Non scientific survey : labour & delivery of OP baby

[lulumama]

DD was OP all through my pregnancy and remained so, she was born face up, so did not turn in labour, as i mistakenly thought for a long time

If you had an OP baby can you tell me ,please, if you know:

1)how many hours you were having contractions before labour was established?

2)how long from 3 cm - 10 cm?

3)how long the second stage was?

4)and if the baby was born face up/face to pubes/stargazing?

my answers are:

1)15 hours to get to 3cm

2)2 hours 45 minutes to get from 3cm to 10 cm

3)30 minutes of pushing

4)baby born face up

TIA

1)how many hours you were having contractions before labour was established?
with ds1: 28 hours
with ds2: 4 hours
(I've had 2 OP babies)

2)how long from 3 cm - 10 cm?
with ds1: not exactly sure but about 20 hours
with ds2: 3 hours

3)how long the second stage was?
with ds1: 4 hours (+forceps)
with ds2: 25 min (+forceps)

4)and if the baby was born face up/face to pubes/stargazing?

No-both turned during labour

DS1:

1)how many hours you were having contractions before labour was established? : Despite induction with pre-eclampsia (PB over 160/100 and clonus observed so nearly eclamptic) it was over 20 hours to get from 0-2 cm. The magnesium-sulfate administered to lower the BP may have contributed to the length of time.

2)how long from 3 cm - 10 cm? Less than 40 minutes. I was on my way to OR for emergency section having been checked only 1/2 before (2 cm) when I insisted that I needed to push.

3)how long the second stage was? 2 push baby. (3 if you count the one intended as practice to let the Dr. present know how long he could wait to the pead.)

4)and if the baby was born face up/face to pubes/stargazing? Face up... But he only weighed 2.2 kg

DS2:

1)how many hours you were having contractions before labour was established? 3

2)how long from 3 cm - 10 cm? 33 minutes

3)how long the second stage was? 2 push baby BUT I felt as though it took FOREVER for his shoulders to be delivered. He gave an almighty shrug as he turned and was delivered. (My notes say that it was only a matter of minutes but it felt like ages.)

4)and if the baby was born face up/face to pubes/stargazing? Stargazer. Still is!

Incidentally, DDs 1&2 were both posterior but turned before labour started.

1)Two and a half days of contractions to get to 3 centimetres

2. 18 hours to 10 centimetres (with help of syntocin!)

3. Waited 2 hours for DD's head to descend from pelvis so I could start pushing - didn't happen! Had emergency CS, due to failure to progress to 2nd stage.

She was OP and brow presentation, which is apparently why the labour was slow, and why she got stuck

Hi Lulu - I answered your first set of questions earlier so just to reply to your second set of questions. My csection was purely down to DD's position. They tries ventouse which was unsuccessful but didn't attempt forceps as they said the position she was in meant that a forceps delivery wasn't safe. (Incidentally, do you have any idea what position that could have been? I have tried to find contraindications for forceps delivery but have never managed to work it out)

In terms of keeping active I spent my whole time on my birthing ball until DD's heart rate kept dropping (think I was about 8cm by then) The room filled with people and they got me off the ball and on to the bed. It seemed that being upright was compressing her cord.

1)how many hours you were having contractions before labour was established?

I don't really know because I was at home for most of it. Contractions woke me up at 5am and I was at home until 5pm when I suddenly had an overwhelming desire to be in the hospital. Got quite scared in the car (didn't tell DP) as things started feeling much more urgent and heavier and lower. I was quite active at home and spent a lot of time on the sofa on hands and knees, rocking.

2)how long from 3 cm - 10 cm?

Again, no idea as I was only examined internally for the first time at about 8pm when I was found to be fully dilated. Bloody hospital took ages to put me in a room, despite the fact that I spent most of the time throwing up in the loo in reception (think I may have been in transition).

3)how long the second stage was?

About an hour and a half pushing. It was really hard. I know I hadn't had a very long labour but it felt unendurable. Eventually, I felt really exhausted and asked for an episiotomy which was bloody painful as I forgot to ask for any drugs to go with it.

4)and if the baby was born face up/face to pubes/stargazing?

She'd been OP all the way through my pregnancy every time anyone said, but must have turned at some stage, no idea when. She waws born in the standard position about two minutes after the episiotomy.

First baby, btw, and apart from the episiotomy my experience was pretty good.

Good thread - having done an OP I've wondered about other people's experiences.

