in relation to the mother’s pelvis and this can lead to a labor stoppage.
However, if it is the second birth and the child is not too large, then a stargazer baby can also be born through vaginal delivery.
However, even in such cases, labor arrest cannot be ruled out and the use of aids such as forceps or a vacuum extractor is more likely than in the anterior occipital presentation.
Stargazing Location – The Reasons Behind It
There are no clear and definitive explanations for why babies roll into different positions.
However, it is assumed that the stargazer position occurs more often in women who have already given birth in this position for the first time, according to Dr. Christian Albring.
Other reasons for this particular position can include abnormalities in the pelvic or uterine area. Other factors that can favor the stargazer position include an anterior placenta (where the placenta is located on the front wall of the uterus) or fibroids (benign growths in the uterus).
However, it can also be due to a too short umbilical cord that prevents the baby from turning optimally. Even if there is no medical cause, the baby can still end up in the stargazing position.
This is because the mother’s back is rarely upright. Many jobs and activities involve sitting in front of a computer, and in the evenings and during leisure time, it’s not uncommon to spend time on the couch or sofa.
Longer and more frequent car journeys also do not have a positive effect on the posture of the expectant mother.
The child is encouraged to lie in the back of the pelvis because the mother’s pelvis is tilted backwards.
It is therefore very important to pay attention to the correct posture during pregnancy; both the baby and the back and pelvic floor will thank you.
Since the baby begins to descend into the pelvis about four weeks before birth, you should follow these tips to improve its starting position early in pregnancy.
Adequate movement will ensure that your pelvis is directed forward and encourage the baby to lean forward with the heaviest parts of its body – the back of the head and the spine.
So, during pregnancy, make sure your knees are below your hips while sitting. To keep your pelvis elevated, sit on cushions, especially if you drive often.
The chair height is also crucial. If the chair is too low, your pelvis will tilt backward, so feel free to use cushions here as well.
If you work sitting down, make sure you schedule enough breaks to stretch and move around.
Kneeling on all fours is also a very efficient way to get the baby into the optimal position, because then gravity tilts the back of its head towards your belly.
During examination and palpation, the baby’s back is difficult to feel and the baby’s arms and legs can be felt in the navel area.
Sometimes this rather unfavorable position of the baby causes increased back pain in pregnant women.
By the way, if a woman feels painful pulling and tugging in her body days before labor , that is actually a good sign, which can mean that the baby is still trying to turn into the right position.
Stargazer baby – How does the birth go?
As we can see, the stargazing position is not an optimal position for the baby in the pelvis. Because of the unfavorable angle of the baby’s head, the birth process is more painful and longer.
One of the risks is premature pushing, which can lead to injuries. Tears can occur in the mother’s body.
Often, a perineal tear occurs , or there are tears in the labia, vagina, or clitoris. The perineum is the tissue that connects the vagina to the anus.
However, competent obstetricians and midwives can manage the birth well and prevent more serious consequences.
For example, they may recommend that the expectant mother alternate her body position during labor—sometimes on the left or right—to encourage movement in the baby. If contractions are taking a break, you can try turning the baby’s head manually.
Shortly before the birth process, it is possible, if the mother is not in intensive labor and the child is not too big, to turn the baby into the optimal position.
The supine position is particularly unsuitable for the birth of a stargazer. In this position, the mother would have to exert considerable force to push the baby out against gravity.
Midwives therefore recommend lying on your side, standing, or even squatting. The quadruped position is also ideal for harnessing gravity for the birth of the baby.
In the case of the stargazer, the birth canal can be widened by the mother stretching one leg out to the side in a quadruped position.
This allows more space for the baby’s larger head circumference and makes the birth a little easier and quicker.
Stargazers – These are possible consequences
The starting position of a stargazer can have consequences for both the child and the mother. The child can also sustain minor injuries.
And sometimes the birth process takes so long that the baby becomes too weak and medical intervention becomes urgently necessary.
Complications are always likely when the umbilical cord is too short. However, in the delivery room, we ensure that you and your baby receive proper, competent care. A vacuum extractor or forceps are usually used to assist in this situation.
This probably sounds pretty alarming, but if your child is a stargazer, these remedies can gently help. So don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds.
These devices are carefully placed on your baby’s head. With minimal force and very delicately, the baby’s head is pulled out of the vaginal opening using a suction cup or forceps.
This makes the birth quicker for you and your baby, and there are very rarely any long-term consequences.
If the baby’s head circumference is too large, the birth process will logically be slowed down and therefore it is often necessary to intervene in the process in this way.
However, it doesn’t necessarily have to happen this way. If an experienced and skilled midwife explains to the mother exactly how the baby is positioned during labor, for example, using a pelvic model and a doll, she can contribute significantly to the mother’s optimal cooperation.
Explanations about why the mother should assume a particular position to facilitate labor are always helpful. Positive motivation and other supportive measures can ensure that no additional aids are needed.
The pelvis can also be loosened through massages, for example by “shaking apples” in the buttocks area, which reduces the mother’s early urge to push.
Since a stargazing birth requires a lot of effort, the baby may suffer compression in the spine and rib cage.
After birth, the child is usually restless and an osteopath can help relieve this by releasing blockages and tensions that arose during the slow birth.
Final thoughts
As you’ve seen, stargazer is a cute word for a rather awkward birth position of the baby.
Instead of looking backwards as in the ideal cephalic position, the baby looks forwards and in an open-air birth position it would see the stars from this birth position when it was born.
Since in our society pretty much everything is subject to a norm, I pointed out that there are several positions besides the anterior occipital position in which babies can be before birth, with the stargazer position not being the least favorable.
I investigated the reasons that lead to the stargazing situation.
If you are in early pregnancy, pay attention to your posture and make sure you get enough exercise and don’t spend too much time sitting.
Because you can actually influence how your baby rotates in your body during pregnancy. And if it’s within your power to prevent a problem during pregnancy , then you should take this advice to heart.
Giving birth to a stargazer baby is a major effort and may require the use of assistive devices such as a vacuum extractor or forceps.
Good midwives and obstetricians can also actively use their expertise to facilitate childbirth.
Even with the best possible posture, the baby can still turn into the stargazing position. This doesn’t necessarily require a cesarean section.
The most important thing is and remains that the child is born healthy and that the mother does not suffer any major consequences.
