Back to back/ anterior placentas

[vinoelle]

Hi everyone. I'm looking for stories of those who have had either an anterior placenta or back to back babies known before delivery, and if they turned/what happened and how it impacted your labour.

I'm due in a few weeks and baby currently back to back - also have anterior placenta so I'm doubting she will turn. I'm aware of the exercises etc to help.

Just reading a few of the other threads especially the intervention thread and needless to say I'm terrified! Am I doomed to a horrific labour?!?

I had a back to back baby and all my contractions were in my lower back never had them in my stomach, the pain was something I've never felt before and hope I never experience it again! I also had a 3 day labour which is common in back to back babies labour is longer. I tried positions to turn her but it didn't work. She had turned slightly when I was in active labour but not fully, her head wasn't fully down it was more sideways and couldn't get past 9cm so had to have the hormone drip and that turned her but still her head wasn't coming on her own so ended up with epidural and forceps in my end. It wasn't nice or what I had planned but I got to the point where my body just took over and I did whatever I had to do to bring my daughter into the world. My advice to you would be to go with a very open mind and take the pain relief..... good luck!

I had an anterior placenta, baby was head down, my entire pregnancy, no one ever mentioned her being back to back.
All of my contractions were low down in my pelvis, I didn’t even realise what they were for a while!
As far as I’m aware having an anterior placenta didn’t impact my labour, I was induced but that was for other reasons, baby had to have a scalp clip for monitoring as my placenta always pulsed too loudly to hear her clearly.

It hurts be prepared although many years ago I still remember. Although I now have a lovely 20 year old daughter so it will be worth it. x

I had anterior placentas with all my 5 babies. Two were back to back but turned during delivery. The last baby was a back achy labour but nothing dramatic. He had the cord wrapped tightly round his neck so midwife had to cut it as his head was born, instead of after delivery. Otherwise no strong difference from my other deliveries.

Is anterior placenta correlated with back to back babies? OK don't read my thread I've just posted, as I've avoided posting it for ages partly because I don't want to scare any first timers to death

I don't know if my Labour was back to back but am starting to suspect it might have been. I found it very painful but with my first (which might have been the same, not sure) I found that a birth pool and gas and air took the edge off and made it manageable. I have also been reading that positioning can help a lot - avoid being on your back basically. But don't be afraid of having pain relief if you want it. If I have another baby I am actually just considering having an epidural ASAP. If I can skip most of the pain I will be much happier. It's not even so much that it's painful, it's for me that they are long. Pain would be OK if it wasn't for hours and hours with no end in sight. I have felt OK every time when I felt I was making progress and despaired or panicked when I was not.

Back to back baby my first one, nobody realised until he was born, was high on pethidine, gas and air, it was no worse than the third labour. The second was another story because his arm came out first, that was grim.

They told me it might hurt a little more - take all the pain relief offered because unless your much luckier then me it wasn't pleasent.

However my DS was well and truly stuck so in the end was vontousse, forceps and epitosomy with me having a spinal and being prepped in case of section.

Had an anterior placenta with second and had a very easy (as labours go) waterbirth.

Back to back and anterior placenta. They never actually told me he was back to back although in my notes they always wrote 'OP' which I didn't know what it meant until I was in labour and I was told he was b2b.

My labour was 36 hours long, I didn't progress past 3cm and had to have an emergency c section. I was exhausted and my epidural only worked on one side of my body. I had an elective c section with my daughter but she came a week early, wasn't back to back but I still only got to 1cm after 25hours! So disheartening!

Anyway, we are all fine and I would do it all again because they're worth it!

Everyone's experience will be slightly different but I'm not trying to scare you, just saying what happened to me. Worth it.

Good luck, I hope you have the delivery you wish for and a healthy baby x

I have just found this, on another thread, and found it interesting.

midwifethinking.com/2016/06/08/in-celebration-of-the-op-baby/

I had back to back labour. Was 52 hours in total from first contraction but they did keep stopping/slowing. It was painful but what labour isn't? My only labour so I obviously have nothing to compare it to pain wise. But I did manage a water birth with no other pain relief but a bit of gas and air which I found useless.

Two back to back. First was lengthy (Thursday to Monday), exhausting, pain was too much so I had epidural. Then forceps, episiotomy.
Second baby was less than 4 hrs start to finish, gas and air only, no episiotomy
or tears. Pain totally manageable.

My second was a back-to-back labour: wasn't known until she came out that way. Labour was no more painful than normal, and lasted 3 hours. My first had been 4 hours and she was expected to come very quickly so they think that being back-to-back slowed her down. No intervention, only gas and air (and I had an epidural with my first, not back-to-back baby). She was slightly harder to push out due to angle. But wanted to let you know that there are some labours where it really doesn't make too much difference! Good luck

I’m in the same boat, OP - is this your first baby? This is my third full-term birth and DC2 was a straightforward VBAC. Am also pretty terrified this time as my babies are big (9lb +) and, since I’m 40, they want to induce at 40 weeks. Feels a bit doomed, like you say!