1. About 3-4 hours to get to 3cm
2. About 5 hours to get to 10 cm
3. I pushed for 2.5 hours, it was exhausting.
4. She came out still looking up, could see her face she was blinking in the light under the water.

patty, brow presentation is very, very, very hard to deliver vaginally, never mind OP .

lucy,forceps might have not been suitable depending on how low the baby was and the exact position of the head

thank you all again for sharing your experiences x

In answer to your other questions -

Yes, I was told CS was due to brow presentation

Wasn't encouraged to move, and they wanted to do continuous monitoring but I couldn't lie on my back (too painful) so they put a scalp clip on DD to monitor her instead.

As soon as they fingered out she was brow presentation (quite late on!!) they strongly suggested epidural, as they said I would defo be having forceps or CS so would prob need one anyway. So I had epidural.

Lulamama - I'm glad you told me that. I felt v guilty about the CS for ages after. I felt I hadn't tried hard enough

1+2) was induced so not sure but my notes show labour was 13 hours.
3) 2 hours of pushing
4) Baby born face up

dd1 OP

ds and dd2 normal presentation

1. about 2 days (ditto dd2 though-see MN thread!)

2. 5 hours ish

3. under a minute

4. she turned just before delivery

patty, no need to feel like that at all.. brow presentation means that pretty much the widest diameter of the baby;s head is presenting first ,so it unless you have a big pelvis and small baby, it can be impossible for baby to be born vaginally.

Eek, she was 8lb 7 so not small!
Lulumama, have you any idea if this could happen again if I have another baby?

Would be interested in going for a VBAC next time.
Obsetrician (spelling??) said something about the shape of my pelvis (prominant sacrum), and this might be why DD got into that position. But I can't remember exactly what she said as I was in labour!!
Would I be able to find out?

sometimes a brow presentation can revert back to a normal flexed position...i would go through your notes with a MW or efven the obstetrician and get more info. the shape of your pelvis and the bits around it can impact on the way you carry your baby and how labour progresses.. but it is definitely worth finding out more.. any osteopaths or physios who might be able to advise?

So far all DCs have been OP, DC3 is currently OP but I have 5.5 weeks to convince him to turn

Here goes

DD1

1)how many hours you were having contractions before labour was established?
3.5 DAYS TO GET TO 3CM

2)how long from 3 cm - 10 cm?
32 HOURS

3)how long the second stage was?
15 MINUTES OF PUSHING

4)and if the baby was born face up/face to pubes/stargazing?
FACE DOWN APPARENTLY (JUST ASKED DH) NO IDEA WHAT THAT SIGNIFIES THOUGH PLEASE EXPLAIN...

DD2

1)how many hours you were having contractions before labour was established?
JUST UNDER 3 DAYS TO GET TO 3CM

2)how long from 3 cm - 10 cm?
16 HOURS

3)how long the second stage was?
6 MINUTES OF PUSHING

4)and if the baby was born face up/face to pubes/stargazing?
FACE DOWN AGAIN APPARENTLY.

Thanks Lulu Will definitely ask to go through my notes with someone before I decide about VBAC.
Someone on here mentioned seeing an osteopath, so I will consider this too.

Just out of interest, how do you get a brow presentation baby to move back to normal? Or does the baby just do this spontaneously?

BBM - face down means thAT THEY TURNED DURING LABOUR (oops) from OP to OA. This is good as makes them easier to get out.

If they stay OP then they are born face up or 'stargazing'

this is a great thread. I was v proud of myself for managing to birth ds2 by myself with no drugs, after the hideousness that was ds1's (with every sort of pain relief going lol)

feel even better now I know I've experienced the worst. I didn't realise how common it was to have trouble delivering OP baby/brow presentation (which ds2 was) and he was 9lb 5.

then again, I was at home, so I guess I didn't really have a choice. it bloody hurt when the head came out though, so maybe next time if I have a normal one it will hurt less.

and well done everyone else who has had an OP baby because it's bloody hard work

Thankyou wb - after reading all the posts on here I realised that was what must have happened. I'm guessing, with my two long labours they must have turned towards the end of the labour. No idea really - bit embarrassing too, you'd think after so much time spent in labour I might know a bit more about it all

no worries patty , soemtiems tehy can move to a better presentation during labour, i would not worry too much about it now.... definitely investigate what happened last time.

thank you everyone for sharing x

thanks jules, will look now

Peppermint Patty - you poor thing (feeling guilty about the CS). I felt the same about the forceps, until DH looked at me askance and pointed out that I'd burst all the blood vessels in one of my eyes. I knew I was pushing!!

Will post on this thread in three weeks when I (hope I will) have had DC2 to let you all know! I have similar concerns about shape of pelvis causing brow pres (also seem to have really prominent coccyx following forceps that I can feel when doing perineal massage... MW unconcerned but I am a bit ) but new baby is engaged which never happened with DD so with any luck that's a good sign.