Back-to-back labour... is it really really horrible?!

[Picante]

Am 38 weeks today. I can't see this baby shifting her position that she's been in for months.

I had an epidural with ds (I think he may have been back-to-back and no-one told me as contractions were all in my back), but I'm planning a natural homebirth this time round.

How painful is it? Is it longer?

I'm leaning forward and sleeping on my left as much as possible but I just can't see her moving. Might she move in labour?

DD was born back to back. Labour was 7 hours, my waters were broken at 6cm and she was born an hour later so very fast last bit.
I had an epidural as like a PP I thought my back was going to snap.
I ended up with 16 stitches (tore au naturel) and a fractured cocyx from pushing.
This time I'm hoping DC2 will be looking downwards.

I'll also add that the contractions were not 'text book'. They were every 4mins from the first one, no gradual build up and up to a minute in length. Hospital said to come in then...I was 1cm!

Problem I found was I couldn't rest between contractions, as I couldn't do much other than stand and even then the pressure on my spine was so intense that I was in considerable pain. Wouldn't have mattered too much in a short labour (I managed with no pain relief for the first 24 hours and I'm no hero), but DS took nearly 48, so i ended up with a fair amount of intervention as I was too wiped out to cope. If it's your second, I'd bet you'll be okay. Your body'll sort it .

My 1st was back to back and because it was my 1st i didn't know any different or where i should expect to feel the pain so just got on with it.
The pain in my back and tummy combined made me very sick as it was very strong but the contractions were regular and there was respite in between them. My dd actually turned during delivery and i had no pain relief at all and needed no stitches. Established labour lasted about 8 hours.

Fast forward nearly 3 years to 2nd labour - ds is in a perfect position but the contractions were horrendous (and still some pain in my back) as they were coupling? i think - basically coming one on top of the other. No let up and although they didn't make me sick i had little relief from them and couldn't find any comfy position to get into (used the birthing ball both times and was way more effective the first time round). Established labour was only a couple of hours shorter.

What i'm basically saying is that a back to back labour may not be too bad! It wasn't for me (as far as horrendous pain can ever be lol) and i hope it isn't for you! Xx

My last labour was back to back and was induced. Labour was 3.5hrs and i was rushed to theatre as his heart rate wasn't recovering after each contraction. He did get 'stuck' but this was because not only was he back to back he had his head pushed back to one side and wedged against my hip.

The only only difference i notice from his birth to my 2 others was i had pulled the muscle in back during labour otherwise his birth was no more painfull then the other 2.

DD2 was born back-to-back, which wasn't picked up beforehand. I had a home birth, and found the pushing stage a little tricky, but certainly better than with DD1, who wasn't back-to-back. The MW just kept making me shift position in the pool, and when DD2's head popped out, she said, "Oh, you're facing the wrong way! No wonder that was taking so long!". It was still only 6 hours from waters breaking and first contraction to DD2 making her appearance.

But like I said, DD2 in the pool at home, even though she was back-to-back, was a million times easier than giving birth to DD1 where I was flat on my back on a hospital bed, completely exhausted after 27 hours of labour and 36 hours with no sleep!

yes dd was back to back.

no gap between contractions from when i was 1cm dilated. was sent back home from hospital.

also had that urge to push from around 6cm.

all fine though! laboured in water. moved on to gas and air.

My DS1 was back to back and it was terribly painful, but I found being in the water helped hugely, and when the contractions came, I rolled over so that I was leaning on the side of the pool.. removing gravity from the baby on my spine really helped. Active labour only 4 minutes by the way!

1st was back to back and 9lb12.
They didn't realise this until they yanked her out with forceps and realised that the ventouse had been attached to her face not the back of her head...she looked battered and bruised (but not as battered and bruised as my bloody fanjo)
i did have every bit of pain relief known to man and beast,wouldn't let the epidural wear off so i could push as was vomiting with the pain prior to getting the epidural in .
What i will say is i had dd2 with nothing-second labours are tonnes easier.

