My baby is 3/5 engaged and despite many weeks of never having reclined once, is back to back.
I am aware he may still turn. I am aware he may turn during labour.
At this point - starting a Week 36 - I have too much fatigue and too many achey swollen joints to be truly able to commit to Spinning Babies, the suggested durations of all fours or walking. I'm trying but for example my knees begin to hurt despite loads of cushioning if I spend more than a few minutes on all fours.
So I do what I can - I never recline. I always sit upright. Beyond that I find it useful to accept that baby is doing what he's comfy doing. I'm doing what I can. No point fretting. No point stressing. It is what it is. It could be loads of other far worse things :-)
So........... I've heard countless accounts of rather difficult back to back labours. These are real stories. I've made notes from them. I've profound respect for mothers who went through these experiences. I've learnt about days of latent early labour, full dilation with grinding saw like back pain, interventions that leave less than positive outcomes. These very real, lived accounts I have read and heard and made notes from.
What I am looking for now is perhaps accounts of easier experiences of birthing posterior babies. I have consciously avoided using the word "positive" stories as the word "positive" unintentionally connotes the opposite "negative". I appreciate one person's easy could be another's difficult, but nonetheless, it would be great to hear some of these Other stories if anyone has them of back births which people did not find traumatising or difficult. Just to gain some perspective into the multitude of outcomes Possible with back to babies.
At the moment I have a clear perspective on the difficulties of the situation. Which is useful and instructive and great for going into labour without Rose tinted glasses. Any other stories Would help with the remaining optimistic side of things, which I suspect also has it's uses :-)
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Childbirth
stories of easy(er) back-to-back babies and labours?
Focusfocus · 27/09/2015 05:39
2 b2b babies so I know and will never know any other way!
Was it painful, hell yes but I'm fairly sure labour normally is
I found being in the water helped both times, never had intervention but with both I did need a wee shot of pethedene near the end! DD was about 20 minutes before she was born! Oops!
The most frustrating part with Ds (PFB) was during the hour long pushing stage when he kept going back up! With dd I was having none of that and pushed her out in about 5 minutes!
I honestly think you need to just approach it the same way you would any other birth. I didn't know in advance so couldn't really prepare do to speak. It probably will be painful, you may or may not require intervention or have a long labour but your body is made for this and your midwife knows what they're doing. Go with the flow, don't beat yourself up for any intervention/drugs and just remember what you get at the end is worth it all!
My first baby was b2b and born like that. He was ventouse but that was because he was also born holding onto his ears and got stuck. At 4, he still holds into his ears when tired 
. It was fine, took about 11 hours in total.
Ds2 was also b2b but he turned in labour and he was no pain relief / no intervention / a lot quicker!
Both mine were back to back and they both came with no intervention. The first, I started having contractions on Thursday and dd wasn't born until Monday, but it really wasn't as bad as it sounds! Contractions were far apart and not too painful for the first couple of days and dd had turned by herself by Monday morning. Because she has turned and I was fully dilated, midwives popped my waters and she more or less shot out.
Second dd was totally different, very fast first stage labour which started with my waters going. Then she got a bit stuck and the midwife made me have a lie down and I had a 30 min nap. Then things got going again and I laboured on all fours for a couple more hours. She came out with one arm above her head like superman. It was more painful than the first but the midwife said it was because it was a lot faster.
I did all the spinning baby stuff with the second and I swear she never budged until I was in labour.
Best of luck and congrats 
I've had two b2b labours, neither what I'd call awful.
Both managed on Gas & Air, second in a birthing pool as well.
Ds1 at 36wks
Waters had broken a few days before, admitted to hospital, cx eventually started around 10pm. 3/4cm by 3am. 6cm by 6am, so taken down to labour ward.
Worth noting that I hadn't put much effort into learning my Hypnobirthing, and did my entire labour standing leaning on the bed with my elbows. Lying down for exams was not great, it was much easier standing. I had a great midwife, newly qualified and totally happy to let me do what o preferred.
Felt like an elephant was stood on my lower back, no pain in the front (that I noticed).
Ds1 turned just before delivery, kind boy! Standing delivery, three pushes over about 30 mins, born at 12:30pm. Active labour was recorded as 4hrs as it was 8cm to delivery.
2nd degree tear, two days of minor incontinence after but nothing major.
All in all, pretty good! Only 5lb5oz and a tiny head tho...
Ds2 at 38wks
Cx mildly at 9:30pm, un-ignorable by 2:30am, every 2-3mins by 3:30, arrived at birthing centre at 4am where they slowed to 4mins. Again, laboured standing, leaning on chair arms.
Had requested a pool, it took hours to fill due to a plumbing fault, got in at 6/7ish, and woooo that helped! Massively recommend it for b2b labours. It needs to be nice and hot, and beware the shivers if you have to get out for exams.
Ds2 did NOT turn for delivery (little bugger) and came out stargazing. He actually went back UP after one push, I remember saying "Oh come ON!"
Took longer to crown as still b2b, tho the water helped with stinging, and I had my feet braced on the pool sides which also helped.
Delivered in the water at 9:30am, he came up very calm and not particularly squished. 6lb15oz, 2nd degree tear again, no urinary incontinence.
Again, tho a bit harder than Ds1's, still a good labour.
Felt brilliant after, home a day later, absolutely fine, full of beans.
However, I will say one less than positive thing, my pelvic floor is still lost 18m later, and I'm having physio to rebuild it.
My second midwife did say that she recommended I not have an epidural as in her experience of b2bs that generally lead to an instrumental birth, as the loss of feeling made it so much harder to birth a b2b baby. By the time I felt I couldn't cope on G&A it was too late for an epidural anyway!
B2B labours do suck, but they aren't all bad, and I feel certain both of mine were easier than many of my friends who had longer normal births.
All labours and births are different anyway, I hope this thread has helped dispel some fears.
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