Home birth and a back to back labour?

[Enid]

advisable? possible to do it without intervention?

DS1 was back to back - didn't have him at home, but could've done (waterbirth, no pain relief).

It hurts - tell your DH to get his best backrubbing hands on - but it's manageable IME.

How many weeks are you now (go on shock me)?

36

baby deeply engaged but suspected back to back

are you doing Optimal Foetal Positioning Enid? still time to shift the baby....

I dont have any of the 'signs' though - no backache, no 'soft' spot in middle of tummy, my belly button has popped out. so hopefully midwife has it wrong.

Am suitably shocked.

Back to back is painful, definitely - my first labour was totally backache, but I had no experience of any other labour, so just got on with it. DS2 was the right way round and quicker, but felt in my bump rather than my back.

It IS definitely manageable though. What intervention did you envisage?

sort of hc

but tbh research that I found on the internet says it has no effect on changing position. Also as baby is engaged I think difficult to shift now? I sleep on my left side anyway and always walk up stairs sideways though

well I am really really upset tbh as dd1 was an undiagnosed transverse op baby and her birth was horrific with ventouse and forceps. I don't mind the pain so much but I REALLY DO NOT want to be transferred for a forceps delivery. I would rather have a c-section.

no the research is ambiguous but...
Have you looked at the Jean Sutton stuff?
I think it's def worth a try at 36 weeks.

will look

do i have to do that bum in the air thing three times a day?

Ah, yes totally understand that.

DS1 turned to be born, fairly quickly (labour was 12 hours from absolute start to baby in arms and was only painful for five hours of that, bad pain for two, I'd say). He was 8lb 10oz and I'm not big (size 10 jeans) - so it's not as if he had acres of room in which to manoeuvre!

I think this is a smallish baby with plenty of room!

may ask for a scan at 38 weeks so I really know what I am dealing with

\link{http://www.homebirth.org.uk/ofp.htm\here's some stuff about OFP}

I think I would have got away with a homebirth with DD (third op delivery), I didn't have any problems and coped with gas and air.

DS2 was induced so can't count. DS1 was the only one who had problems, he started showing signs of distress (heart rate dropping quite rapidly during contractions, or is it the other way round?) I didn't have any intervention, as when he finally battered his way through my cervix he came out very quickly, but I'd imagine if I'd have been at home they'd have wanted to bring me in.

I wish I could have had them as homebirths tbh. Even being stressed by being in the hospital (which I really hate) I coped with gas and air for all three. It would have been nice to have tried it chilled and relaxed at home.

2 or my 3 (actually maybe even all 3, can't remeber) were back to back right up until the last minute
Ds2 definatly was, I was crawling around the floor in the afternoon making a train track and that obviously got him in the right position cos he was born that night in just under 4 hours.

2 homebirths and no trouble at all.

BTW Is it too early to start taking bets on a boy or girl??

I wonder why dd1 wouldnt come out? I suppose the transverse bit is key there.

would the baby have engaged if it was OP though? according to that OFP site it seems that babies don't tend to.

Ds1 was definitely engaged, the other two kind of popped in and out as they felt like it! (mw said there was more room)

thats encouraging serenity

I had an attempted home birth when DD was OP. It was a LONG labour, I managed 27 hours with TENS, pacing and breathing only but was very slow to progress and got stuck at 4 cms. The pool and birth ball weren't much use as I found it very painful to lean forward and lying back in the pool felt weird. The midwives kept saying "oh, you're effacing though, there is SOME progress", but after 26 hours labour and three days with little sleep I was utterly exhuasted and requested to be transferred for pain relief so I could rest.

This said, I'm very glad I attempted a home birth as otherwise I would've been labouring all that time in hospital which I suspect would have increased the likelihood of various interventions and also would've been much less comfortable.

Go for it if you feel you would be more comfortable at home, you can always transfer to hospital if things don't seem to be working out.

I think theres a little person of the blue variety in there.

I seem to remember finding \link{http://www.spinningbabies.com\this website} helpful.

They often turn in early contractions Enid or on route out.

That said my ds4 didn't. He came down and out OP. It hurt, but it was short. I didn't get the back pain everyone talks about, but his OP presentation meant a larger circumference on the way out.

My mw's were great. They made me squat and pulled me around during contractions.

Can you do shoulder stands to disengage your baby and try to coax him or her around?

Sorry to hear you've got extra worries. Just what you don't want at 36 weeks.

shoulder stands at 36 weeks!

am seeing midwife at home tomorrow so will quiz her on what she recommends

DS2 (DB3) was an OP home-birth. My midwife was quite nervous about it TBH. She said that she would much rather deliver a breach baby. DS1 was also born OP 5 years before DS2 so I knew that it was possible.

There was a fairly scary moment while we waited for a giant shrug to dislodge his shoulders from my pelvis but all went well. I did all of the optimal FP excercises but to no avail...

Ask your midwife what she thinks. I hope that baby is really not sunny-side-up. All the best.