Back to Back/OP vaginal delivery - experiences?

[Flibbyjibby]

Baby No.2 and it has been an awkward little one throughout this pregnancy, always getting itself into strange positions!

I am 36+3 and was told by midwife today that baby is in OP position (back to back). Head isn’t engaged yet so I’m doing everything I can to try and get it to turn, but I am preparing myself for the reality that I might not be having the straightforward, unmedicated MLU water birth I was hoping for.

I have an anterior placenta this time so I always knew that back-to-back baby was a higher chance.

What experiences do people here have with back to back position and vaginal delivery? Do I need to rethink my birth plan and change to a hospital delivery?

My first birth was MLU dry land, unmedicated. Had an episiotomy.

All 3 of my babies were back to back. I was induced with all 3 but nothing to do with positioning just got to 42 weeks with ds1 and had placenta failure with ds2 and dd.

I was always told in each north / Labour back to back was perfectly normal and didn’t change anything to do with what kind of birth I could have (if I wasn’t being induced) just that it’s more painful for contracts because you feel them I’m your back not front.

Oh just to add in all 3 of my births I didn’t need any assistance like forceps or episiotomy and didn’t suffer any damage so as far as I’m aware back to back doenst make that more likely.

i was induced so Labour was super painful anyway and it was horrible back to back but I managed dd just gas and air

Mine was back to back and I managed on gas and air - didn't need interventions and there were no complications. Did hurt though!! (Sorry)

Same as poster above - my 2nd was back to back and I had a straightforward MLU birth, just gas and air. I did have to keep moving though (which I do in labour anyway) as if I did stop, labour stopped! It was more painful then my first but nothing terrible.

Back to back and forehead presentation. Home birth so it wasn't picked up. Took a long time and DS decided to make an appearance two minutes before the midwives wanted to call an ambulance!

I was rather battered afterwards but we both got through it okay with me initially using a tens machine (but I got too sweaty and it wouldn't stick!).

I had an appointment with a consultant several weeks afterwards because the birth triggered a long term SI issue and she called me a liar when I said that's how I delivered. She said it was impossible. But it wasn't and I did and said DS is currently studying medicine 🤗

I hope that offers some reassurance!

My first was back to back (16 years ago today in fact!). I had to have constant monitoring as I was induced for medical reasons but it was fine. This also meant I was consultant led. It took 12 hours of contractions, I had to have my waters broken and syntocin drip but it wasn’t brutally painful or anything. There was a lot of bouncing on a yoga ball as I recall. 😂. I was on gas and air all day til the last hour when I got something stronger, mainly because I was knackered. Normally delivery, no interventions required - think I needed a few stitches? I was happy to go back and do it again 3 years later and that baby was the right way round!

My first was back to back. Pain was unbelievable, hard to compare with other people's experience, but sounds worse than some friends' descriptions of their non b2bs.

Failure to progress after 24 hours labour and 1 hour pushing. Emergency c section.

The section was totally fine and I had an elective for my 2nd (which was brilliant as far as these things can be!) 2nd was breech. Mine just don't like to be in the right position!

Thanks so far everyone for your responses - it’s making me feel a bit less worried!

Baby also has its feet in between its head and my cervix at the moment. sonographer had never seen this position before so referred me to consultant for their advice, which I’m still waiting on. Might be that I have a c-section anyway!

1st baby so no comparison he came out fine. No-one knew before hand. Second baby came out hand over head which was more painful.

Your DC2 sounds like my DC2 when he was in utero. Little sod was never in a good position for scans, and was breech at 36 weeks to boot. I had an anterior placenta too.

DC2 turned head down in the end, but was still back to back. I was induced for pre-eclampsia. Labour itself was fine. I handled the contractions better and for longer than I did with DC1 (also induction for pre-eclampsia) However it didn't last forever and the time came for pain relief at 5cm as with DC1. However unlike DC1 where 5cm came at 6 hours in labour, this was after 10 hours. I made the choice for an epidural over opiates. If I had progressed barely 3cm in 10 hours, and baby was still high as a second time mum, then this labour was going to be the long haul.

Epidural was put in an hour so later, much to my relief. Unlike DC1, when the drip was turned off, the contractions continue. Which wasn't very nice. I had a respite from the drip for another hour, in the hopes of some passive descent then the drip was put back on to see if some progress would be made. I was asleep for all this. Bliss.

Unfortunately no progress was made. I was still 5cm, baby was still high, and there were signs baby was starting to get distressed. So C-section it was. Turns out baby had also tilted his head back (brow presentation) as well as being back to back. He was stuck and could never be birthed vaginally.