I had a back to back baby. The contraction pain was unimaginable and although I had intentions of trying to get through my labour on only gas and air I was begging for some stronger pain relief half way through.
I ended up having an episiotomy and forceps, baby seemed completely stuck.
It felt quick though, labour began through the night and arrived early afternoon the following day.
I was off my head on the drugs they gave me so all I felt at the point of delivery was the pressure.
Baby healthy but I'll never forget the pain in my stomach, it was like period cramp x 1000 plus pains in my back.
Not intending to instil fear but this was my experience.
I wish you a quick and safe birth of your child

Oh and baby arrived a couple of weeks early

Hmm I’m not sure you are getting much reassurance here OP!

I had anterior placenta at the start of pregnancy which moved to normal position and a baby that spent 39weeks and 6 days in the perfect position for labour and moved to back to back in the hours before labour started. I delivered her back to back too which is even more unusual as most turn in labour.

Here’s the reality as i experiences it:

• yes it hurts. Is it more painful. I don’t know as I’ve only had one baby but is it unmanageable no. Not if you are open minded and go with pain relief as you feel you need it. Remember nothing will mean you failed. I went from being adamant I was having just water and candles to a full on epidural.
• you may not actually labour back to back. These babies move an awful lot so just because that’s the position now it doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way
• you can do this. Looking back god only knows how but please try not to be scared. You will be surrounded by professionals who have seen and managed it all before and you’ll be able to do whatever is needed. I say that as someone who was most scared she wouldn’t be able to make choices that were needed or get through labour. If I can do it you can too!

Talking to other mum friends all I know for certain is no two births are the same and no birth is “perfect” - all you have to do is focus on your baby; I’m 8 weeks post partum and honestly I’d go through my back to back delivery every day for a year if it was needed to give me my dd. I’m already asking dh when we can have another one!!

I had both. Baby didn't turn. Took 4 hours pushing and I would've had to have her assistance (forceps or ventouse) if there had been a bed available on the delivery suite after 2 hours of pushing (I was on the MLU). I was in agony with my back and I remember thinking I'll never walk again. As soon as DD was out the pain vanished. It did hurt but I'd do it again without a doubt.

DS was back to back although didn't know about it until he was born at 42+1. Was induced at 41+6 following 3 ineffective sweeps. They thought he would only be 7lb 8 but turned out to be 9lb 12!
Had most interventions (pessary, waters being broken, drip, ventouse) but he wasn't budging!! EMCS in the end. The contraction pains were all in my lower back & were awful but 3 years on I can't remember them if you see what I mean. I would certainly go for an ELCS if there is a next time as I would not care to experience it again. A lot of that is more to do with my mental health though than the actual physical pain experienced.

I really appreciate everyone’s replies. Honestly I do feel completely doomed - I know it sounds stupid but it seems so likely that a combination of OP (which she’s been mostly ever since I could feel her and hasn’t really moved in months) and this being my first I’m just so worried. I think I’m nearly accepting that I’ll have to deal with a longer labour/ pain more but it’s the getting stuck and forceps which has terrified me, again this just seems so much more likely to happen with first & OP. I knows
There’s not much I can do either!

@WingingIt101 thank you for being kind that’s a lovely post

You're not doomed! My placenta was anterior and baby was back to back. Between contractions starting and baby being born was five hours. She turned at some point as the first exam I had at 6-7cm Dr confirmed OP but then when examined at 10cm she was right way up.

I lay on my side for the whole labour and used a peanut ball between my legs which I swear is what helped her turn as it kept my pelvis open. Even after having an epidural I was able to stay on my side with the ball between my legs (Google peanut ball and back to back labour for more info).

There's no way of knowing how it will go so just try not to worry x

Forgot to mention, this was my first baby.

Sorry, also forgot to mention my daughter was born vaginally with no ventous or forceps needed. I had an episiotomy but I'm not in the UK and it's a lot more common here. In the UK they'd probably have had me push longer and maybe tear instead (although maybe not as there had been meconium in my waters so they wanted her out sooner rather than later).

Anterior placenta and back to back baby here too. She was big (9lb 4) too which didn’t help. Labour was long and it was painful but it was actually not too bad (and I am a wimp!) - unfortunately I started bleeding though and needed an internal monitor so couldn’t use the shower / pool which I really needed. I asked for an epidural at that point which was bloody brilliant - I would recommend it to everyone and anyone, even though I had been desperate to avoid one before labour!

Ended up with an emergency section (I asked to avoid forceps if at all possible) which was OK too. Recovery more straightforward than I had imagined!