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Childbirth

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

Original poster

Baby lying 'back t o back', how can I help it turn round

33 replies

Flumpybumpy · 18/08/2006 17:52

Has midwife appointment today and been told that baby is lying 'back to back'. That explains the very bad backache. I have a feeling it happened about 10 days ago, I felt a huge movement from the baby and the next day my back was agony and hasn't stopped hurting since.

I am 36wks and feeling quite nervous about my VBAC now she said I would be in for a long and difficult labour .

I had a 36hr labour and emergency section with dd, so not feeling great the VBAC anymore!!

Anyone got any advice on how I can help this LO turn round the right way???

OP posts:
MarsLady · 18/08/2006 17:53

Going on all fours may help. I'm off to consult my info and will post again.

tortoise · 18/08/2006 18:02

Down on all fours i believe is the best way to get baby to move.Scrub the kitchen floor maybe!!

Myrtle1 · 18/08/2006 18:10

I was told at pregnancy yoga that all fours is best way to turn the baby. Sitting up or slightly forwards helps too and its best to avoid lying back/slumping. Hope this helps - good luck.

PollyParanoia · 18/08/2006 18:13

If you google optimum fetal positioning then you'll get all the tips. Basically, the babies back is the heaviest bit so will gravitate to wherever gravity takes it. Therefore you need to do everything to make it go towards the front of your belly, ie crawling, lying on your front or side, making sure your knees are always lower than your pelvis. Breaststroke is also good, leaning over a birth ball etc
At 26 weeks, I'm still most comfortable sleeping on my back so sure I'll be in your position too. And trying (with reservations) for a vbac.
PP

MrsFogi · 18/08/2006 18:15

i had this with dd - a great excuse to invest in a beanbag and lie on your frony all day reading bks and mags - it worked for me, dd turned around.

MrsFogi · 18/08/2006 18:16

front!

jamiesam · 18/08/2006 21:16

Flumpybumpy - baby preferring back to back was explained to me as people spending too much time sitting down, esp in comfy chairs. So think about where you sit down. I put an enormous floor cushion on the settee - so my hips were higher than my knees. Will gently encourage baby away from your back. Think of slumping on settee, in car etc and your back/spine forming a comfy hammock for baby to lie back in - now stop it! I had small cushion on car seat, religiously slept (well, went to sleep) on my lhs - nick all the pillows and try wedge yourself in that position so you don't roll onto your back in the night.

However, at this stage of your pg, not sure how realistic it is for you to try to limit the amount of time you spend resting! You need rest. Best wishes for vbac.

Toady · 18/08/2006 21:56

Sleep on your left hand side, get on your hands and knees and scrub the floors , or spend at LEASt 10 mins a day on your hands and knees.

If your baby is still OP when you go into labour, dont call the maternity ward straight away, it can take up to 3 days or more for your baby to turn or come out a stargazer, once you are in hospital you will be up against the time. This was my mistake with DD2 - because it was a VBAC1 I called the hospital straight away, 2 days later after pethadine, inductions, epidurals etc I ended up with another section. I believe if I had stayed at home longer or just stayed at home she would have come out when she was ready.

Remember if you do go into labour and your baby is still OP the contractions will be more in your back but just try and look at it that each contraction is trying to get your baby into the right position for you even if lasts a few days. Easy for me to say I know.

Hope your baby turns for you

Original poster
Flumpybumpy · 19/08/2006 09:15

Thanks ladies, I spent last night rocking away on my ball and then kicked DH off the sofa so I could lie down on my LHS.

I reckon I am going to have the cleanest floors in England; couple needing to spend time on all fours with the nesting instict and I am going to have one clean house!!!

OP posts:
AvaLou · 19/08/2006 12:17

I was told this, and then spent the evenings in front of the tv crouching with my knees and legs on a bean bag and arms on a cushion, it doesn't sound very comfy but it was okay, and it worked!

100Vicki · 19/08/2006 20:28

You're lucky that you know your baby is in this position and you can do something about it. I had an awful labour, went on for ages with really bad contractions and it was only when my ds came out that the midwives realised he was in the back to back position! (I got a bit of sympathy then!!)

Found this thread really interesting as am now pg again and desperate to avoid this baby falling into this position. Good luck with getting yours to move. You'll have to let us know if any of this works.

grumpyfrumpy · 19/08/2006 20:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

belgo · 19/08/2006 20:36

When I was pregnant I could feel my baby turning constantly up until the birth, so I wasn't surprised that she was babck to back, face presentation. The labour wasn't particulary long but it was more painful, but I was lucky that the midwives got the baby turned so that she could be born naturally. But it was a harder birth then my first child's! I had tried to avoid sitting around on comfy chairs during pregnancy - don't get much of a chance running around after an 18 month old- it's just luck of the draw, and the baby has a good chance of turning.

