Posterior/back to back baby and home birth - any experiences?

[QueenOfFlamingEverything]

I know I've already started one thread along these lines but I really need some reassurance. I am terrified of hospital/instrumental delivery and really really upset and worried now.

I am currently 40+5 with DC2. Have a DD already who was born at home on her due date with no problems - 12 hours established labour, 2 hours pushing (but I was not in a great position in hindsight). This baby however has been back to back at most (but not all) appointments since 28 weeks, and today was still completely posterior. Midwife said she couldn't feel the back at all, only tightly folded limbs. Head is still high and free.

Midwife tried a sweep but no joy, cervix is still long/thick/closed.

I have been doing lots of walking/kneeling/leaning forwards/rocking on birth ball for weeks now but it seems to be making no difference. I've been reading spinningbabies too, and taking it all in, and trying it all out, but no joy. I'm so worried, I feel (irrationally I know) like maybe this is what I get for having it so easy last time round.

Is home birth still a realistic prospect? Please be honest, I need all the time possible to get my head round this if not. I feel panicky and rather hopeless tbh, have spent most of the afternoon in tears.

How'd it go with the midwife?

QoFE Hope you're OK...

It went crap with the midwife.

No change to cervix, she still couldn't do the sweep, baby is ROP and head is only 1/5 engaged.

[fed up]

bugger. hang in there. hope you manage to get some sleep. am thinking of you.

On the plus side my mum has got DD for a few days, so DP and I have been out to the local balloon festival for the evening and just come in, and now I'm bouncing on my ball with a glass of home made stout.

Have agreed to go to hospital for monitoring appt. on thursday if nothing has happened by then.

Drats. Hope you have a restful couple of days anyway.

yummy homemade stout<

a good iron injection !

baby can still go from there to cocked, locked and ready to rock in a short space of time.....

good luck for today. The plaster came off our bedroom walls - a full day setback whilst the patching up job dries...

Still no baby here [arg]

Off to try acupuncture in a bit.

Hi QOE just popping over from the other thread to see how you are. Acupuncture is a good idea. I had three treatments in total. First one on Tuesday two weeks ago as baby wasn't engaged (the day after treatment is was 1/5). On the Thursday to mature cervix (show started from the next day). On the Tuesday really strong treatment to induce labour... and as you know baby was born on Wed nigh so worth a try.

I am thinking of you and sending you loads of positive vibes.

Oh thank you lifeis and congratulations on your new baby! Am hoping very hard that something starts moving here soon, 41+4 today and the pressure to go into hospital is mounting.

Right must go and wash my feet and find some matching socks as appt is at 12.

Good luck QOE I hope the acupuncture works as well for you as it did for me. Really thinking of you and hoping you get that home birth

That must have been very disheartening for you, especially with all the hard work you've been putting in! But, as other poster's have said it can happen very quickly so I'm staying very positive for you The accupuncture will be a great help I'm sure, and a couple of relaxing days before baby gets here

Sounds like you are doing all the right stuff. Have faith!
Interested in your co-op sounds great!
Whereabouts in the country are you?
With my overdue clients I use a routine to try to get things started, maybe you could get your DP to try this
Firstly I use these techniques-
spinningbabies.blogspot.com/2008/02/alternative-to-induction.html
There are esxplanations of how to do these techniques on the main website, the sifting is easy with any sort of long cotton throw-
spinningbabies.blogspot.com/2008/01/sifting-with-rebozo-scarf-manteado.html
And an inversion.
Also all the other spinning babies are useful to practice for labour.
I do a half hour massage, whilst listening to hypnobirthing cd, and with clary sage oil.
Belly dancing is good too (especially camel walking-
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8HAN96CY-s
Happy to have a chat on the phone if it helps. Message me if you want to and I will send you me number (or its on my website Magical Birth)
Selina x

Well, the acupunturist did stuff to try and get the baby into position including moxibustion. We agreed that would be better than going for trying to bring labour on just yet when the baby was still OP. No idea if it will work or not but I fell asleep in the carpark for an hour before driving home so it was relaxing if nothing else.

Going for monitoring on thursday (term+14) and if it shows no problems with me or baby then I am having another session of acupuncture designed to start labour.

Thank you so much for all the kind words and advice everyone

I used moxibustion to try to turn DS round last time as he was breech. It didn't work for me but there was something very relaxing about sitting in the garden burning herbal sticks- brought back memories of glastonbury!

Not sure what the neighbours made of it but anything that results in a kip is worth it IMO.

Did they give you some sticks to use at home too?

Yes, we've got two sticks and DP is going to have a go later - the acupuncturist showed him how to do it.

Smell reminds me of those herbal 'cigarettes' they used to sell in Holland and Barrets [shudder]

Just remembered DH wasn't around when I was doing it last time so I kept burning my little toes when I nodded off!

Much safer to get someone else on it. Are they the smokeless ones? Saw them on the Spinning Babies website. Was thinking that this time (as DC2 is breech and will probably remain so) would be nice to relax with a glass of wine on the sofa whilst DH attends to my feet.

Hope it gets your baby shifted round anyway.

Still nothing.

Am going for monitoring at hospital this morning as I've been offered a lift by a friend and thought I should take the opportunity as getting there is a bit difficult otherwise.

Hospital were a bit funny on the phone - oh, they said, we don't need to do monitoring until term+14. I explained about distance and the lift situation, and that I would really like the reassurance that all is ok in there so that I can decide whether to continue planning to stay at home. And the response? Well, you can come in for induction any time you want!

So they are quite happy to induce without any assessment of whether its necessary in individual circumstances, but sniffy about monitoring so that informed decisions can be made by all concerned

Oh it's just what they're used to, it's a bit of a treadmill I think. You know what you want so can cheerfully ignore their kind offers of induction.

Hope all is well and you can come home and relax for a couple of days.

Well for anyone still following this epic non-event, they were lovely at the hospital, foetal heart trace was fine, and I was put under no pressure at all for induction.

Going back ths morning for a scan to check exactly what position the baby is in and to check the placenta.

The midwife we saw was absolutely fine with what we told her we wanted, which was any information we could get to help us decide what the safest option for the baby and me was at this stage.

So... hopefully all is fine and s/he is not trying to come out ear first or anything, and we can come home to wait a bit longer.

I'm still following

I can imagine the frustration you must feel now.

My Mum gave birth to me at home and both me and my sister (born in hospital) were born facing forwards. My Mum needed no painkillers, no gas and air and no stitches with either of us. My midwife told me the posterior position is more common in taller womne - something to do with the shape of the pelvis and amount of room for baby in the womb. I am guessing my baby will also be born facing forwards - my baby has also been posterior from 28 weeks (I'm at 34 weeks now). Having said that, many babies turn themselves around during labour anyway. I am also planning a home (water) birth. Midwife is not concerned about posterior position. It's only breech that would be more difficult at home (but not impossible) as many midwives are not trained or experienced enough in dealing with natural breech births.