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.

I've spotted this thread a bit late. My 4th birth was back to back and changed everything I thought I knew about labour.

It was a horrendous birth experience compared with all the others but didn't require intervention with forceps or any tearing.

I found it relatively easy to push DD out even with a (very unwanted) epidural.

The main negatives for me were the duration (days compared with minutes with baby 3), the effect this had on baby (stopped breathing) and me (exhausted to the point of wanting to jump out the window), change from Home birth to hospital via ambulance, fear, and loss of autonomy.

My main criticism is failure to notice positioning and the resultant monitoring and crap positioning for me - instincts seriously hampered by all this.

Positives were sense of triumph and the focus at the end on pushing.

I feel the best thing I had, and that any woman could have when delivering a posterior baby, is a very patient, calm and competent midwife at pushing stage. For me, it was me, midwife and birth partner on our own in a darkened room - even after a crash section was called earlier and stood down - just focusing entirely on good pushing and relaxing at the right times. Not only was this an amazing experience which left me feeling in control of a previously out of control birth, it also (I believe) saved me all the forceps, ventouse and tears that I might otherwise have experienced.

My most emotional birth which left me even more of awe of DD's existence. :)

DD1 first baby - at home - active labour - 3 hours. she came out still back-to-back.

My DS (an only) was back to back. Only labour I've experienced so I don't know if the pain was worse. For me, I progressed fine, and dilated normally (12 hours to full dilation) but DS got stuck coming out and I needed a C-Section. He was totally fine though (except for very pointy head!). Apgar of 9/10 despite having been stuck for over 3 hours. .

Hope it all works out for you OP.

haven't read the thread, so sorry if you've already gone OP, or made a decision.

My experience - both my first and second DC were posterior. My 3rd DC was not, and the 3rd was by far the worst labour (because she was in an awkward 'chin up' position, though not posterior).

Labour 1 - DD was posterior until I was pushing. I used gas and air (didn't like at all) and then had some pethadine which I found helped quite a bit. The hardest thing was the constant back pain, even when there was no contraction - the pethadine helped with that, and helped me relax (whereas the gas made me very tense). She turned as I delivered her.

I laboured on my bath in a bath and birthed her on a bith stool - in hindsight not the best options for my pain, BUt she was born after 15 hours active labour and a 2 hour second stage (which is reasonable for a first labour I believe), and no epidural or other intervention.

Labour 2 - DS was not posterior for as long, and the labour was much shorter. I laboured on all fours, leaning over a bean bag, and he turned sooner I think (bit hazy). I only used pethadine, and found it helpful.

Labour 3 - Don't think DD2 was posterior (although she was in the days prior to labour, so maybe she was at the start of the labour too). But the labour was excruciating for other reasons.

So I wouldn't assume you'll need an epidural for a posterior baby. My tips would be to ask for pethadine/morphine early on and see if that kicks some of the back pain, and labour on all fours/leaning forward.

Good luck! :)

sorry, that should read : "I laboured on my back in a bath and birthed her on a birth stool"

Thanks Astophe, that doesnt sound too bad at all. Do they still give morphine? I know a few who had that but they made no mention of it in the antenatal?

Biggest issue for me was lack of progression of labour. I wasn't aware of any serious back pain. My 2nd and third DC were born very quickly (less than 4 hrs for DS1 and less than an hour for DS2) so I attribute the slow 4th labour to baby's position. Because of this I had to be given a drip to get my contractions regulating and strengthening again and alongside this the epidural as I was 2 days into labour and very tired and intolerant of an increase in pain.

If labour was progressing normally I would not have had the epidural at all. I had one naively with DC1 and then just G&A with DC2 and 3 and know which births I preferred!

It's all so personal OP. I think you do just need to bear in mind that back to back labours can be and often are: slow, painful (especially in the back) and can provide a tricky pushing stage which needs experienced management.

You are at something of an advantage in that this is your first baby. You won't feel that this is 'more painful' due to positioning, this will just be the pain of labour for you having nothing to compare it to.

It is so very true that the pain is different to other types of pain one experiences because it is productive. Keep that in mind - it really helps you deal with it.

Hi
My DS was back to back and stayed that way though out labour. I had all my contractions in my back which was really painfull. But he was born in with two hours contractions and then 20 mins pushing.He came out back to back as well. I had no pain relif apart from a tens but i had asked for a epiudal but they couldnt do it time.
Hope the baby turns or you have a easyish birth.

