Experience with Back to Back Positioned Babies...

[lilly13]

My baby was in a breech position first, then he turned and was sitting back to back, then he was in a perfect LOA position with his head engaged at 32 weeks. Just went for scan and found out he turned into a back to back position and the head is no longer engaged.... I am devastated as I was hoping for a natural / water birth...

Ladies, please share your experiences with back to back babies. Did they turn? If so, at what week? What exercises you did / didn't do (heard mixed opinions re yogic inversions)... If they didn't turn, how was your labour? Did you manage to have a drug free / forcep free delivery?

Many thanks for your responses!

Both of mine ended up being back to back. Both were home births and I used a tens machine with both and gas and air also with DD. I didn't know either of them were back to back before labour started, so don't have any experience with trying to turn a baby.

DS was almost perfectly positioned at my scan at 36 weeks but decided instead of turning a quarter turn the right way to get out, he turned the full 3/4 way round the wrong way. It meant most of my labour was back to back while he turned. Did that make any sense? Basically instead of taking the short route he went the long way round.

DD was also fine at the 36 week scan but had turned back to back by the time labour started. She then got caught on an anterior lip. Luckily I had two very experienced midwives with me who coached me to keep changing position and she turned just in time. The problem was that because of being back to back, I felt an overwhelming urge to push, even though DD was stuck on the anterior lip. Pushing just made things worse and it wasn't until I relaxed and stopped pushing that DD turned.

Both times, the midwives were talking about transferring me to hospital when the baby finally turned and the eventual births were very quick, safe and easy. With DD, the midwive was actually getting her phone out to call the ambulance when DD turned! I remember thinking that I'd rather the midwife just got out a bread knife and sliced me open rather than me having to somehow get downstairs and into an ambulance.

I am pretty convinced that if I had DD in hospital, it would have ended in a c-section, but because I had 2 very experienced midwives to help, it was all fine.

How many weeks are you? I hope your baby decides to move to a good position soon - and then stays there!

wow, sorry for the essay.

I realise that you are probably looking for positive stories but I will share mine anyway.

DS1 was back to back but no-one realised until I was actually in labour (don't know if he moved that way in the last few days??). Anyway, my labour was agony - the pain was all in my back and not really contractions but just constant pain. Had been like this for 24 hours before it finally ended in a c-section as DS1 was stuck and not showing any signs of moving - but, further to the other post, my midwife didn't give me any advice to move about to try and move him. Was quite keen on an active-type birth but the pain was so bad that the only position that was remotely bearable was led on my back on the bed - which is probably the worst position I could have been in. It was a very long 24 hours

Anyway, hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it? The c-section was fine and I elected to have another with DS2

Good luck

ds was back to back and no one realised until hours into the labour and the midwife realised ds hadn't budged an inch. had a failed forceps and then an emergency cs.

dd was back to back too and i decided to have an elcs with her.

All 3 of mine were back to back and didn't turn in labour
Had pethidine with no 1, G&A and tens with the rest
No forceps

I was induced early and DD went OP in the 24 hrs after the first pessary. She never engaged, I never dilated and had a CS in the end, but she just wasn't ready to come out at that stage. I do wonder whether we would've been fine if we could've waited or if I hadn't spent much of the first 24hrs in hospital on my back!

I was a back-to-back baby and was a home birth. My mum's labour with me (her 1st) was 3 hours. The most awkward part was she had that thing where a tiny bit of cervix lip doesn't quite dilate and gets stuck over baby's head, but it just meant the "pushing" stage was an hour long.

My labour with my LO (my 1st) was 2.5 hours, and the "pushing" stage was 20 minutes. My LO was back to back at 32 weeks but turned during week 35 and I had a home water birth which was magical. Being back to back is NOT a reason not to have a home birth and my midwife did not consider it such, only said that it can take longer if the baby is back to back. I did the getting on all fours and gently massaging/stroking her bum round to face the right way thing several times a day and it seemed to work, although she always re-settled in the same back to back position at first.

