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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Back-to-back

21 replies

Kidneybean2016 · 23/01/2019 20:19

Just had a mid-wife appointment this afternoon at 38+3 and our baby has moved to a back-to-back decision. I’ve spent some time this evening on birthing ball and also on all fours but found this very difficult and uncomfortable. Does anyone have any experiences of turning their baby or advice for a back-to-back labour? Thanks in advance x

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Highonthehill · 23/01/2019 20:33

My dd was back to back..... I'm afraid i can't give you an easy ride story.

I went into early labour.... horrible pain, 1st visit to hospital 1cm dilated sent home... another day of contractions.
2nd day contractions ramping up still in pain went back to hospital... 2cm dilated sent home after a sweep and stronger painkillers.
3rd day... contractions stopped.... started again later that day.... went through the evening into late night and I couldn't stand the pain. Using tens machine, walking, bouncing, paracetamol I was in agony.
Went back to hospital.... 3cm dilated. They realised needed to intervene. Was put into gas and air.... still no movement so taken back up to ward.....
Next morning contractions stopped again .... few hours later they had ramped back up and I was 4cm dilated.
Eventually taken back down to delivery and on gas and air. Contractions very strong and in agony.
They gave me pethedine but things still weren't moving quickly so got an epidural...

I then slept for a few hours and eventually got to 9cm. There was a lip that just wouldn't budge so midwife gave me a hand... Eventually 10cm.

At some point they popped my waters.

They let me push for an hour and I needed to push (felt like I needed to poo, horrid sensation)

After an hour and 2 ultrasounds they realised baby was not turning so took me down to theatre with full spinal block in case they needed to do c section if they couldn't turn baby.

With the midwife telling me to push and forceps they turned baby and after 3 pushes she came out. Had a tiny tear.

They basically said because she was back to back or sunny side up she wasn't pushing down properly therefore not causing me to dilate quickly or come out easily.

Part of me thinks if I wasn't lying on my back things may have been different but to be honest I was exhausted and having contractions stop twice and having days of contractions let alone weeks of braxton hicks I needed help to get baby out.

Dreamt of a water birth but it didn't happen but I don't remember any of the pain and have various memories of different things happening.

However everyone's stories are different .

Carry on with the ball, try cleaning a floor! Anything that gets you on all fours

CosmicComet · 23/01/2019 20:42

My situation was similar. Back to back baby wasn’t descending and pushing on cervix so I didn’t dilate beyond 4cm. After a couple of days of failing to progress they gave up and I had a c section. Also the pain was horrific, even diamorphine didn’t take the edge off, they had to give me an epidural. I was told afterwards that the excessive pain was due to the back to back position.

MilkTwoSugarsThanks · 23/01/2019 20:46

Back to back is the main reason DS is an only. Sorry OP.

He is a bloody lovely chap though 😁

MayFayner · 23/01/2019 20:49

I have had two back-to-back babies. I had epidurals for both, but for DD it was a long time (24 hours) before they gave me the epidural which wasn’t great.

With DS1 (13 years later) I was offered an epidural straight away as soon as I was admitted, and I was very glad of that.

I didn’t have ventouse or forceps with either of them but the pushing stage was longish for both.

Just as comparison, DS2 was not back to back and the birth was easy. I didn’t get anywhere near needing an epidural and he was 9lb9oz 😂

Your baby might turn again and even if you go into labour still b2b, your baby can still turn during labour.

Eyespywithmycynicaleye · 23/01/2019 20:50

After being induced early for pre-eclampsia my baby moved into the back to back position while I was only 1cm dilated. Contractions were very painful, would get 2 together then a longer break between them than I did before she moved.

After a few hours my waters broke, I was moved to the Labour ward and given and epidural as well as has and air and morphine. Labour was fine after I got proper pain medicine and I slept through most of it. Baby was born after only 3 pushes so really quick and easy.

Aprilshowersarecomingsoon · 23/01/2019 20:53

2 back to back labours. First one the mw sent me walking round the local park for an hour!! Second one was wired up to the monitor on the opposite side I slept on. Ds wasn't happy and they mentioned a csection. I suggested I turned over and ds's heart rate settled down. Not a bad labour.
Except I was expected a dd and ds showed up. Bizarre day that was!!

Highonthehill · 23/01/2019 20:53

Should add... despite days of agony and trying every section of the Labour ward and dh being traumatised we plan to do it again

MadeForThis · 23/01/2019 20:55

Don't panic. I've had 2 back to back babies.

No1. Pains woke me up at 3:30am. Just crampy. In hospital by 7:30am and 7cm. Dd born at 1:30pm. Very sore but what labour isn't. Small cut to help her out.

No2. Pains start 10pm. In hospital 11pm and 8cm. C section at 2am as she was brow first which has to be a section. If not she would have been out by midnight.

Everyone has a different labour. Lots of pain in your back. Tens machine helps at the start. Then gas and air was enough.

Tinyteatime · 23/01/2019 20:58

My b2b labour wasn’t too bad in comparison. It was fairly long and I had no regular contractions, with a strong pain in the back the whole time. I don’t realise until I had dc2 that you normally get a break in between contractions. I had diamorphine and gas and air. Baby came out fine with a fair amount of pushing. No interventions needed. It was more pleasant for me than a non back to back labour with the syoxytocin drip that’s for sure.

