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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Back to back baby - will he move round?

21 replies

TheCountessOlenska · 25/01/2013 17:24

I was very lucky in that I had a great first labour with DD (water birth, only a few hours, only needed gas & air)

34 weeks with number 2 and midwife just told me that the head is down but she reckons his back is facing my back.

I am a bit because I know back to back labours are supposed to be more painful and now I'm worried I will need more pain relief/ won't have the same easy time of it!

Midwife mentioned bouncing on birthing ball - does this actually work re. turning them round?

Is back to back really that much worse - eeek!!

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Praying4Beatrice · 25/01/2013 17:43

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TCOB · 25/01/2013 17:48

Not sure if he will turn - but I had a blissfully ignorant 4-hour labour at home with my daughter who it turned out was back to back. It did hurt like hell but as I'd had a gruesome hospital birth with DS and had an epidural, I honestly didn't know what to expect with DD. So it can be done but good luck with the turning nonetheless!

NAR4 · 25/01/2013 19:32

All four of mine were back to back. My 2nd and 3rd were not too painful and I didn't need any pain relief at all. I think all births are different regardless of babies position.

Original poster

TheCountessOlenska · 25/01/2013 20:38

Thanks all.

Thanks Praying4Beatrice - I googled it and found a useful article on the HomeBirth website. Apparently it's less of a problem in 2nd and subsequent labours as there is more room in a previously "stretched" womb to move around to the right position during labour. . so hopefully baby will have room to move about. In the meantime I will dig out my birthing ball and try not to sit back on the sofa! I may even try crawling round on the floor (DD makes me do this quite often anyway )

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rubyslippers · 25/01/2013 20:40

both mine were back to back

first one didn't turn and labour was slow - i still had just gas and air tho

second one also back to back - had a water birth and she turned and shot out in two pushes

i think the water allowed me to move around and get into a good position to labour well and for baby to turn

mayhew · 25/01/2013 21:26

The other reason its less of a problem in 2nd labours is that the uterus is much more effective at helping the baby reposition itself. It pushes the baby much more effectively against the pelvic floor which causes the baby to rotate round the right way. All you need to do is stay reasonably active, with changes of position to allow the baby to navigate its way through. Alternatively some babies are just born sunny side up!

With a previous efficient labour with no 1, I would lay money on a repeat performance. Don't worry.

Original poster

TheCountessOlenska · 25/01/2013 21:43

Ah thanks mayhew - I guess if I go in the birthing pool again that will count as staying active

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brettgirl2 · 27/01/2013 19:53

I would try going swimming as you've got a few weeks left. Even if it does nothing swimming in late pregnancy is bliss you can swim as well as normal. Dead funny overtaking blokes then getting out of the pool

IrnBruTheNoo · 27/01/2013 19:59

Both mine were back to back and extremely painful labours...I could not believe my luck when I was told with the second pregnancy that it was the same positioning as the first.

I tried all the exercises recommended but nothing worked - they were both stubborn and stayed back to back til they were born!

pettyprudence · 27/01/2013 20:12

my ds (first dc) was back to back and turned in the last hour of labour! I didn't know he was back to back until the mw came for my homebirth. Labour was fine, I didn't need get any pain relief until the last 90 minutes when the G&A finally turned up

browneyedpixie · 27/01/2013 20:17

My DS also turned in labour! Felt him do it the little monkey. He is DC3, labour hurt but so did DC 1&2!

browneyedpixie · 27/01/2013 20:19

Also I wouldn't say it was worst, just the pain is located differently... Either way like I said labour hurts its how you cope with it that helps. Ie breathing try and remain in control.

Don't worry yourself, you will only make yourself anxious!

exexpat · 27/01/2013 20:23

I had two stubborn ones which refused to turn, even in labour: both born face-up. Slowish labours, big babies, but both born with no pain relief.

GobblersKnob · 27/01/2013 20:29

I did everything I could but neither of my stubborn little buggers would turn, it's well worth trying though.

All labours are different, in all honesty despite being back to back my second labour wasn't really painful, pushing was a nightmare but that was because she turned out to be a brow/face presentation and nobody knew, rather than her being back to back.

egdeh · 27/01/2013 20:30

Dc3 was back to back when I arrived at delivery suite (11pm ish).
Labour upto then was slower but no more painful than with first 2 dc.
She was born just before 2am, having turned at some point, which is pretty much what midwife said would happen. Hope your experience is similar.

Original poster

TheCountessOlenska · 27/01/2013 20:45

Thanks for sharing your experiences all!

I was actually fretting about this labour being too quick (as I had a fairly quick one last time) - now I'm worried it will take ages if the baby has to turn round to get out!!

I might try swimming, haven't been for ages and I do enjoy it.

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Ohcrud · 27/01/2013 22:20

My dd2 was back to back, was painful but only had gas and air, I think you have to get the position right. I was in some sort if hanging off the bed on all fours concoction. Was very quick though. No one told me she was back to back, I said to midwife I thought she was and I was right, all the pain was in my back but hardly any contraction pain around the front.

Praying4Beatrice · 27/01/2013 23:09

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silversmith · 28/01/2013 00:20

I've only had one, and he was back to back. He turned in early labour apparently. I was having real trouble timing the contractions to convince the midwife to let me into the birthing unit, and eventually a more senior midwife said that this was because I was having pairs of contractions, which were turning the baby.

I have nothing to compare it to, but my labour was nowhere near as bad as I'd expected - I had a waterbirth with a bit of assistance from good old gas'n'air.

aufaniae · 28/01/2013 00:27

At ante-natal classes they recommended you spend time (before labour) sitting with your legs apart, knees below your hips, and leaning forward, so your tummy becomes like a hammock for the baby IYSWIM. Apparently this will encourage the baby to turn.

One way to achieve this position would be to turn a dining chair backwards, and sit straddling the chair, leaning on the "back" of it (which would be in fromt of you IYSWIM).

I'm worried my baby might be back-to-back (as the kicks at the front feel more like feet and hands than they did with DS) but having a 4D scan soon so I should find out then.

aufaniae · 28/01/2013 00:28

Swimming on your front would presumably be a good position for this also.

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