Posterior baby - advice for a friend needed please

[littlemissbossy]

I'm posting this for one of my best friends who is due in 2 weeks and is not a mumsnetter (well not yet anyway!). This week her midwife has confirmed that her baby (2nd) is in a posterior position and as a result her labour will be longer and more painful... but hasn't offered her any advice on what she can do to change this.

So has anyone else suffered from this? and were you encouraged to do anything to help the baby move?

Any advice will be most gratefully received - she's panicking now!!!

TIA

this article gives alot of information about the posterior position

here

Being on all fours and rocking gently and having your pelvis higher than your head are exercises recommended to encourage the baby to turn

all the best to your friend

Hi - dd2 was posterior and I was advised to sleep on my left side, not slouch back in chairs and to scrub the floor on all fours(!). Baby duly flipped round - only to flip back the night I went into labour, but don't tell your friend that ;)

One more tip my antenatal teacher gave me was to sit backwards on a kitchen chair, like a cowboy (you know, facing the back of the chair).
If you do a search for MN threads, you'll find posters who had posterior labours and didn't find them any more painful (people who have had more than one child so have a comparison). One of my friends didn't even realise baby no. 2 had been posterior until the midwife told her. So it's not always as bad as you might think. But best avoided if possible as it can be very painful.

My baby turned from posterior last week after a fortnight or so of being on my hands and knees for half an hour, three times a day. Also had an osteopath perform a diaphramatic release, a very subtle, gentle chiropractic move - details on the Radical Midwives website. That seemed to do the trick! Definately worth taking action if you ask me. Wish her good luck from Toots

Thanks for your responses so far, i've spoken to her on the phone and she is encouraged by your words of wisdom Her midwife had not given her any ideas of what to do, just informed her she'd be getting back ache sooner or later!!

If you ask me her midwife should be giving her a lot more advice and support, poor thing, I am shocked to hear how bad the antenatal care can be in some places, all of the advice below is bog standard and her midwife SHOULD know that.

Sorry just venting.....

reflexology and or acupressure techniques can help to encourage posterior babies to turn.

Can I add to all this wonderful advice that 2nd labours which are posteriors tend to be far less problematic as the efficiency of the uterus to contract usually turns the baby into an anterior position (much more favourable) during labour, if baby hasn't turned before the start of labour.
I think her MW is silly for saying this as it is not helpful and not at all necessarily corrrect that in HER case (2nd time mum) it would indeed be more painful or longer.
Tell her to avoid panicking as it will not help in anyway.... seriously... baby has to come out, she can do all she can try to encourage it to turn, if it doesn't she could well have an easy labour and if it is unbearble, using a pool is great for a back labour (great pain relief!)

Also, try the spinning babies site. I followed the advice and dd was in optimal position for labour (which was only 2hrs, and she's my first!). Would def recommend it.

Message withdrawn

Bugger - there was something on this on Discovery Health - one of the baby programmes and it was something dead simple - the midwife said she was skeptical at first but it seemed to work BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IS WAS!!!!!!

(I realise this is a useless post - but someone else might have seen it and remember!)

thanks everyone for your advice, I'm going to print it out for my friend and give it to her tomorrow - I've already told her to get scrubbing her floors

How did your friend get on? I have been told at 40 weeks my DB is now posterior and I am hoping to turn her.....

My dd was posterior - I don't remember it being more painful than I'd expected, but it did take 3 days (don't tell your friend that!). Thing is, she was anterior at my last antenatal and I had no idea she'd turned to posterior until I was well into labour so these things can change right up to the last minute. I've heard second time around they find it much easier to turn so fingers crossed for your friend.