I've got nothing to compare it to mind, but noone realised that DS was back to back until I was pushing I opened my eyes for a second and suddenly the room had filled with midwives, interested students and two anaesthetists!

I had a ventouse delivery and epesiotomy and lots of G&A but DS was nearly 4 weeks early so was only 7.5lbs. I think I was quite lucky coz I was only in labour for 9 hours which is ace for the first!

Well i did it and didn't even know he was back to back until he came out looking at everyone!!!

I went into labour 4 days late while bathing DS1 at 8pm.

Midwife said everything was fine and was 3 cms dilated at 8.30pm.

DS1 took 2 hours 20mins to arrive so wasn't expecting to have an all nighter as it were!

Had a bath - was a home birth - and started on the gas and air as at 8.45pm the contractions were a min long and a min apart - just like DS1 when he made his mind up to come out!

Used gas and air 8 times, gave birth to him in his sack - the waters broke when his head came out - pushed 3 times and he was born at 9.58pm.

I was downstairs 3 hours later watching TV!!!

He is 9 months old today

Think it was different for me as i didn't know he was B2B so had no choice plus had added pressure & pain of pushing him out in his water basically.

The worst part was the pain in my "rear" for about 3 weeks after, B2B babies put added pressure on your back passage so it's really weird and uncomfotable for a while afterward.

My Best mate is a mid wife and delivered him so got all the inside info - the nasty bits they don't like to tell you IYKWIM!!!

Don't think about it, there's still time for baby to move. It's got to come out wither way so i'll keep my fingers crossed for you!!!

Oh and i delivered on my left hand side which is very rare and apparently more awkward / painfull!!! Just to be different
Think that was due to the fact DP was that side and i had him in a head lock

Mine was agony. 36 hours, puked throughout (because of pain I think) and DD was stuck and had to be taken out with ventouse. So please please on your knees and your birthball now. I hope yours won't be too bad. Good luck

DC#3 was born at home 5 wks ago and had turned almost back to back without anyone noticing. V similar labour to the previous 2, and quick - 4.5 hrs from 1st contraction with 5 mins of pushing - but the later contractions were more 'stinging' than I remembered with the others and I was v glad the MWs were there to tell me when to push and when to take light short breaths. I used TENS for pain relief and did turn it up higher which helped backache, also worked thru conractions by gyrating my backside whilst leaning on a gymball - I did this without thinking and reckon it helped turn him as he was being born - like a screw thread motion if that makes sense. He was 10lb with a huge head - no stitches thanks to great MWs! Good luck and don't worry .

Am on my knees as we speak...

Picante - in particular, go on your hands and knees when the baby is awake and kicking and moving.

But there could be a reason why the baby isn't turning - position of palcenta, cord, shape of uterus for example, so try not to worry too much. The chances are he will turn in labour - all three of my babies were OP before labour started, two turned of their own accord; dd2 didn't turn (possibly because she had the cord twice around her neck, I don't know). All three were natural births with no intervention.

Good luck, I shall be watching the birth announcements!.

A home birth is likely to make things easier. I had a back to back brow presentation at home much easier than I had a normal presentation DS in hospital!

Midwives were amazed when they realised her position as I was coping with the contractions really well. Back pressure helped as has been mentioned as did being on front in birth pool. Swaying my hips whilst hanging onto something like some pole dancer also helped immensely

Saying that I pushed for nearly 3 hours (heart rate was fine so she let me carry on) as the position was terrible. DD turned in the end but never tucked her head.

