Pushing back the lip
Caregivers can vary in their approach to the management of an anterior lip, and accordingly their 'solutions' will also vary.
These can range from:
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Asking you to resist the urge to push. (Easier said than done!), but sometimes being on your hands and knees with your bottom raised, and head down, can help you achieve this. Being in a bath can also help, as it removes the gravitational pull on the baby. |
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Advising you to change positions, to take the pressure off the swollen cervix. Again, leaning forward (or being on your hands and knees) may achieve this, or getting in the bath. |
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Advising you to have some gas. Occasionally, breathing on gas, while leaning forward, will relax the woman and reduce her urge to push, until the cervix fully dilates. |
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Advising you to have an epidural. This can relax the area and take the pressure off the cervix, because it relieves the urge to push. An epidural may be the solution if other suggestions have failed to work. If the epidural is not enough, an oxytocin drip may be suggested, but ideally the caregiver will allow at least 1 to 2 hours before this is started (presuming the baby is not distressed). |
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Attempting to manually ease the swollen cervix up over the baby's head. This is done during a vaginal examination and its success will depend on how much cervix is present and how low the baby's head is. |
Pushing back the lip
Many caregivers will attempt to manually ease the swollen cervix up over the baby's head. This is done by the caregiver performing an internal vaginal examination, to locate the lip.