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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?

24 replies

3rdbump · 28/05/2015 22:22

Term today and went for MW appointment. Baby appears to still be back to back - was hoping would change positions but no such luck. The MW didnt seem overly concerned and said baby could turn before or whilst i am in labour - and can still have the baby at the unit - just be reading up on back to back labours and seems intervention is likely - bit concerned as its a MW LED unit and nearest main hospital is 30 mins way :/
Experiences?

OP posts:

Littlehomebird · 28/05/2015 22:31

Hi, both my babies were b2b during labour.dc1 did not turn & intervention was required- with dc2 I decided to walk all through the labour & gave birth on all 4's. Baby turned just before birth. I didn't feel I helped myself much during the 1st as I was restricted to bed & lay on my back but I did feel walking may have helped with 2nd baby. Don't know if I'm right?! I was also born b2b.

Tillyscoutsmum · 28/05/2015 22:36

Both of mine were b2b and they both turned during labour (one took somewhat longer than the other though ). They were both 10lbers though so there probably wasn't that much room!

FlappertyFlippers · 28/05/2015 22:45

Try sitting/gently boucing on a birthing ball and avoid being slouched on a sofa. This may get the baby to turn, whereas when you slump down on a comfy sofa gravity can make the baby go back to back so you want to avoid that. Also try going to a pregnancy yoga class and asking the instructor for any other good positions to use.

My first was a back to back labour in a midwife led unit. I was up and active rather than lying on a bed. Baby turned a bit during labour but ended up coming out face first rather than crowning with the top of the head. However it was doable and no intervention apart from a lot of gas and air was required. Somehow it was still a fast, simple straightforward labour with only 10 minutes of pushing required.

Baby 2 was not back to back, there was definitely a difference in how my lower back felt during labour and pushing was a bit easier and I didn't tear.

But it is possible to have a 'normal' delivery of a back to back baby.

starfish12 · 29/05/2015 22:14

My midwife told me back to back babies will turn it just takes longer. Unless they get stuck like mine - i had an EMCS. Going for a vbac this time and with 10 days to go number 2 is back to back... grr! Good luck! X

Permanentlyexhausted · 29/05/2015 22:20

Both mine were back to back. I had a EMCS for the first (also very large) baby but a VBAC for my second with no intervention and just minimal gas and air, so it is perfectly doable. Good luck

ChablisTyrant · 29/05/2015 22:30

Mine turned at start of labour and came out normally without intervention. But, like many, it took a long time - 28 hours - and they wouldn't admit me during the turning stage which was incredibly painful. I ended up at home on my knees in a very full bath! I did have some pethadine when I first arrive at hospital so that I could sleep for half an hour because I was too exhausted to get through it. After that wore off, no drugs or instruments and I got through it. Do read up on drug options because back to back can be hard going.

noddingninja · 29/05/2015 22:30

My DD was direct occipito-posterior and did not turn at all during labour, the midwife called her a star gazer as she came out looking up at the world. Three and a half hours pushing, it was bloody hard work but I managed it in a midwife led unit with just gas and air and birthing pool. So sometimes you can get away with it without forceps

WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 29/05/2015 22:31

I had a completely natural back to back labour (just a couple of sucks of gas and air!) so it is doable. And your baby still has time to turn. Try the website spinningbabies.com.

Elledouble · 29/05/2015 22:36

My son was back to back. He actually came reasonably quickly - I went into labour at 10.30pm and gave birth to him at 7.12am. It was painful and I wasn't able to be as active as I'd hoped (I couldn't push properly on my knees for some reason) and I gave birth on my back. I had pethedine and an episiotomy.

It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but given my time again I'd have done more of the exercises my yoga teacher told me to get the baby into the optimal foetal position.

Elledouble · 29/05/2015 22:38

What was sort of nice, though, was that as he was born and the midwife lifted him up, I saw his face and that he was a boy. Wouldn't have had that if he hadn't been back to back!

busyprocrastinating · 29/05/2015 22:58

My second was back to back and was it was completely fine.
I had one suck of gas and air and a fairly quick pushing stage. Didn't even know he was back to back till his eyes were looking up at us all

Roseybee10 · 29/05/2015 23:35

Dd1 was back to back. I stayed active and she turned enough to come out although and came out face up but no intervention and gas an air so doable x

StopShoutingAtYourBrother · 29/05/2015 23:41

I had this OP and absolutely nothing I did (and really I tried nearly anything) would change my Dds position (and now she's 6 she's still as awkward!). Impossible to say what impact this had on length of labour but I did feel all my contractions in my lower back and she was delivered vaginally but did have to be turned during final stages of labour by the midwife so she could be delivered.

