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?!?

Back to back baby here. I discovered this myself as when I laid down I had a dip in my belly. Told my midwife no one believed me for some reason! I felt very smug when she came out sunny side up lol I tried everything on spinning babies but nothing worked. Pain was all in my back I won't lie it was horrific. Epidural only worked down one side. I wanted to rip my back off. Other than that no interventions and I pushed her out in 10 minutes.

My second was back to back she turned the night after I’d had a sweep where she was in the perfect position and had been for about 3 weeks, didn’t realise until I got to the hospital with her.

It was more painful than my first but labour was only 51 mins so not unmanageable. The main difference is I felt all the contractions in my back and bum rather than my stomach. They did have to use the ventouse as her heart rate dropped but because I was fully dilated I didn’t need any stitches.

Back to back baby here! I’m 37+6. I’m absolutely bricking it ... FTM. I’ve heard horror stories about births for back to back babies. I’ve been on my ball everyday trying my best to turn him as advised by my midwife but I honestly don’t think he has. The back pain I’ve had lately is pretty intense, especially the past 2 days. I’m keeping my fingers crossed he turns 🤞🏻 But I’m not holding my breath!

@Johnson10 can I ask what your back pain feels like? I have a lot of back pain but not sure whether it’s related or not. Do O.P. babies tend to cause back pain in general (well before labour) or just during / with contractions does anyone know?

@vinoelle - Hiya, yeah it’s mostly on the left for some reason. It’s like a pressured, dull ache. It comes & goes. But it can get very uncomfortable. Defo a different kinda pain to just a normal bad back. I think OP babies do give you back pain as my MW has mentioned this before.

Hello!
I had back to back labour with my little girl.
Pain started on the Wednesday and I was admitted on the Thursday. Get yourself a tens machine, it was my saving grace during early labour. And try and relax as much as you can. Hypnobirthing got me through. Count count and count your breathing some more...
In the end up I couldn't get her out and she was born via emergency section on the Saturday (yep 4 days of labour) but she's fine and that's the main thing. Take the epidural and if your really worried mentally chat about a section. My recovery was fine and I would certainly get a section for number 2 when I'm lucky enough to be expecting again.
Good luck and enjoy the special time xx

I had a back to back labour and anterior placenta and a really positive (and fortunate) experience. Early labour was fine, I didn’t even realise I was in labour (thought it was braxton hickes) until a routine midwife appointment where she found I was 4cm.
Active labour was 5 hours and the baby turned during that time. The midwife helped me find gentle movements to try and help the baby turn. The pain was all in my back, it was unpleasant rather than unbearable although it was continuous. I was just starting to think about gas and air when I got to the pushing stage and so there wasn’t time. A close friend had a long back to back labour and still had what she felt was a positive experience. Each birth is different but even if it is a back to back labour, it doesn’t mean it will be awful. Best of luck OP.

I had an anterior placenta and gave birth back to back 2 weeks ago. Baby didn't turn and came out fully face up. Labour was less than 4 hours. It was my second. I had no back pain and experienced all my contractions in my tummy, but pushing was incredibly hard. Much harder than my first. Started as a home birth but transferred into hospital. I did manage to push her out without instruments but it was incredibly hard. If I was pregnant again and knew the baby was back to back, I would absolutely be in hospital from the first contraction and insist on an epidural.

@wineymummy thank you fir sharing. Can I ask what you mean by hard? As in more painful, had to push harder or more exhausting? Just trying to get an idea. The thing I worry about having an epidural early is being much more likely to end up with fur eps which is my worse nightmare....

Both, more painful but also more exhausting because it went on and on. I'm sure that if baby was the right way I would have been able to push her out much sooner, I was giving it my all and she just wasn't budging. (Having birthed one baby the right way round which seemed so much easier.) And my labour was still relatively quick. First baby I pushed and she moved with every push. This one, pushing and pushing and just making no progress. I was begging for help at the end but had an amazing trio of midwives supporting me and encouraging me to keep going and somehow I managed it. When I saw my community midwife for my discharge appointment she said it's very rare for the baby not to turn in labour, so mine is really an unusual situation and I did do it without forceps so it is possible...but certainly wasn't pleasant.

Completely agree with @wineymummy I pushed for over an hour and there was no budging her which resulted in a section when I was back to back