How common are back to back babies?

[Eminybob]

I've been worrying about this pretty much non stop since my antenatal classes.

The midwife did spend a lot of time discussing the implications of back to back babies and births, and I'm petrified of having one.

Are they common? At what point would I know? And is there anything I can do to avoid?

I read this and first thought by 'back to back', you meant one baby after another. I was going to say, yes, it's quite common and to avoid it, use contraception!

shakes head at self

I think back to back babies in tje sense you mean ( ) are relatively common. When I asked my MW, she gave the analogy of putting the left shoe on your right foot: do-able, but awkward.

Labour can be longer and slightly more painful. But nothing is predictable with births. Try not to worry. I'm sure someone with experience will be along to answer you in a bit

My baby was back to back but they didn't realise until I was 6cm, she was delivered by forceps in the end. X

Back to back babies seem to run in my family. Me and my siblings were all back to back as was my mum and my daughter. All the labours in my family have been very easy and straight forward. My daughter was a home birth and I knew she was back to back, it hurt as labour does but it was manageable with a bit of gas and air. The pain was all in my back not in the front at all, I found rocking back and forwards on all fours alleviated the pain a lot. Being on my back was excruciating as the baby was pushing on my spine so just stay off your back if your babies back to back.

I was told that keeping active and spending a lot of time on your hands and knees (?!) would avoid another b2b after my first. DS2 was b2b also despite my best efforts.. I think some women must be prone to carrying this way.

But don't be petrified of having one. I delivered both mine without any major complications, I don't know if it would have been quicker or less painful If I hadn't had a couple of stargazers, but we're all OK!

I had a back to back and had an epidural, no forceps. I wouldn't focus on it too much. There are so many things that are outside your control when it comes to labour and birth. I would just keep an open mind and see what happens.

Yes defo on all-fours!! I had to be transferred via ambulance on my side... Worst part of my whole labour!!

I have 4 DC - two were back-to-back (including DC1), two weren't.

In fact, with DC1, I didn't know back-to-back could be difficult, and I was completely thrown when a midwife commented on it a couple of days after the birth. And the only difficult birth I had was one of my two back-to-front babies.

I don't think there's anything you can do to get the baby into the 'best' position. And I don't think a perfectly positioned baby necessarily guarantees a 'good' birth.

Best wishes.

Ha ha no I definitely didn't mean one baby after another, I need to concentrate on getting this one out first

The midwife had mentioned the long and painful part, which I guess is why I'm panicking. Can they tell in the weeks leading up to due date, or is it a case of finding out on the day?

I'm having a scan tomorrow (36 weeks) so will find out what position he's in, but I'm sure he could still move between now and when he comes?

Reasonably common.
Stay active in pregnancy and labour.
It doesn't change anything in labour, ie. management.
Babies can and do rotate in labour, but can prolong labour, particularly early labour

X posted with everyone! Thank you, I feel better knowing it's not the worst thing in the world that can happen!

My baby rotates all day and I'm 40+4.

The midwife should be able to feel the position but you could have a slow rotation where the baby just decides it's going to turn back to back, I wouldn't worry just remember they know what they are doing and if it's your first you wouldn't know any different anyway... Like me lol.
Crafty little babies!

Good luck

My mother had often told me how agonising it had been giving birth to me back to back. Then history repeated itself and my daughter was back to back. I had an epidural.

I didn't go to ante natal yoga, because it seemed silly and wooo. But with hindsight I wish I had. Perhaps it might have helped.

All 3 of mine have been back to back throughout pregnancy, they all turned in labour though, at around 5cm (active labours of 90m each time) and were uncomplicated deliveries. I have nothing to compare to pain wise, the statistics about longer labours didn't apply to me, dunno why, basically it was a non issue in my case. I can't remember at what point I knew for sure they were back to back, with hindsight it was pretty obvious because of all the hands and feet poking around. People used to comment on being able to see the baby moving around from across the office/room.

I second trying not to worry about this sort of thing, there's very little you can do if it does happen to you anyway.

My labour was only 5 hours from first twinge to holding baby. Me and my siblings were average length births aswel.

I'm pretty sure my ds was b2b and turned during my first 12 hours of labour. It was a long night of bouncing on a ball with tens machine to no progress in dilation.
Then after a short break in contractions they started up again and ds was born another 12hrs after that quite easily using a pool and g&a.
My advice is just to stop stressing, do what you can to stay active and mobile (yoga, massage, Physio if necessary) and to buy a tens machine.

All three of mine were back to back. Second labour was less than three hours. Try not to worry, you'll have professionals there. I always thought that antenatal classes gave me more things to worry about.

DS was back to back and we didn't know till his face appeared! I had a very short, intense labour but managed on gas and air, in water. It was painful but that could have been down to the speed. I'm actually glad he was back to back or he'd have come out even faster, possibly in the car en route to the MLU!

I was very active throughout pregnancy, wary of slouching on the sofa etc. He was born at 37.5 though, so may have turned if he'd stayed in a bit I suppose. Don't worry, honestly, it was fine - and not much different to my intense, fast induced DD birth. She was the right way round.

I have 3 dcs and two were back to back. Labours no different dc3 was 10lb 8 and probably easiest labour and he didn't turn during labour. I really really wouldn't worry about it :)

Both back to back the next one due in oct will most likely be back to back.

Nothing to compare I'm afraid but I thought it was just the norm contractions very strong in lower back that's about it that stands out pushing was easy but

Mine was the right way round throughout pregnancy but went back to back in early labour. Contractions were all in my back and quite intense but I got to 7cm at home and did the rest in a few hours in water with just gas and air. Was fine- as someone said, just keep active and don't lay on your back if possible.

DS2 was back to back but no one realised until he actually emerged. The midwife just seemed to think he wasn't coming out because I wasn't pushing properly and were talking about intervention. It was only when he was actually born that she realised.
Retrospectively, in some ways it was better we didn't know as I'm sure they would have tried intervening sooner otherwise.

I discovered dd was back to back when I had an emergency cesarean 47 hours after my waters broke!

one word: swimming

My dd1 was back to back. I delivered in the pool with no pain relief although it was a long labour (about 13 hours) but i think that the pain was more manageable than it was with my ds2 who was not back to back x