My baby is back to back and I am 37 weeks preg she has been in this position forever......doesnt seem to want to budge

[mumofdjandbabies]

please tell me I can still get her out normally in this position ????

I am trying what I know to get her to get into a better position but she is so far having none of it.......

maybe she wont love till labour?

any ideas?

please reassure me ...........

[naturalblonde]

My dd was in this position, I think in some cases it causes pain between contractions (it did with me). But she'll still come out!

I asked gp about it, if current bump ended up in that posotion and she said nothing can be done to turn them. What are you trying?

[littlelamb]

DD was like this and didn't turn- came out with her head looking at the ceiling. I was laying on my back after an epidural. Ds was posterior too. I was upright throughout labour and he turned easily before he was born. There was nothing I could do to get either of them to budge prior to labour but I really believe that being upright helped. Also, my fantastic midwife was against me having a water birth with ds (wouldnt have been time anyay as it happened!) as apparently it is harder for them to get into the correct position due to the way you may be leaning back in the pool. WIth ds I was leaning over the hospital bed which had been raised as high as it would go and was in a supported squat to actually push. Would recommend anyone to try the same

[mumofdjandbabies]

HI naturalblonde just stuff like knees below hip level

sitting on gym ball etc

not slouching back etc nothing too exciting lol

baby just seems so darn comfy!

[mumofdjandbabies]

oh right littlelamb hmm ill remember that

so they can turn then even if they have been in that position for aGGGGGGGESS ......

[ataraxis]

DC2 was back to back for the birth (home birth) despite lots of time beforehand on all fours, leaning forwards all the time etc etc. I had pretty bad lower back pain through the labour, but other than that it was fine.

[BigBadMousey]

3/3 DCs back to back until they came out all was fine.

Good luck

[littlelamb]

Yep, my midwife told me afterwards that it could be the shape of my pelvis that encourages my babies to lay that way in the womb (I have had anterior placentas both times too which apparently makes it higher odds of a posterior baby) but they can definately move

[mishymoo]

DS was in the back to back position through labour but I did manage to turn him just before delivery (somehow??). I will be honest, the lower back pain was excrutiating (sp?) but passed as soon as he turned!

[ellideb]

My baby was back to back at my last midwife apppointment mumofdjandbabies so she recommended that I got on all fours, stuck my bum up in the air and swung my hips quite quickly from side to side (must be done when you're by yourself though!)to get baby to turn around. I've been trying that, also cleaning the floor on my hands and knees, bouncing on the gym ball and lying on my left side. I'll see if I have been successful at my next appointment, good luck!

[Weegiemum]

My dd1 (dc1) was back to back. It was a loooong labour (37 hours from first pains) but she was a vaginal delivery even though she weighed in at 9lb12oz

It can be done. She was a ventouse, but I reckoned that was less invasive than a CS (which was the only other option) and I healed up fine form the many stitiches,

Both other kids were anterior, no bother. She;s always been awkward, still is, a lot of the time, age 8!

[BovineBeauty]

hi ya, my 1st was anterior, she turned herself as she entered the birth canal. more back pain in labour but no drugs, ssquatting over pillows always good as GRAVITY helps labour!! TRUST your body and your baby and you'll make it through. hugs.

[mumofdjandbabies]

aw thanks guys youre an encouragement!
I guess I feel bad like its my fault baby in worng position

but that is stupid isnt it

[onwardandupward]

Not your fault. And not wrong position. Not the "average" or "most common" position, but still one from which a non-intervened vaginal birth is perfectly perfectly possible (and your chances of that increase with every jot of confidence you can muster in your body's ability to DO THIS between now and labour day)

I had a loooong posterior labour. Gas and air (eurgh. I hallucinated. I must be the only woman in England who has had a bad trip on gas and air) for less than 2 hours of the labour. No other painkilling drugs. Some women like heat on their backs in this kind of labour. I had a bag of frozen peas. Lots of hefty back massage also a must.

If still back to back when you go into labour:

relax as much as you can, sleep as much as you can between contractions. Don't get yourself emotionally committed to labour until you're really roaring through contractions - it's going to be a long haul and the thing you most need is rest.

stay upright as much as you can (I did, even when I was taken into hospital and put on a drip to speed things along, and it really helped)

Birth on hands and knees/in a squat/something similarly upright. If possible, don't lie down when you are pushing - you need gravity on your side!

Be ready for the back pain. For many, it doesn't go away between contractions. I felt no contractions across my belly at all - the entire labour seemed to be happening in my lower back.