I've had 2 back-to-back labours. DS1 hind waters broke at 3pm, painful contractions started around 6pm, G&A useless and morphine didn't work. He was born face up at 11pm.

The contractions were very powerful and intense but it was all over very quickly. Had some fancy crochet-type stitching but it healed quickly.

DS2 waters broke 9pm, born 2am face down (turned pretty damn quickly). 2 paracetamol!

Biggest issue was getting urge to push too soon.

I would say they were both good births, compared to some of what you hear.

Someone mentioned spinning babies much earlier. It's really very good.

Also worth noting that it is the position that you labour in which is most effective in turning baby.

Mine turned quite late in the day before labour began. Keep to your plan, you can always change it when you're underway - it's only a guide, and to be honest they're not great at reading/remembering them (need to coach your DP).

Tips for turning:

never cross legs and keep knees lower than hips at all times (use a cushion in car)

sleep on left side only

clean your skirting boards.

Go for long walks.

I wasn't told my first daughter was back to back until I was pregnant with my second.

I went through 24 hours of labour before an emergency c-section for the first one as her heart rate started to yoyo.

I planned on a normal birth with the second and was told there was no reason why I couldn't have a normal birth.

After 4 days of on and off labour I ended up with a second emergency c-section.

I had every type of pain relief with both labours and to be honest if I'd known the second labour was going to be as awful as the first I'd have gone for a planned c-section.

Not wishing to scare you! And every labour is different, wishing you lots of luck!

DS, first baby, was OP.
I had a v long labour, but managed very well on TENS then pool, and didn't want G&A at all. I didn't have the back ache that often seems to go with an OP baby, either. I spent the majority of labour upight, walking about or kneeling forwards over the back of the sofa or on the stairs.
We did have problems after 3 hours of pushing (again I was fine) and transferred to hospital for a ventouse delivery. I think that was to do with the head not pressing in the right place to trigger strong expulsive contractions, or maybe notm because they tried a drip to increase the strength of contractions before ventouse. Anyway, long, but never more than hard work / uncomfortable.

DD2 was in a bad position, not sure exactly what but contractions really painful and labor stalled at 8cm. Started out in the birthing pool, got out after 3 hours & had a shot of pethidine. Midwife broke my waters at 8cm to move things along and there was meconium so they moved me off the MLU. I asked for an epidural at that point but it never materialized.

Monitor showed heart rate drops so an OB was called in and he did some manouevre that turned her. Don't know what it was but it hurt terribly. Started pushing a few minutes later (the kind of pushing where your body just does it for you) and she shot out in a few pushes.

If I had another back to back I'd probably go for an epidural from the start. The only thing I'd worry about would be not progressing because you wouldn't be able to move much.

really was it something internal or on your stomach? That sounds bloody painful...

Both of mine were back to back.

DD - waters broke at 38+3, an hour later contractions started, very strong straightaway, TENS for about 4 hours then into the pool with gas and air for another 5 hours or so. I was upright the whole time, leaning forward against the pool side or on all fours. By pushing stage, I had to get out of the pool as my legs were so tired I had no strength left in them. She had turned to her side though after 9 hours leaning forward - midwives were amazed that I naturally found that position the most comfortable. Pushing took AGES - 90 minutes and then I had a post-partum haemmorhage (prob due to long pushing stage).

DS - induced due to lack of movement at 40+6. Waters were broken and then some irregular contractions started. They were strong and immediately I knew it was back to back again. I already suffer from lower back pain anyway. I asked for an epidural before they put the drip in so I only had about an hour of irregular contractions. That was enough for me. If he hadn't been back to back I would have gone the TENS and pool route but there was no way I could handle that pain again. The epidural was a godsend and my second labour was so lovely. I haemmorhaged again though even though I only had to push for about 5 minutes so they don't know why - maybe I'm just more susceptible.

Hope that helps.

yes.

I've had one back to back and one normal birth and I can testify that BtoB is more painful by a fairly long way.

My little stargazer didn't turn and was turned with the forcceps after 3 hours of fruitless pushing.
Get on your hands and knees and scrub the floor, bounce on your birthing ball as much as poss and spend labour on all fours or bending over forwards.
If you can't take the pain and the baby doesn't turn you can ask for morphine or epidural then, you don't really need to write that into a birth plan anyway.