EssexMummy123 · 30/05/2015 08:41

DD needed a couple of goes with vontuse and an episiotomy as she was stuck back to back and her heart rate dropped, I was very glad that there was consultant and a paediatric registrar in the room ready to resuscitate, OH really thought DD was in trouble, i would not have wanted a 30 minute hospital transfer at that point.

Did you ask how often they end up transferring first time mums with a back-back? if it's 50% or greater then i would strongly be thinking about going straight to the hospital - also back-back can be more painful, you might be glad of having the option of an epidural even if you don't end up having one.

luna40 · 30/05/2015 14:28

DD#1 was back-to-back. Really painful contradictions from the start, and I layed on the sofa/in bed the whole time as couldn't cope with pain. After labouring for 20 hours (and had pethidine, which was a godsend) at MLU and "failure to progress", I was transferred at 8cm dilated via ambulance the 20 mins to hospital. I was 10 cm when I arrived (bumpy ride) and needed forceps for assistance.
DD#2 was also back-to-back, but I laboured the entire time on all fours. he turned and I had a perfect birth.

I know there are some things I can't change about the first birth, but something I could have changed would be to not lay down. Stay active, move about, bounce on ball, get on your hands and knees, and lean on your partner, and you have a slightly better chance of baby turning . good luck x

ishallnamehimsquishy · 30/05/2015 14:55

DC1 was back to back and got stuck, ended up with EMCS. I maybe took bad advice to have an epidural and end up lying down.

DC2 was also back to back but turned at some point, it was a fairly quick labour.

No mention of DC3 being back to back at all. Hoping for a similarly quick labour though. :)

Tryingthisonefornow · 30/05/2015 15:17

Both dc back to back and both without intervention, pain in my back was horrendous mind you!

I think you can see from previous posts that it's Doable but agree with pp about maybe asking for stats. You can't predict anything but being worried/stressed never helped anyone!

ChickenLaVidaLoca · 31/05/2015 16:33

It is pretty hard going. I would do whatever you can to try and encourage turning, because it's not an experience I recommend, and keep an open mind about pain relief and venue if it doesn't. But they do often turn in the final days, happens loads.

bananapickle84 · 31/05/2015 16:49

If it is not your first you are more likely to manage without intervention even if baby is b2b.
My second was b2b and there was nothing they could do as I arrived at hospital at 10cm so gas n air and a LOT of pushing he came out naturally. They did say, however, that if it had been my first they would have got the doctor in and would have intervened.
I think it is like all other labours though, in that all b2b labours are different. My baby boy turned but only once his head was out which was weird and also I couldn't push for the first part of a contraction so all the work had to be done on the later part of the contractions, all very odd!
He was a big one as well so I don't know if there is a common theme of bigger babies being b2b.
If I were you try and not worry (easier said then done!!) but labour will happen and just because it's b2b doesn't mean it'll be any harder than any other labour if that makes sense.

CPtart · 31/05/2015 16:53

Not great tbh. A 24 hour labour with a second degree tear and an episiotomy. Pushing for 2.5 hours- all I remember is all the pain in my lower back, so bad I was trying to relieve the pressure by raising my bum off the bed at the same time as pushing. I had an epidural too, but it didn't seem to do much! Perhaps staying upright as long as possible is the way to go?

Bellebella · 31/05/2015 16:56

My son was back to back, I don't have anything to compare it to because he is my only. It was still a natural birth and I had no pain relief so was not too bad really. It was 14 hours long and I was pushing for an hour. Also tore, but not sure if any of that is related to him being back to back. I did get a lot of pain in my back which was awful so I tried to get into positions that were most comfortable and my oh was constantly rubbing my back.

fattymcfatfat · 31/05/2015 17:04

both of mine were b2b and I fully expect this one to be awkward too! but they were both vaginal deliveries with g&a. the only problem was DSs shoulders got stuck but mw just bent them back to were they needed to be and guided him out I tore and had an episiotomy. with DD I didn't need a single stitch . (labours were long though, but DS pushing stage was 2 hours and DD pushing stage was 7 minutes!)

mrsmilkymoo · 31/05/2015 17:53

dd was back to back. 98 hours from first painful contraction until she was born by emcs. Most people are luckier than that though!

ChickenMe · 01/06/2015 03:56

DD was back to back. If I had known I would've exercised more.
My waters broke before 37 weeks so I was induced because-i believe this is quite common with b to b-my contractions started but were irregular and nothing happened.
I had a forceps delivery in the end.
The delivery was fine as I had an epidural having been hooked up to the drip.
This was my first child and it was pretty painful so even without the drip triggering the epidural I was hoping for one anyway. She initially got a bit stuck but we were fortunate to have avoided a C Section.
The forceps were the least of my worries-it was the pain I found very difficult to deal with as I couldn't get comfortable.

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