If your waters go, it may well just be a little bit of the waters, and if things are very very slow, you may want to invite the midwives to rupture the rest of the waters to bring the pressure of the head down onto the cervix. Or not. depends how long you've been at it. (Mine were artifically ruptured in the end and I gave birth within something like 2.5 hours from that point, at depressing cm dilated after hours of labour) It certainly makes things more intense...

I don't want to sound preachy - I just wish someone had given me a list like this last time! Posterior labour is ok, it's just a completely different animal from an anterior labour. And I guess both are quite quite different from the various kinds of breech.

[notcitrus]

I'm 37 weeks today and the midwife two days ago told me Squirmy was head down but back to back, but that this was totally normal until a couple days before birth and I shouldn't even think about worrying about it until 40 weeks or so. I think our NCT tutor said the same.

I'm choosing to believe them...

[runnyhabbit]

You will still be able to get her out.

Totally agree with onwardandupward.

Tens machine - (either love them or hate them) was a godsend. batteries run out during labour with ds1, and boy, did I feel a difference. Didn't have it with ds2 (arrived too late) so got dh to pummel the lower part of my back - he made his hand into a tight fist, and worked it into my back.

Very similar to littlelamb - had an epidural with ds1, and ended up having ventouse delivery. With ds2, he was born at home (planned) Spent most of my time on my gymball, and gave birth in a squatting position (holding onto to dh for support)

Me and mw were chatting after ds2 birth, and she commented on both ds being back to back, and I mentioned that my mum had a tilted womb, so did that have anything to do with it? She said it could well have played a big part in the boys positions.

[BigBadMousey]

To elaborate on my 3/3 OP

My labours were 32, 16 and 8 hours (established) respectively, I had epidurals with all three and a non-assisted delivery.

With DC3 he was in the 'perfect' position until 37 weeks then turned OP and stayed there - I felt I had done something wrong but that was down to the pregnancy hormones I think. He had other problems which led to a lot of scans late on and from those I knew the cord was round his neck twice so I was quite happy for him to stay exactly as he was and not start twisting about.

[mumofdjandbabies]

aw thanks guys some fab info and chat there
arent mumsnetters a good bunch

feeling more reassured!

[MrsTittleMouse]

I used the water pool for pain relief in labour. It was bliss - I still felt the contractions, but it took the pressure off my spine in between (bye bye horrible gravity!) and allowed me to rest in between. Sadly I had to get out, as things were slowing down and they needed me to walk around to speed things up. It was my first labour though, so I'm hoping that for my second I can use water the whole time.

The statistic that I read, by the way, is that 95% of babies turn during labour. And that includes women who are in "bad" positions, like lying on their back, so the chances of the baby coming out the "wrong" way like mine are pretty remote. I just seem to be good at being the incredibly rare unlucky one.

[Theochris]

Excellent post from onward and upward, and runnyrabbit and lots of others.
I wish I'd read this before delivering my OP baby

I did all the stuff to try to turn the baby, didn't work. My labour was long 30 hrs until 6 cms, then another 8 till birth, and painful but I only had gas and air for 2 hours at the end (made me feel bad actually). Loved my tens machine.

But I had a fine birth, small tear and no instruments. Felt good afterwards. So it's not all bad. You'll be fine, try to stay mobile if you can.

[thisisyesterday]

mumofdjandbabies

ds2 was back to back and didn't turn in labour either.
I had a 6 hour labour, at home, with no pain relief. (and to top it off his head was 38cm!!!!!) ouch.

erm, it was easier than birthing ds1. a lot easier, and ds1 wasn't back to back.

what helped the most was being upright though, I gave birth kneeling up against the sofa and squeezing a big bean bag.
the pushing did take a long time, about an hour and a half I think, but it was ok.

[Wisknit]

Most babies will turn within 45 mins if you are on all fours while in labour. That said ds1 didn't. Had 28 hour back to back labour but 2nd stage was fine, only 40 mins kneeling upright.
It isn't like a back to back stops you having a natural birth.
Goodluck

[mumofdjandbabies]

you guys are a fount of knowledge

I def feel somewhat calmer and encouraged...............

[Minkus]

Glad you're feeling a bit less concerned! Just to add my two penn'orth, ds2 was back to back all the way through pregnancy. I didn't do that much to shift him I must admit, knew that it was going to bloody well hurt whichever way he was facing! He was born 7 weeks ago facing the "wrong" way too, after 4 hours of labour and 5 pushes. So it was a relatively straightforward labour, my mw didn't even mention the fact that he was back to back. I didn't feel any particular pains in my back, although I will admit the contractions were more stingy and "ouchy" than ds1.

Good luck!

[piglet12]

someone told me swimming was good for getting the baby in the "right" position or rather out of a b2b position. Anyone know if this is true or not?