SweetheartNeckline · 23/01/2019 21:03

My youngest was back to back. The pain was more intense than my previous labours and the contractions didn't seem to begin or end. The midwife tried to keep my waters from breaking as long as possible as it's easier for baby to turn in the waters than out.

However from realising I was in labour to her being born was only about 8 hours and I was ambulant and using paracetamol for most of it although I did have an epidural at the end. No stitches or tears, normal blood loss, home in 6 hours.

I am currently expecting another child and wouldn't be unduly worried if I was told he was back to back.

KnightError · 23/01/2019 21:04

DC1 decided to become back to back just before he was born. He was supposed to be a home birth, but we ended up being ambulanced to hospital as he was 10lb plus and became very seriously stuck (I am 5 foot and 6 stone). He was eventually delivered via forceps as he was too low down for EMCS.

FWIW, I could have dealt with the back-to-back pain as I am a very tough nut and had already said 'no drugs' on my birth plan. The MWs (who were brilliant) went with this. It was the 'getting stuck' that was a nuisance. I could have done without the week in hospital (blood transfusion, allergic to antibiotics, unconscious for a day, in HDU, etc). The reconstructive vaginal surgery post-birth wasn't great, either.

Original poster

Kidneybean2016 · 23/01/2019 21:05

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and advice. I was hoping for a more normal birth after my first being induced at 37 weeks due to them thinking that he would be small. I have a tens machine to use when the time comes but I’m the meantime I think my floors will be super shiny. How early/ late were your labours?x

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KnightError · 23/01/2019 21:06

Will add that subsequent DC were ELCS on medical advice. I am not sorry, despite my desire for home birth, no drugs, etc.

seeingdots · 23/01/2019 21:07

My first was back-to-back but turned of her own accord during labour. My labour was pretty quick and straightforward 4.5h from first contraction, only 30 min of pushing. G&A only, and I only got that at the point of pushing. I'm not going to say it was a fun time but definitely not the long and complex delivery I'd worried myself silly about after reading a number of horror stories!

PerfectPeony · 23/01/2019 21:08

Hi OP.

Not a massively positive story but it ended well!

I got advice to try to turn baby but didn’t really think anything of it (she was on her side at around 38 weeks).

By the time labour came (started naturally day before due date). I had very painful contractions 5 mins apart for 19 hours- couldn’t sit down or sleep! Begged to go into hospital! I was only 1cm!!

I got some pethidine so managed to nap, they broke my waters and I still only got to 3cm after 5 more hours. At this point I lost control a bit as I found the contractions really intense. I was tired and scared it would get worse and nothing was happening. I begged for an epidural (took ages to get) but once I had it, things were great. I did have to go on the drip as labour basically stopped but another 10 hours later DD was born with no intervention.

If your baby stays back to back I would see how it goes but consider epidural. Although, I have nothing to compare it to of course.

PerfectPeony · 23/01/2019 21:10

Also make sure you hire a tens machine! It saved me and I would have struggled in latent labour without it.

MadeForThis · 23/01/2019 21:17

Dd1 was on her due date
Dd2 was 6 days over

herethereandeverywhere · 23/01/2019 21:21

Mine was induced at 40+12 delivered 40+13. Like PP said the pain didn't have gaps like contractions you are told to expect, so no rest/break whatsoever. Pain was everywhere belly, back and especially groin. Hospital withholding epidural as I wasn't dilated enough didn't help. So I had 8 hours of that shit plus 4 hours of them doing stuff to the epidural before I actually got pain relief. She tried to turn herself but got stuck in 'deep transverse arrest'. I'm 5'2 and was 8.5st prior to pregnancy. Husband is huge with a massive head. She was 8lb9.
Ended in Keillands forceps which caused lots of damage to me and baby.
My second was ELCS as a result. My advice? If it comes to induction, refuse and have a cs instead.

Highonthehill · 23/01/2019 21:22

As she held on dd ended up being born on her due date.

I forgot as well that I used clary sage to help keep contractions going. Massages it,oil burner and bathed in it.

Bringbackthestripes · 23/01/2019 21:30

I spent a couple of months on all fours because I was scared I would have a BTB baby.

DC was still delivered agonisingly back to back.

Two weeks early, contractions started Sunday afternoon.......DC was ventoused out Wednesday morning after a sweep, which did nothing, and then a drip to force contractions after my contractions stopped. Tens machine didn’t touch the pain and it was constant.

Stupidly my birth plan said just gas and air. I was praying for EMCS by the end just so I could be knocked out. I wish I hadn’t been so against having an epidural but the midwife at antenatal classes went on about how it was unfair to have drugs cross the placenta and affect the baby by the time I was begging for one they said it was too late- it was still several hours before DC was dragged into the world.

Have an epidural.

Original poster

Kidneybean2016 · 23/01/2019 21:35

Thanks everyone. So much to consider. Last labour I went in with a very set image of how I wanted labour to be but as you can imagine that had to change. This time I have decided to go with the flow. I didn’t have an epidural last time and was set against it but this time I think it will be something I will have at the forefront of my mind, especially if it’s a long labour x

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