MrsTittleMouse · 22/08/2006 09:25

Hello everyone,
I've been reading this thread with interest, as I've had a lot of backache recently, especially when I've had contractions. I went to the MW yesterday, and sure enough, the little tyke is back-to-back (although not breech any more thank goodness!). So I've been trying to sit up straight, go on all fours etc. But my biggest problem is sleeping, if I stay on my LHS I get really stiff and achy, it's really hard to sleep all night. Is it OK to be on my RHS as well? Is it only on my back that the baby will slump into the back-to-back position? Or is there something special about the LHS? My DH has pointed out that 10 minutes on all fours isn't going to make much difference if I spend hours slumped on my back in bed.
I was a back-to-back baby, and my mother has terrified me with stories of my birth. It's probably why I didn't want children for so long. This LO is also HUGE. I'm only 5' 1'' and not at all big boned, and the MW is predicting that she's already almost 5 pounds at 32 weeks!!!!
Help!
Mrs T-M

whiffy · 22/08/2006 10:19

My baby was breach but my reflexologist turned it. Never believed in this stuff till it happened, and given that it had been breached for weeks amd weeks and then turned a couple of hours after the reflex treatment, I am now convinced that it works. Worth trying and you will have a fabulously relaxing hour of being pampered even if it doesn't work for you. If you go this route check when booking if reflex therapist experienced in this area as apparantly quite a specialised thing.

And no, I'm not mad (though I do watch Most Haunted sometimes for some reason I can't quite fathom...). if you type in reflexology and breech onto a search engine you'll get some more details...

mojomands · 22/08/2006 10:26

Hello two people I know said they swear by acupuncture and both were told by same doctor or midwife can't remember which one to try it. It worked for both apparently????????

mojomands · 22/08/2006 10:26

Hello two people I know said they swear by acupuncture and both were told by same doctor or midwife can't remember which one to try it. It worked for both apparently????????

mojomands · 22/08/2006 10:26

Hello two people I know said they swear by acupuncture and both were told by same doctor or midwife can't remember which one to try it. It worked for both apparently????????

nappyaddict · 22/08/2006 11:32

i didn't know my baby was back to back until i was in labour at the hospital. i didn't have a longer than average delivery and it was no where near as painful as i thought it would be. they didn't try to turn the baby in the hospital and he came out with his little eyes staring up at my godmother who was my birthing partner. i'm just saying this so if you can't turn the baby it may not be as horrible as you think.

nappyaddict · 22/08/2006 11:36

oh also i spent my labour rocking on a birthing ball and on all fours so i don't know if this helped. they didn't tell me to do this but i felt really uncomfortable on my back.

MrsTittleMouse · 22/08/2006 13:38

That's really interesting nappyaddict, my Mum really wanted to labour on all fours, but couldn't because she had a drip in (and also because this was the 1970s and you gave birth on your back because you were told to).
I've found when I have BH contractions that going on all fours with a heat pack on my back helps. I'm hoping to deliver in a MW-led unit where they're keen on "active labour", so hopefully that will help if she doesn't get turned around in time.

flopflip · 24/08/2006 11:57

Hello, I was told I had an OP presentation, and given tips to move her. I sort of followed these but not really and boy do I wish I had. I was induced and even though the labour was only 7 1/2hrs, it was soooo painful. All back pain, no abdo pain, I spent the whole time on my knees with my eyes closed. Wasn't helped by labour ward being full and having to exist for 5 hrs with gas and air.
So, moral of this story is get on your knees !!

quokka · 24/08/2006 12:02

I never knew ds1 was back to back until labour started. I got through it all right and so will you . You just get all the pains through your back and down your legs rather than the front. Don't worry too much about it, just suck on the gas and air

quokka · 24/08/2006 12:16

I was in the water which helped alot!

babywhiting · 24/08/2006 12:19

Like many have said on all fours as much as you can watching tv reading etc. my dd and ds were both back to back dd was 1hr 20 mins labour and ds 5 hrs both painful but keep the gas and air going thought ds 2 was back to back but thankfully due to being on all 4's from the start of pregnancy it never happened and 1hr17mins later he was born so all very quick and not too painful good luck!!!!

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