Back to back birth?

[nataliekristin]

hi all

this is my 1st pregnancy and at my 20 week scan last week I was told I have an anterior placenta (not low lying, though). They said this increases the chances of having a back to back labour, which I've read isn't ideal.

has anyone experienced back to back labour? are there increased risks to you or baby?

thanks

1st DC not back to back - labour sore but manageable.
2nd DC back to back. Much more painful labour and like others upthread felt unable to sit or lie down so laboured completely on my feet. Very long pushing stage with little progress ending in forceps delivery for stuck DC2.

TBH during the pregnancy I did a lot of lying back on the couch and paid no attention to the being on all fours, sitting up straight advice. I wouldn't make that mistake again!

Try not be concerned. I know of other back to back experiences that were much more straightforward than mine, so yours won't necessarily be problematic. Good luck.

Madthing5 was back to back and it was painful but still fairly quick, three hours. I had an anterior placenta as well. I was induced (as I was with the other four ad I always go overdue) and I needed the drip which I didn't with the others. Midwife thought it was because the wrong bit of her head was pressing on my cervix and so despite contractions I wasn't dilating. Anyway drip kicked it off and it was very straightforward, I stayed mobile, on birth ball, on all fours etc and only took a few pushes. But yes it hurt, love gas and air!

I had back to back with my first, I can't remember if I had an anterior placenta. I had a long painful labour all focused in lower back (and awful back pain for last couple of weeks).
I also had nothing to compare to, but did find the lack of any actual uterine contractions a bit odd, and the midwives took some convincing I was actually in labour (seriously - had more convincing braxton hicks second time around).
I had an epidural, and eventually emcs as DD wasn't descending from the position she was in.
On the flip side a good friend of mine also had back to back baby first time around, again without knowing, and had a straightforward delivery with just gas and air. So it could all go very smoothly for you.

At my 34 week scan I was told baby was back to back so out came the bouncy ball sitting up straight etc
at an antenatal appointment 3 weeks later baby was the right way round with a big bum sticking out of my bump!
just found out on Tuesday that baby has gone back to back again!

Really hoping to avoid a section and epidural if possible I have exactly a week to due date to try to convince baby to go the right way and stay that way!

My first was back to back. Took a while to push him out. My back really hurt. I had a water birth and insisted my DH constantly pour warm water over my back. Huge relief!!

DS1 turned back to back at 40 weeks. I was told by mw to scrap birth plan, prepare for induction, prepare for epidural etc. I was really upset as I wanted as natural a birth as possible. Went into spontaneous labour at 41 weeks, laboured at home for 12 hours with TENS machine which was fine, had 6 hours in the pool and gave birth with just gas and air. I have nothing to compare it to so yes it was painful, but I don't know if it was anymore painful than normal. In my NCT group of 8 women I was the only G&A birth in the end so it's not always bad news!!

Ds2 (posterior placenta) was back to back, ds1 (with the anterior placenta) wasn't. As a pp has said, all labours are different, some back to back labours are fine, others are difficult/end in CS, just like any other type of labour, so no point worrying.

I didn't have the back pain others have mentioned, it just felt like normal contractions, didn't know he was back to back till needed a ventouse delivery as heart rate dropping and they were struggling to work out which way he was facing in order to pull in the right direction.

My labour despite that - and despite ds2 being 10lb 6oz - was straightforward. Needed to be induced, which may have been because baby not putting pressure in the right places, but only needed waters breaking, not drip. Contractions started on their own within 2 hours of a waters being broken and 3 hours from that point to delivery. It was a bit more painful than first birth but I think that was due to how short it was, so that all contractions were closer together (my first birth was 9 hours start to finish). Ventouse was a positive experience, no after problems. It helped turn/deliver him v quickly though I think he started to turn before they got it in place as the mood in room changed from "we may need a CS" (due to concerns over heart rate) to more confident. Second stage less than half an hour.