I was told that if your uterus is larger there's more room for the baby, so less need to get into the birth position early. I was told I was having a 9 pounder based on bump measurement, but she was only 7 pounds, 4 ounces when she arrived so I guess my uterus was larger than necessary for her size which may explain the late positioning. Babies can move around a lot in labour anyway and can turn themselves from back to back to "ideal" position, or even, as does happen sometimes from the "ideal" position into back to back during labour, so position now is not really an indication of what it will be like in labour anyway. It's only if baby is breech that most midwives suggest a hospital delivery, but this is because so few are now trained in how to deliver a breech baby at home. When I was born (1977) it was much more common to deliver breech babies at home than it is now.

my first was back to back and this was not realised till he appeared and was face up.
It was painful but all births are anyway and it was the pushing phase that was long.
I did have a lot of backache with the first pg that I considered normal. It was only with pg 2 and 3 that I realised it wasn't.

As for pain relief I used g and a. and pethadine (personally really doesn't work for me just really didnt like the way it made me feel). No forceps used no vacume used. No tears or episotimy.

I dont see any reason why a vaginal birth shouldn't be an option. Just see how you go along and be acceptant of the fact that birth plans need to change depending on the circumstances at the time.
Having managed to deliver back to back I wouldn't be considering a ceasaren as an option just on that basis. I would want to try myself first with that as a back up plan.

Try not to worry too much it is certainly possible to have the birth you want and your frame of mind has a big bearing on things.

DD2 was back to back, a short 1 hour labour, no pain relief at all, delivered in 3 push and I don't have a bucket fanjo either! (according to dh)

My DS was a back to back with a (very) slow progressing labour of 36 hours - sob. I was dead set on a natural birth but eventually gave in to some pethedine and LOTS of gas and air as I was so tired and it was fecking agony. The pushing stage was two hours and, in hindsight, going nowhere. I eventually went to theatre for forceps, whereupon they noted I was "only 9.5cms dilated" and ended up with a c-section. If I had to do back to back again, I would say 'stuff natural birth' and get an epidural. I would also listen to my body and push when I was ready, not when the midwifes said so. Next time I'm planning a home birth! :)

OP - there is no reason you can't still have a shot in the pool in early labour and maybe even a water birth but natural birth is not the be all and end all you think it's going to be. FWIW - my DS did turn into position at the 11th hour and left me with stretch marks from his acrobatics too!

Lilly - a lot of people have recommended this website:

www.spinningbabies.com/

I haven't looked into to it too much yet, so can't comment whether I agree or not, but maybe it helps!

I'm hoping I won't have the same problem - when the midwife checked me on Monday, baby was head down (good!), but sort of sideways with its back... Was told the usual stuff, i.e. sleep on the left, no slouching etc., but that's what I've been doing anyway. Got a scan next week, then we'll know for sure.

At our NCT class last week, teacher said that sitting on a chair the 'wrong' way round is v. good for posture and baby positioning.

Good luck!

DD- Back to back- 22 hours, born back to back. Pushing stage was 3 minutes and I entered the hospital at 8centimetres after doing most of my labouring at home (and the shops!). Pain relief was TENs (very good for OP labours), G&A and a dose of pethidine given when I was going through transition for some reason.

DS-back to back. Marvellous pain free homebirth. He turned about half an hour before he was born which was acutely painful in my hips but otherwise the labour was wonderful. Pushing stage again recorded as 3 minutes-I breathed him out.

Both times I went overdue, had a small water leak before contractions started and had a long first stage with irregular contractions and slow initial dilation (it took me 15-18 hours to get to 6 cms with both of them and then it went quickly from there). I also had an early urge to push which I went with. Contractions were very manageable both times.The only problem with this is that often midwives expect the labour to continue in the way OA labours do, but OP is different and I feel very lucky to have avoided hospital procedures. With DD I was told that if I had come in earlier they would have offered me an epidural and other interventions once they knew she was back to back and with my slow dilation. With DS I did my own reading and was much more informed on OP labour. For what its worth I would do either birth again tomorrow, I just dont want the baby at the end of it!

