Anyone had a back to back (OP position) Labour/Birth for first baby?

[catholicatheist]

Hi ladies..I really need to hear some experiences. I am currently 36 weeks pregnant and my little boy decided he wanted a change of view and turned and is now in a back to back position. I have tried everything to turn him (all fours birth ball etc) and he isnt budging. Can people tell me their experiences as I feel I may need to rethink my birth plan (had hoped for just gas and air) but now considering epidural if it is going to be really really painful and long.

Catholic, I know a few people who had back to back labours. Most of them do talk about it as being rather extreme, but one didn't actually realise it was supposed to be much more painful until I told her, after the event! So you may be lucky... (although to be fair she had other things on her mind - which may sound an odd thing to say about a woman in labour, but she really did).

I have a positive story to add. My DS2 was back to back - something that was only discovered when I was admitted to the Delivery Suite. I can honestly say that the run up to the birth was SO much worse than the labour itself. I had irregular, but painful, contractions for nine whole days and it was a nightmare. I could only sleep sitting upright on the sofa or in the bath! The midwife informed me that the baby's position explained all of the pain I was been having but amazingly she said she could still get the baby to turn, even at such a late stage (unbeknown to me I was only just over an hour away from giving birth). She got me to squat next to the bed with my elbows on the mattress and just 2 hours after the first real contractions had begun, DS was born the right way up. The labour was uncomfortable but I managed it on gas and air and it was quick. Interestingly my placenta was anterior so there seems to be some truth in that theory. The midwife said it was important, with the next pregnancy, to keep as active as possible to prevent the same thing happening. Good luck and stay positive!

a positive story here. i was induced with ds1 (not because of position). was put on dripat about 2pm and labour eventually started properly at about 4pm - and had ds1 at 8pm. it was painful but I only had gas and air. I did ask for an epidural but was too late. I don't think it was that much worse than my other 2, one of which my husband delivered so no intervention whatsoever. good luck.

catholicatheist - glad you are going to keep this thread: yes, they 'are going to be in control in so many ways' because they have your safety and a live baby top of mind! My first was OP and I agree the urge to push was non existent, and forceps were used (ow). Second dc was also OP but turned during labour and shot out....

Please, please don't worry TOO much and please, please don't mistrust the medical staff: we have a fantastic, world class maternity service in this country. My niece has just given birth in the USA with very, very little consultation or choice given. You will be fine x

My baby flipped to be back to back during labour but they only discovered it towards the end when I was pushing and he wasn't moving out! It wasn't too bad really though - the whole labour from start to finish was less than 8 hours and I only had gas and air with a birthing pool for most of the labour - they did have to do an epsiotomy though to aid things along when they discovered he was back to back - not too bad in the long run though :-)

Summermadness, I had your exact same experience - how wierd!! With my second normal-postioned labour, although it was still painful, it seemed almost easy. Contractions manageable, just a few pushes and he was out etc. After that labour I remember thinking: God, THIS is what labour is supposed to be like, like how it is described in the books!

It's a difficult call witih back to back babies. On the one hand you are advised to move around to help your baby into the right position, but on the other, as you've learned on this thread, OP labour IS more painful, so you're more likely to want an epidural, which would then mean that you'd have to lie still, and in turn this increases your chances of intervention.

The plus side to an epidural is that if they need to manually turn the baby internally (a la James Herriot's arm up a cow's backside!!!!) as they did with me, then you will be VERY glad of an epidural! They actually said to me as they were turning DS1 "There's no way you would have let me do this if you hadn't had an epidural ha ha". Or of course, if the baby DOES get stuck and you need a section or instrumental delivery, then you've already had your epidural. My eyes water now thinking of you poor ladies who have had forceps or ventouse with no epidural....

I think the best thing to do is try and last as long as you can before an epidural and move round as much as you can during that time, but without leaving it too late to get one, IYSWIM. But epidurals are very useful in this situation, as other posters have testified too. Do not discount them.

Great post summermadness. Your experiences mirror my own, posted yesterday.

Incidentally, re waters breaking. Totally off topic, but the MW never did work out when my waters broke with my second. There was no obvious evidence and I definitely never noticed it before going in...

thesecondcoming, the contractions with my OP labour didnt have a "crest" - they were straight in at the highest intensity and VERY close together for hours on end with little evidence of them doing any good in dilating my cervix. Hence why gas and air was useless in that labour.

With my normal second labour, I DID experience the peaks of contractions. I knew when I was going to get one as they came and intensified gradually and then subsided. So as soon as I knew I was getting one I sucked on the gas and air and by the time the peak of the contraction was there the gas and air had kicked in - it was ACE! Fab stuff if you have normal contractions with notice of when one is coming, bloody useless if your contractions come at you with a vengeance out of nowhere.

Ditto CurlyHairedAssassin. That is why I used to laugh out loud when I saw people suggest that breathing techniques could be any use. In my second labour I discovered what they meant!

