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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Back to back labours - are they realy awful??

37 replies

DrSkidaddle · 18/02/2010 19:44

Am 39+5 - saw MW today and she told me - for the 1st time- that my baby is back to back. This is my 3rd baby and my other two were anterior. I had been hoping for a labour like my last one which was straightforward, pretty quick and with no pain relief. Am now panicking that this will be impossible if my baby is back to back.

Can anyone give me any positive experiences of a back to back labour (and any negative ones - might as well be prepared...)

Thanks

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SirBoobAlot · 18/02/2010 19:52

DS was back to back for the majority of labour, though turned before delivery. It was my first labour and delivery, so can't compare it to anything else but it was okay. The problems had nothing to do with him being back-to-back, and I managed with a TENS and an unsuccessful epidural. Best of luck!

MamaG · 18/02/2010 19:53

BabyG was back to back and i didn't find the labour any more painful than my other two, but the other two were inductions so that may be why - I was told that inductions can be more painful. i've never had a "normal" birth to compare it to!

yes, it bloody hurt, but it was certainly managable. Up until the point where BabyG didn't come out and I had an emCS but that was nothing to do with him being b2b

SpicedGerkin · 18/02/2010 20:00

Not more painful, the pain was in my back rather than towards the front.

Original poster

DrSkidaddle · 18/02/2010 20:01

Thanks sirboobalot, I wonder if a TENS machine might be a good idea for a back-to-back labour - didn't do much for me 1st time round but might help if all the pain is in my back

eek at EmCS mamag but good to know that back-to-back isn't worse than induction

I wonder if it too late for the scribbing the floors on all fours stuff - head is engaged so not sure if he will turn now - does anyone know?

OP posts:

meep · 18/02/2010 20:03

TENS is great for back to back labour!

I think they can still turn - some even when labour starts.

reddaisy · 18/02/2010 20:05

I had back to back labour and it was really awful and ended in an emergency c-section but that was probably because of a lot of things.

I was coping ok while I was at home by walking around the house during contractions etc to help ease the pain.

But at hospital I was induced by a drip because my labour wasn't progressing enough and I couldn't move around because of the drip and they were monitoring the baby by then too so I think that was the worst part.
The pain was so much worse than I ever imagined but I don't know how much of that was back to back or the induction or the fact that I was forced to labour on a bed against my wishes.

My dd never changed position and her head wasn't presenting properly so after 54 hours I ended up having an emergency c-section.

But if you know already that your baby is back to back I think there are ways to try and get it to change position so good luck!!! And if not, there is always an epidural like I had in the end! ;-) Worked a treat!

Original poster

DrSkidaddle · 18/02/2010 20:22

reddaisy - have started thinking about an epidural which is a far cry from the hippy dippy water birth I had planned!

thanks meep - going to go down and watch corrie on all fours....

any more encouraging stories most appreciated!

OP posts:

Lilybunny · 18/02/2010 20:27

Hi Dr, have you checked out the spinning babies website? It's worth a look!
www.spinningbabies.com/

Firawla · 18/02/2010 20:32

my ds1 was back to back, it was much more painful than ds2 but i think due to a combination of back to back, induced and being 1st baby.. so not ONLY cos of the back to back iyswim..
why not just see how it goes? if you feel you need an epidural just see at the time. i did have one for that birth and it helped a lot, ds2 i didn't need it but i dont regret it for my 1st i found it great at the time, so just keep an open mind for it?
anyway you'll be okay, you'll get through it and have a lovely baby @ the end

BuckBuckMcFate · 18/02/2010 20:36

Hi, please don't worry, I've had 3 babies, the last 2 births were back to back and they were much easier than the 1st.

I used a birthing ball and it was fab, I just kept moving around on it until I found a position (not a very dignified one I'll admit, low, low squat with legs very wide apart)and I felt all the pain move from my back if that makes sense.

I will also add that I'd never contemplated using one, the MW asked did I feel ready for some pain relief, I replied Yes Please, she left the room and reappeared with the ball and I could've thrown it at her as I wanted G&A. But it made a huge difference in how I coped with the pain and didn't need G&A til much later.

Good luck!!!

lycheemartini · 18/02/2010 20:38

DD1 was back to back and I found a TENS very helpful throughout contractions. I was at 10 cms after 6 or so hours, but for me far and away the away the hardest part was pushing. DD1 was at a weird diagonal angle and I was pushing for 4 1/2 hrs, had an amubulance ride, a hr and a half wait for the doctor in stirrups and eventual forceps in theatre. The pain was unbeleiveable but I think this was the terrible angle of the head as well as being posterior. She was only 7lb 2.

My mum on the other hand delivered my brother who was posterior in 2 hours, completely naturally and he was 11 lb 4. Don't think it can really be predicted, position/angle is important, but I would say yes try everything you can to turn baby - there is still time, my baby was desperately trying to turn in labour but for some reason couldn't get around..and, I wouldn't attempt to have baby at midwife only unit as back to back is not a low risk birth.