Good luck :)

catholic are you asking about The Manuevre? It was internal and it was like a very painful exam. The OB had the biggest hands I have ever seen, he shook hands with me and all I could think was You are NOT going to put those up me are you? The midwife told us later that they called him "Dr Magic Hands."

It hurt at the time but afterwards I didn't care, because DD2 was out, she was ok, and it was All Over. Feel quite grateful to him actually.

oh my word...I just cant imagine it! I had an internal at 30 weeks and he put a few fingers up and it was so painful..I thought to myself good god get a grip a babys head has to come out of there!

Dr magic hands..haha..I wonder if his wife calls him that

I had a scan about 10 days before labour and baby was back to back. I managed to maintain lying on my left, hips above knees etc and when I went into labour he had turned front to back, so 'spinning' can be done! My placenta was at the back mind.

My dd, now 2.10, was OP, although I didn't know it, and what the implications were, until after I'd given birth. Had a very long latent labour (3 days) and by the fourth day, given I hadn't slept at all (the exhaustion still makes me want to weep!) a doctor wrote me up for some temazepam so I could get some rest. Had visited the labour ward a couple of times before then, only to be sent away in increasing state of desperation! After the T, had to stay in hospital, and got about an hour and a half's kip before my waters broke and I was in active labour. That was at about 1.30am and had my dd just before 10am the same day. Hallelujah! Had the 'works' pain-relief wise, incl. epidural, and like other posters came v close to emergency section as dd getting distressed. However managed to deliver naturally with help from forceps and an episiotomy. Because I was so tired, I think I had v limited ability to deal w/ the pain, but found it all about awful gripeyness - the back pain wasn't so bad for me.

For me, I didn't have a birth plan as don't hold particular views either way about pain relief etc and was happy to leave matters in the hands of the experts, given childbirth can be quite an unpredictable thing.

My only frustration was that I was 10 days overdue when went into latent labour, and I gave birth the day before I was due to be induced. Given the length of my labour, and increasing lack of sleep - which really was the worse thing, for me - I couldn't understand why they didn't bring my induction forward....There may be an obvious reason for this that I'm not aware of...Did ask the staff (repeatedly )but they didn't really explain...

At 40 weeks +5 my baby was back to back. My baby was born 11 days late and had turned. I don't know at what stage the baby turned. You never know, hopefully your baby will turn also.

BTW my labour was all back pains so maybe the baby turned during labour. I had gas and air only as I was rather late arriving at the hospital.

Normally positioned labour can be all back pain too, I had a lot with my normal positioned birth.
Back to back labour is more painful all over not just in the back because the baby's head is coming through the cervix at the wrong angle. Not just back pain, but ctx worse too.

Hi there catholicathiest,
Have just quickly read the posts on the first and last pages to see if anyone has made this point, but think it's worth saying: knowledge is half the thing, and it's great that you know in advance that your baby is OP, and can prepare for it. Like others have explained, that means three things:
1 - you do the few practical things you can to help the baby turn before or during labour
2 - you make yourself aware of the types of interventions which typically occur during posterior labour. This helps you be knowledgeable and able to make decisions during labour, even if in lots of pain or feeling exhausted. (e.g. I had never heard of Kiellands forceps, I thought at the time it was preferable to a section, but would not make the same choice today)
3 - ultimately, your best efforts to deliver your baby vaginally may not work out, and knowing in advance that this is a possibility will help you deal with it. (Hopefully it won't come to this). A healthy baby, and the least-battered Mummy possible, is the best outcome. Good luck....

Anna

DD3 was back to back. Yes she was more painful than the other 3, but she was my shortest at an hour and a half.

I had my first baby 5 months ago and she was back to back. It was a long labour 30 hrs from when I started counting my contractions as they seemed more evenly spaced but I used the pool and gas and air for the majority of the labour. I had a single dose of pethidine about 18hrs in as I'd been having intermitent contractions for the previous two days and so hadn't been sleeping and I was exhausted. The pethidine let me rest between contractions so I was prepared for the rest of my labour. I delivered her naturally with nothing for the actual delivery and no complications. I was in a mid wife led unit and she was born a whopping 10 pound 2.5 ounces and 57cms long.

Yes back to back labour was painful but it doen't mean that you can't deliver the way you want and it deosn't mean that you will definately require intervention either instrumental or surgical.