You might find this helpful:

Midwife on OP labour

Forgot to mention DS labour was 19 hours. He was 9lb 6 and his sister was 8lb 4.

In hindsight I wish I had refused VE as I found them very demoralising due to the slow dilation -I was 2 cm, 2cm, 3cm, 5 cm and 6cm. Twenty minutes after the 6cm VE DS was born and I didnt tell the midwife I was pushing until I could feel his head crowning because I thought she would tell me to stop pushing. There was no way I could have stopped though.

My first labour was back to back we didnt know untill he was born, 24 hours constant cc, but it was ok, painfull but manageable. He was born face up which was when we realised, no stitches.

Ladies, thank you so much for sharing your experiences with me!! I will follow all your good advice and try to stay optimistic! Wishing you all good pregnancies.

My ds was back to back, think he turned that way during labour as between checks at 6am and 3pm the heartbeat was heard in completely different places, however no one diagnosed him as op and he was born face up. Labour was long, about 36 hrs and had constant pain / pressure in cetween contractions, but managed to stay active - either pacing floor or on ball, which I think helped. I had gas and air and diamorphine, no epi, no forceps or ventouse, but did have a 2nd degree tear and a labial tear. I never really got the urge to push, just had to follow midwives instructions. Also, they had to do an arm as was dilating really slowly but after that it really sped up. Tbh it sounds worse than it was, and I'm not sure how helpful it would have been to have known it was op o start with - I might have gone for an epi which might have slowed things down or led to more intervention, etc etc.

Ohh, also forgot - had long pushing stage, about 1 hr and a half.

Someone I met who was a founding member of the nct, said that I should have adopted the possibly non pc "praying to Allah" position - kneeling with bum in air, as this can help baby to turn.

M ds was back to back during the latter stages of pregnancy, and tbh I've no idea whether he turned or what. I wasn't told anyhting. I do know, that most of the pain during labour was in my lower back and vaguely remember trying to shift position from side to side to alleviate it. I pushed for just over 2 hours - ending up with an episiotomy and a second degree tear.

I wish I knew more now about it really.

My 2dc was op during labour.
I heard them saying in the corridor that it would be hours yet as he was op and I was 7cm or something, my consultant went home.

Then I had one contraction on all fours and felt him do a MASSIVE flip and went immediately to feeling the urge to push him out. Consultant had to do a quick turn around in the carpark. I jumped into the birthing pool And he was out in 30min.

I laboured only with a tens machine & was quite upright and active. Totally manageable.

1dc also op but waters broke, 24+ hours no 'established labour' so induced & epidural, limited movement, got to 9cm for hours, epidural did nothing for the bottom pain, agony, distressed baby emcs

Now feel without epidural and induction 1dc birth would have been very different.

Advise for op baby move labour in different positions, give it the best chance to turn.

See
Www.spinning babies.com

Myt DS was back to back. I had a disslocsted knee as well so I had to give birth on my back and had an epidural in the end the backache was very instense! This baby is back to back and I have suffered with really bad backache but did not help that a white van man went into the back of me only a few weeks ago and jolted my back. I would love to have a normal pregnancy but seem to be when i am pregnant people or accidents happen none of which are my fault!! So with my back being funny anyways Im asking for an epidural this time too!! I think your supposed to expect a longer labour and more pain but then I dont know as I have nothing to compare it to! I dont think any childbirth is going to be a breeze and pain free but do what makes you feel better moving around staying still whatever you feel you need to do. Good luck Im due next Friday and im fed up of contractions coming and going building up then going its really frustrating!!

I'd really recommend reading the spinning babies site and getting MWs to check babies position and tell you if LO is OP. I was quite annoyed to find out at my debrief that they had known DD was OP and didn't tell me - I would've spent time on hand and knees, etc instead of walking and bouncing upright on a ball trying to get her to descend when it just wasn't happening. I walked miles and didn't understand why I couldn't progess as the last time I'd checked, DD wasn't OP.

Thank you very much! I will definitely ask them at next scan and will follow all your good advice!