It is manageable - I just had a bit of gas and air and I am certainly not 'hard' lol

my second labour was back to back and it was rough in the extreme. I couldn't cope with the pain and ended up pushing for 3 and a half hours ending in theatre.
Like previous posters I found that there was no gaps between contractions. I would have maximum drugs next time as I was traumatised by the pain.

haven't read all the replies, but both my labours were back-to-back. DS 14hour labour, ended with ventouse and he came out looking upwards. DD 7 hours, hoping for home birth but transferred at last minute as meconium in waters - she arrived not long after I got into hospital, she turned at the last minute, as when I got in to hosp I had to get up on the bed for monitoring, and I think she turned when I moved from my side to my back. (she was big baby - 9lb 9oz, so that probably helped too).

I think it helped me 2nd time knowing what to expect, having been through it before I knew all the pain would be in my back, wouldn't stop and that I'd feel this hideous urge to push, long before anybody said I could (from about 5cm) so for 4 hours it was the non-stop contractions, trying my best not to push. With my first labour, nobody told me why I wasn't allowed to push, and I was quite traumatised after delivery, thinking they'd stopped me pushing when my body told me to push and that was why I ended up in theatre. When my midwife explained after the event that the head presents in your pelvic area differently and causes immense pressure it made sense. Definitely manageable at home, esp if you're prepared for what's involved - just make sure there's plenty of G&A on offer!

In fact a home delivery reduces the chances of intervention, as I think they tend to jump in quicker with back-to-back to push for ventouse/forceps. I was prepared for the fact that I might have been transferred in if mec in waters or baby's heart rate gone down, so that way I wasn't disappointed when it happened (gritting teeth over every bump mind you - 17miles! and DH was trying to keep up with the ambulance at 100mph).
Good luck, active as possible will also help.

ps I never had an internal during labour - MWs went with what I was feeling rather than trying to measure me all the time - and because I could feel the cervix effacing and the head coming down under its own steam I knew that was different from the normal pushing urge. Odd senstion though - would have been more difficult if it had been my first.

mine were long, hours and hours to get to 3/4 cms but tbh i found them bearable, i didn't even know ds1 was OP til he came out still facing the wrong way!

i think dd was too and turned during labour.

both of them were drawn out affairs but i managed both pain relief free and only found the pain overwhelming in transition, which was the same as my non OP labour

My 2nd dd was back to back,have no idea when she got into that position as midwife only realised after telling me i was'nt pushing hard enough then she was like"sorry it's back to back,not your fault" I must say it was more painfull than dd1 but then again i had epidural with dd1 and only gas and air 2nd time which i did'nt use near the end,ttc for no.3 at mo and think i'd still go without epidural nxt time,think it's just harder to push out when back to back,but if my dd2 got into that position at the last mo then yours could move too Good luck x

picante, it's not just on your knees you need to be but on your knees with your bum in the air so that the baby is released from the pelvis a bit and can actually turn.

good luck

btw... i found with both my boys that pushing when i had the urge, even though mws told me not to, opened everything up and they shot out... just my experiance though

Dd was back to back - interesting to read other experiences here - as it was my 1st labour had nothing to compare it to - also had no gaps between contractions and urge to push from 5 cm. Managed first 18 hours on just g&a but ended up with epidural as knackered after 3 nights in hosp with no sleep! Hoping 2nd will not be quite as long - over 48hrs from waters breaking to meeting my lo....

DS (first and only - so far) was back to back. The midwife who came to see me when I was in the early stages of labour wrote it in my notes but never told me. I was on a birthing ball or all fours most of the way through anyway as it was the only way I could get comfy.

Midwives wouldn't come out and asked me to go in to hospital as I could talk on the phone, sounded calm, etc. Got to hospital to be told I was nearly 10 cm dilated already.

Went back home and nearly managed a homebirth but had loads of blood in my waters and was ambulanced back into hospital.

DS was born 4 hours later and surprised everyone when he came out the wrong way round (maybe none of the hospital midwives read the notes til later either ).

I had a slight tear but all in all I didn't think the whole thing was too bad. I was more annoyed about the months I spent perching and sitting on a birthing ball when I could've been slumped on the sofa anyway!