EdgarAllenSnow · 18/02/2010 20:41

erm..DD was still back to back when i was 2.5 in. the m/w said it might take time to turn. half an hour later..i gave birth....
total time: 3 hours.

ds took longer and wasn't back to back.

so don't assume its going to go badly...

if you want an acive hippy-dippy birth go for that - why not start out with that premise?

MummyElk · 18/02/2010 20:47

hey drskid agree with edgar's point, go for what you want at first and see what happens. I haven't got an experience to tell you, but I have heard that contractions work in a sort of downwards spiral (corkscrew?) so babies do quite often turn during contractions, if they need to...
everything crossed for you lady!!
Hope Corrie on all fours is adding a different perspective, at the very least....

EdgarAllenSnow · 18/02/2010 20:49

back to back is still a low risk birth - mine was at home. it's not like breech.

my first midwife woul dhave used any excuse to get me in hospital - i don't doubt she'd have used that if she could!

nappyzonecantrunfortoffee · 18/02/2010 20:50

my first was b2b on dry land and i remember really bad low back ache and not so bad front contractions if that makes sense and it went on for what seemed forever but then it wa my first and i was probably being dramatic, apparetnly my 2nd was b2b also - i had a water birth and it was much better and quicker anyway. So a mixed bag of results there.

dickyduckydido · 18/02/2010 20:55

Can't say it was more painful but pushing was much more difficult due to the angle of baby's head. DD1 also put her head back which is apparently really common in back to back labours and ended up in forceps for me.

nappyzonecantrunfortoffee · 18/02/2010 20:57

ahh yes with dd they threatened me with venotouse as was pushing over an hr, the water defo helped the 2nd time as was more upright as well so gravity assisted i think.

Flightattendant · 18/02/2010 21:00

Hello,
my second was back to back - he started off kind of sideways, but was turning to be the other sort of sideways and as it was so fast, he came out 'OP'. (think that is right acronym?)
I did it without pain relief, whole thing only took 3 and a half hours. It was very sore and I screamed a lot but that was my first experience of 'natural' ha ha childbirth! So i was always a candidate to scream.
They said pushing stage would have been half what it was (15 as opposed to 30mins) if he hadn't been back to back.

There is still every chance your baby might turn - mine seemed perfectly primed before I really got going, then decided to turn, little sod!

lycheemartini · 18/02/2010 21:19

Sorry - I was not correct to say it's not a low risk birth, hence me starting off happily in midwife led unit, but chance of intervention much higher, and in hindsight would have been better for me to be nearer to that intervention than travelling by ambulance in second stage, mooing and roaring! Anyway it's different for everyone and still time to turn. Good luck - hope you have a great birth.

CMOTdibbler · 18/02/2010 21:25

DS was back to back, and it wasn't horrific. All the pain was in my back though, but having it rubbed hard worked wonders. Would have liked to try positions/water/ball, but had to be monitored continuously, so was on the bed

craftynclothy · 18/02/2010 21:38

Well dd2 went OP at the start of labour having always been OA at every antenatal beforehand. It was a much longer labour than dd1 (19hours compared with 2 hours ) and I had an epidural (though could still feel contractions) BUT it was far, far more enjoyable. I would definitely choose that labour over the other anyday.

FWIW I found that dh pressing on my lower back wonderful for the pain.

craftynclothy · 18/02/2010 21:39

Should have added the epidural was 15.5 hours into it

Original poster

DrSkidaddle · 18/02/2010 22:22

wow thanks for all the replies! So interesting and helpful to read all your different experiences. I am planning to have the baby at a MLU but luckily it is just upstairs from the main hospital delivery suite so if I do need more intervention/pain relief, it is only a lift ride, as opposed to an ambulance ride, away.

Very encouraged by how helpful water has been and now even more determined to have a water birth.

Was trying to remember the name of that spinningbabies website so thanks very much lilybunny

Feeling much calmer already, thanks all

OP posts:

becklespeckle · 18/02/2010 22:35

I wondered if this was you when I saw the thread title Skid!

DS1 was back to back and all my labour pains were in my back and legs instead of my stomach but it was no more painful than the other 2 labours. He did turn just before the pushing bit so I don't know if that helped but it was okay. It was a long labour but he was my first and was very big (I'm not) so got stuck during the pushing

Good luck!

confusedfirsttimemum · 19/02/2010 08:11

DrSkidaddle,

You've been told so me really useful stuff here, but can I just add one small downer?

I wanted to use water for pain relief, but DD was OP (and sort of nearly back to back) with the result that her head wasn't in the right place and progress was slow. I never got to the point where they'd let me in the water (which was 5cm I think) before we gave up and went for syntocin.

If I have the same labour next time, I will be thinking really hard in advance about coping strategies for back pain before you can get in the water. I was in agony lying down or sitting on a birth ball but I never thought of really fidgeting, squatting really low, demanding a really hard back rub (probably because it was my first).I wish I'd given more thought to that bit..

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