There are many modern day theories about the perceived 'high incidence' of posterior babies. One is that we now generally lead more sedentary lifestyles (watching television, working on computers etc.) so it is more likely that our babies will assume this position. There are beliefs, that in 'the old days', posterior babies were rare, because women were out in the fields, on all fours and scrubbing floors on their hands and knees, encouraging babies to assume a more anterior position.
Posterior babies have been documented for many years, yet in recent times many new 'gadgets' to hire and buy, such as pelvic rocker chairs (ergonomic chairs with knee rests, and rocking chair legs) have become available, to work towards 'preventing' babies being in a posterior position. The bottom line is, that even active women can have posterior babies, and the pelvic rocker or various exercises will not always succeed, but they are options to consider.
Image 5-40 shows one type of pelvic rocker that can be used.
Attitudes to posterior labours
Some caregivers pre-empt problems when a baby is found to be in a posterior position. They will assume that the labour will be long, have lots of back pain, and need interventions like
forceps and / or end up being a Caesarean birth. While a small percentage of posterior labours may follow this expectation (as they can with babies in the anterior position), the majority of posterior labours progress normally, albeit sometimes differently.
Unfortunately, many women, who are told that their babies are posterior, start to receive messages predicting problems, even before they eventuate. This can destabilise the woman's confidence, making her anxious and pessimistic about the labour, and possibly opting for interventions, before the labour even begins! It may also set her up for the caregiver interfering earlier than actually needed, because they 'expect' the labour to be problematic.