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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ignore pregnancy advice re posture

27 replies

AvoidanceTactics · 30/12/2013 23:01

Few weeks off my due date, keep being told by midwife to avoid sitting back, advised to sit on gym ball when watching tv etc, sit upright on train to work...

But I don't fecking want to!

I want to slouch on my comfy sofa under a blanket mostly, as I feel so fat and uncomfortable. But now I feel guilty every time I do that

I didn't even know about these 'rules' with previous baby and she was fine (ok back to back but who knows whether that was anything to do with posture or just one of those things)

Someone tell me it's all claptrap!

OP posts:

DeepThought · 30/12/2013 23:04

just be comfy

(I do recall sitting back made me feel breathless, but I could be misremembering what with having teens nowadays, me baby days are looong ago)

ilovesmurfs · 30/12/2013 23:08

Well it can affect the position of the baby which can make labpour easier or harder ie a baby jthat is back to back labour can be longer amd harder, has your midwife said the baby is back to back?

SparkleToffee · 30/12/2013 23:18

I would listen tbh ....... My DS was back to back and I didn't really do the things the midwife suggested.... I wish I had. DD wasn't b2b and was much much easier to deliver. I know it's a pain but if your little one isn't in the best position, then it would make sense to try what you can prior to labour

softlysoftly · 30/12/2013 23:32

After a hideous 3 day b2b labour I would say yabu.

2nd baby lots of leaning forward turned her.

riskit4abiskit · 30/12/2013 23:43

A gym ball can be quite comfy too

Original poster

AvoidanceTactics · 30/12/2013 23:52

Ahh nooo this is not what I want to hear

I hate my gym ball with a passion! I love my sofa A LOT

OP posts:

Mabelface · 30/12/2013 23:54

Comfy. You can use your gym ball at other times of the day.

ILoveAFullFridge · 31/12/2013 00:02

Comfy can put a lot of strain on your lower back.

Try kneel ing and draping yourself forwards over the gym ball. You may need to deflate it slightly if your breasts or bump feel uncomfortably squashed. It's a very comfy, slobby position which also helps to stretch out a tired back at the end of the day.

halestone · 31/12/2013 00:56

OP did the midwife suggest this as the baby is back to back? If so then try her suggestions. Its much more preferable to you and your baby to change the position prior to labour.

DoYouLikeMyBaubles · 31/12/2013 00:59

It's completely up to you, but people are so quick to discard advice then complain about problems (not you OP, just people I've known)

katheroo · 31/12/2013 08:18

My 1st baby was back to back and I had a terrible labour, with my second i listened to my midwife and stopped slouching,sat on birthing ball etc and I had a brilliant labour as she was in a perfect position. Could you not lay on your side on the sofa rather than slouching back,like when you're in bed?

ConcreteElephant · 31/12/2013 08:52

During my second pregnancy, our sofa was dying on its knees and I was very slouchy. DS was back-to-back...

I knew my posture wasn't great and kept intending to get the gym ball out but never got off my bum. Labour was fast and the birth was fine (I was in water) but his back-to-back-ness was unexpected and I wouldn't be at all surprised to find it was posture related.

It can't hurt to follow the advice. Best wishes.

soverylucky · 31/12/2013 08:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tinselkitty · 31/12/2013 08:58

I only found out about not slouching back on the sofa after I went to hospital with reduced movements.

After describing my day to the MW (a day of rest watching the Olympics) she said it was probably that DD had been laying on main blood supply which lead to reduced movements. She was/is fine but I stopped slouching after that!

after about 35 weeks I couldn't slouch as it resulted in 2 tiny feet under my ribs, ouch!

christmasnamechange · 31/12/2013 09:00

This is a pet peive of mine - giving advice is great but MAYBE if the midwife explained WHY and what doing x, y and z was for -arh rant over

Op I have a spinal Injury and had to sit straight during my whole pregnancy - I recommend pillow lots of them! Use the to one under butt, one in small of back one folded in half under your knees one behind neck - do all this in an upright chair found it to be very comfy as well as supportive

Good luck

softlysoftly · 31/12/2013 09:14

op if it helps it was totally worth it when DD2 turned. I was so expecting the hideous spinal agony of a b2b labour that when I got the first twinges post water breaking I stuck on my hypno music and had a lovely nap. The result being when I wandered into hospital thinking they were strong enough (walking from a carpark a while away) I gave birth to her head on the pavement.

Oh and I also hated the gym ball I just piled cushions so that I could lay/lean on my elbows forward facing bum in air and made sure I slept on my left with a pillow between my thighs which is optimal position.

Wevet · 31/12/2013 09:24

Sorry, OP, I think it is important. I say that as someone who was stuck to my gym ball for the last couple of months of pregnancy, trying to turn my awkwardly-placed son. In fact, he kept flipping back, despite my efforts, and I ended up with a c-section for unrelated reasons, but it was worth it to feel I'd done everything I could...

Amethyst35 · 31/12/2013 10:14

I had the same attitude in my first pregnancy. And ended up with a hideous 4.5 day back to back labour. Currently 8 weeks and will be doing all I can to avoid the same thing happening again!

NatashaBee · 31/12/2013 10:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

AvoidanceTactics · 31/12/2013 10:38

Ok I'm going to do it!! You have all convinced me
I only had half a b2b labour before I ended up with an epidural (as was put on syntocinon for meconium and had epi sited before the drip started) so I clearly didnt fully experience the full agony of b2b!

Baby isn't posterior at mo but moves all the time

OP posts:

ilikebaking · 31/12/2013 10:42

I spent the majority of my pregnancy sitting on that fecking ball and not slouching and doing all the right' things, and then at 36 weeks the baby was back to back and I was told to make sure I was doing all of these things and to scrub the floor... so I did and he didn't turn and I was shattered.
I then spent the rest of the pregnancy doing what ever the hell I pleased and the baby spent it rolling from front to back as he pleased.
The beginning of labour he was in the perfect position and then rolled back to back for the final 7 hours.
Babies do what they want, I think, so my advice is just be comfy.

PaperBagPrincess · 31/12/2013 10:46

I ignored forst time round and paid for it. Got SPD at 36 weeks and the worst fecking back ever.

Second pregnancy I was much more sensible, did pregnancy yoga, kept a good posture and was MUCH more mobile later on and much better post birth recovery.

Pelvic floors, too...do em!

NewName123 · 31/12/2013 11:18

I would follow the MW instructions. When I was preggers I remember lying on my bed on my back reading. My baby all of a sudden made a huge almost audible 'splosh' and turned back to back. I tried all the positions to turn him back.
I ended up having assisted delivery because he wouldn't come out!

DoJo · 01/01/2014 15:23

Although there are no guarantees - my son was perfectly placed until I went into labour when he spun around and jammed his head sideways, so it can happen the other way around! B2B labour is grim though (although I've nothing to compare it to, but even the midwife kept saying how sorry she felt for me!) so worth avoiding if possible...

pianodoodle · 01/01/2014 15:31

I'm a week overdue with second baby - don't you find leaning back makes you dizzy?

I don't like the feeling of it at all it makes me feel like the baby is pushing on my spine!

The comfiest way for me at the minute is upright with loads of cushions so I'm sort leaning slightly forward with both feet flat on the ground - which is also the position I gave birth to DD in :)

I try to remember about lying on the left side in bed too but it's hard as it isn't my default way to sleep normally - usually wake up on the other side!

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