Wasn't so bad. Would sooner have a vaginal birth anyday, but recovery was nowhere near as bad as anticipated.

DS was back to back but they didn't know during Labour.

I ended up needing an episiotomy & ventouse delivery. He was 8.4lb & my first so that could have added to him being a bit tricker to birth.

Surprised midwives when he was born "sunny side up!" As they said.

My second was back to back and large for my size. I had an episiotomy, but managed with no pain relief and 5cm to him being born was only 1hr25mins!
Personally I'd go with a hospital delivery but all to use the pool there.

My 1st baby was back to back. Very painful (obviously being my first I knew no different but baby number 2 was a walk in the park compared) however I did give birth on an MLU. 4 hours of pushing though.

DD1 was back to back and forehead presentation, she never engaged and stayed high resulting in very slow progress. Ended up being turned with Vontouse, then episiotomy and forceps delivery.

DD2 was also back to back, the contractions suck, I feel like you get less of a break between contractions, but I went from 2cm to baby in my arms 2hr15mins later, bit of g&a In the pool and she delivered sunny side up.

I'm now pregnant with DS1, anterior placenta so I've heard the back to back 'risks'

Overall, it is what it is, OP is a variation of normal and generally just gives you more back pain during labor. Babies usually turn during labour rather than birth back to back x

Most babies who are OP at the start of labour (70-90%) will rotate into the correct position during labour: some will be born in the OP position, some will require assistance.

An OP baby wouldn’t usually exclude you from an MLU delivery if there are no other concerns.

Both my babies were OP and I had unassisted vaginal births at term.

Emergency c/section for me.

Mine was back to back. Contractions ramped up from ‘ooh that’s a bit painful’ to ‘oh my god I’m dying!’ In under an hour. I had an epidural; the midwife said nothing else was likely to ease the pain of back to back. As others have said, I felt all the contractions in my back not tummy, and it was constant pain with periods of more pain rather than pain then a break. she ended up getting stuck on my pelvis and delivered via forceps in theatre after 2 hours of pushing.

Both times I was induced, both b2b, didnt know until their heads popped out. Dc1 wasnt too bad pain wise (appendicitis was worse) but dd2 was worse. Was pushing for 6.5 hours but had an epidural for some of it. In the end I begged them to either get the vacuum cup or do a csection. Tried the cup, didnt work, then they said last try if this doesnt work its c section.

1st baby was, had no idea until afterwards. Really easy birth with just gas and air, needed a stitch for a small tear.

9lb so quite a big baby too, luckily first twinge to placenta was 3.5hrs.

2nd was back to back. Went from no contractions (in hospital due to waters breaking), to “JFC all the saints in heaven I think I’m going to die” within 5 mins of a sweep. All contractions were equally painful, there was no gradual crescendo until delivery.

First major contraction at 12.05am, she was born at 2.05am, with pethidine & an episiotomy. Anaesthetist wandered in at 12:30am, said he was popping out for something, reappeared 2 minutes after she was born lol. Lots of stitches (3rd degree tear with 1st child so lots of scarring) & episiotomy, I’m just very thankful I went from 1cm to full delivery in 2 hours!

Pain was across my thighs & through my back (I have a pretty messed up spine anyway), and had a(nother) prolapsed disc on discharge 12hrs later which my ortho consultant thought was probably due to the b3b delivery. To be honest, I can prolapse a disc by sneezing so I’m not entirely convinced!

DD1 was OP at 40+6 and was born vaginally with just gas and air and no interventions. Hurt like hell and I was exhausted and she only weighed 6lb3oz.

The policy at my hospital was to deliver on to mums tummy and let the parents lift the baby to see what sex they'd got. I just laid there and the midwife said "don't you want to know what you have?" I said "no, I'm just glad it's out" 🤣

@WhenDovesFly I remember being handed DS and saying ‘take him, I’m going to drop him’ - I was so shattered!

DS (only) was back to back, very quick 7 hour labour, very painful, I was blacking out and don’t remember much of it. Wasn’t any time for anything except gas and air and I remember viewing myself from above - like I was totally out of my body but I felt it all. Horrendous. Needed an episiotomy and ventouse cup. Not an nice experience at all - felt pretty traumatised afterwards. Personally I’d take the c-section or whatever they recommend, OP!

Back to back, forehead presentation, and 10lb9oz. 2 hours pushing, then baby tired and distressed so attempted manual rotation in theatre under epidural, followed by emergency forceps. Slight shoulder dystocia. Baby ok. Fanny and pelvic floor not really ok.

i think it was his size as well as position that made things so tough but I’m glad I was in hospital as I couldn’t have kept pushing much longer and I really wasn’t shifting him.