No I know they do try to do what is best for mother and baby but reading a lot of these posts they often do get it wrong and I do think people know their own bodies and that is often too easily discounted as they are the 'professionals'. I have already had one incompetent midwife telling me I was having the baby at 30 week when I was admitted as I was having frequent strong and painful contractions. I hadnt even had the fetal fibronectine test (which came back negative)and she was going on about his survival rates and how I could bring my breast milk to the neonatal unit etc..I was on the verge of tears and my DH went white. She was banging on about steroid injections and all sorts ..I thought whoa..lets wait to hear what the consultant says thanks very much. Now if I got someone like that again I dont want to feel as vulnerable as I did on that occasion, but I know by and large most are very good!

catholiccatheist, the problem is that I think you DO know your own body when it is a "normal" labour. The signals are there, I reckon, so your body knows what to do better. I don't think the signals are there so much in a poorly positioned labour. Or, as people have said, it's the WRONG signals, and that can confuse you about what the hell you should be doing. Then you get the medical staff coming in and doing tests and looking at each other with worried faces and you think "Well, I suppose I have to trust them, seeing as my bloody body doens't seem to have a clue what it's doing!"

omaoma when my waters broke for the second time I had pads on and took the meconium pad with me wrapped in a sandwich bag (lovely!) - the midwife at the hospital didn't even look at it and threw it in a bin and told me that my waters def had not gone and to take a nice warm bath!

A year later I bumped into the same mw - at another mum's baby's first birthday. She had invited her as this same mw had given her so much care and support in her premature labour.

I was a bit well shocked, and a little bit angry tbh - she may as well have tossed a dice for me and my ds's life (tho said nothing!). But the point is that it is not meant to be like this - meconium is not a good sign - but I don't blame the mw. Even the best I guess have an off day.

with my first (and last)I had a 40 hour labour and had to have an episiotomy right at the end and also needed forceps to get her out. There was absolutely no question of managing without an epidural. I had my epidural fairly early & it started to wear off just as I was having my stitches but that's all. with regards to the epidural my only advice would be to say you want all pain relief available(even if you don't need it) as if you opt out, when the time comes its a lot harder to get an epidural once you've stated not to.

Just thought of another thing re epidurals. Check whether they are available at your hospital 24/7 because they often aren't. I was seriously considering going for an early epidural with my second (glad I didn't now!), but I decided against planning one because depending when I went into labour I may not have been able to get it. And I wouldn't have been mentally prepared to manage without IYSWIM.

DD was back to back, which for some reason I wasn't expecting so didn't read on up on the best positions.

It was a long one, after a day at 4cm, they broke my waters which made things progress rapidly. I just remember burning pain in my back, nothing else. The hardest part was transition as first it hurt in my front (so wanted to curl inwards) and then my back (the opposite).

Once pushing stage was there, it was a breeze (hard work, but not painful). As is typical it was a long pushing stage (2.5hrs) and had a 3rd degree tear (maybe because I was so tired I couldn't get into the best position, no energy left).

I asked for an epidural but didn't get one, but that part was only 2 hours long. Unfortunately I couldn't have gas n air.
As a first time, I wasn't unrealistic about the pain, it was underestimating how long it could be (and how tired I would be before it got going proper) that did me in.

DH was more traumatised by it all, for you it will hopefully pass in a drunken daze.

I remember being upset that I couldn't just sit on the toilet as that the best position. A close second was pulling on the door frame.
During the contraction I could stand nothing on my back so don't be surprised that the heat packs they offer you cause more agony (though I hear they help some people)

The massage oils for early labour were nice though even though I was a bit

good luck (ps haven't really read the thread)

i remember being bummed that I got through it all, then had to have a spinal afterwards. If that happens get to to give you LO to feed as I didn't, had real trouble getting her to feed the next day, which might be unrelated, but I always wonder. It was night when I got the ward so people weren't encouraging feeding then either

Well, all 4 of mine were back to back and I had them all with only gas and air. I either stood or Knelt throughout the labours and just about managed. My main problem was the stitching which I found horrific each time!

Mine turned back to back when I was halfway through labour, they contractions slowed and became irregular but when I got them they were longer than normal ones. I stopped dilating and was told I would need to have an epidural as it would be too painful to proceed without one, reluctantly I had one and 10 mins later the he turned and the contarctions speeded up! You never can tell...

Here's a story you will like:

First birth: back to back, 4 hours 40 mins established labour. Gas and air (and episiotomy). Though it was painful, felt as though my body was throwing me around the room a bit, really not that bad at all for a first birth. Didn't realise back to back until birthing.

Second birth: not back to back

Third birth: back to back initially, but took a couple of hours at the start of labour to right himself and came out fine (1 hour 45 min labour once he had turned and 7 mins pushing).

It doesn't have to mean epidural etc. Good luck

I had a back to back birth. Did not realise as second child and I will be honest it was more painful as she came down the canal but and I needed the gas whereas with my first birth, the tens machine was enough but it would not put me off another birth and was soon forgotten when she was out. She got a bit twisted on the way out and the emergency cord was pulled so a doctor had to come in but I did not notice. It was my DH getting worried.

Sorry also ended up with third degree tear but just painful for about a week.

I had a back-to-back home birth with no pain relief other than TENS and a pool. I didn't even know he was back-to-back until the midwife casually mentioned it when I was about 8cm dilated, at which point it was a bit late to worry about it! She examined me and felt my bump, and then said 'Oh yes, and he's still back-to-back...' as if we all knew all about it already. Not sure how long he'd been that way round, but it was fine - quite a long labour at 19 hours, but most of it was relatively easy and he popped out quite quickly in the end after under half an hour of pushing. No tearing or stitches either! I didn't know it was supposed to be more painful and I've got nothing to compare it to, but it was certainly no worse than I'd imagined childbirth to be (and I'm a total wuss with pain!).