any ideas/tips on turning a posterior baby?

[Anabellesmumanddad]

This is my second pregnancy and this munchkin is posterior (back against my back, instead of back against my bellybutton) just like her sister.
Midwife has made some suggestions but I am hoping some of you can shed some light on ways to encourage baby to rotate or even share stories of posterior births? Our first ended up in a Csection and I have only just now started believing that this one could be different.

You could try accupuncture - the lady I see claims a good success rate at turning babies, although I didn't have cause to try it. I hope all goes well for you.

Have a look on the homebirth.org site. There is information on OFP (optimum fetal positioning).

Bouncing around on birthing ball, laying in bed on your left side, when sitting make sure your knees are lower than your pelvis etc etc

Good luck xx

hi, best thing is to keep as upright or preferably forward as you can, so if possible, no sitting in the car or on sofas and when you are at home, spend time on all fours perhaps leaning on a birth ball. Think of you tunny as a hammock, if you lean back it's very difficult for baby to be anterior, whereas is you are leant forward, it's very difficult for it to stay posterior. If this baby doesn't turn round, it shouldn't mean you need another c-sec. My first was apparently posterior but was only four hours labour, whereas second was anterior and a longer labour!!! good luck!

My baby was posterior still managed to have normal birth though it was bloody hard work! (altough I suppose all births are hard work!) Was my own fault lots slouching on the sofa! Would not do it again get on that birthing ball immediately!

You don't even need a birthing ball, if you don't have one.
Sit on a dining chair to watch tv, but the opposite way round, leaning forward onto the back (Christine Keeler stylee).
When you sit on the sofa, wedge some cushions under your bottom so you're not leaning back. Or kneel on a cushion on the floor instead.
Apparently scrubbing the floor is really good too.
Basically anything that keeps you from leaning back...the hammock image is a good one.
I had a v dodgy futon sofa when pregnant and kept my feet up - all not quite the right thing! I had an anterior placenta as well, so was not surprised that ds was OP. However I did not have a back labour and he turned (quite violently iirc!) during labour. Back labour isn't inevitable but I guess you can't tell, so it's good to be thinking of trying to encourage the baby to turn.

Thanks for all your advice

I had a posterior birth but they didn't figure this out until they had stuck the ventouse across my DDs face and when that failed they used forceops. Eventually she came out with a fractured skull, 2 bleeds on the brain and a stay in NICU. My advice to anyone that knows they have a baby in the prosterior is to go for a c-section. I know I will be next time regardless of a posterior presentation or not!!! - JUST IN CASE!!!

sweeties

am so sorry you had a difficult time, sounds absolutely horrendous

are you sure your baby was posterior rather than a face presentation?

on the whole posterior babies can make for a longer, slower labour, but very rarely does it result in such a horrible ordeal

many women do have OP babies and a far less traumatic birth, i don;t think what happened to you was the norm by any means, and i certainly don;t want to diminish the dreadful time oyu had.

did you debrief afterwards, it sounds absolutely frightening and you must have been very worried.

My third was posterior (anterior placenta). I did all the birthing ball, rocking on all fours, watching how I sat stuff for weeks and it made no difference at all.

Labour wasn't really worse than the others. It probably took longer to establish but I don't think it was more painful. 2nd stage was really fast. She arrived within 3 mins of getting to the hospital - I had just managed to strip off, get on my knees on the bed and she basically exploded out, landing on the bed face up and screaming!

It is certainly not a reason to try and elect for a C-section. Lulumama is right to say that on average it is thought to make for a longer, slower labour. Nothing more. Everyone I know who has had a high intervention labour/birth had normally positioned babies.

By the way, cane one just 'elect' to have a C-section anymore? I thought they had tightened up on this.

yes - she was def prosterior. I requested my notes once i was discharged so that i could make a formal complaint. The registrar actually came to my bed in the middle of the night to wake me to apologise for what he had done and for not realising/checking that she was presenting this way. We are currently TTC (after spending a lot of time worrying that the same thing would happen again) and I've been told that I can have a c-section no problem - thanks goodness for that!

crikey, that is the worst OP birth i have ever, ever heard.

i hope you get pregnant and have a much more positive experience this time round, am not surprised you have opted for an el c.s after what you went through

did anything come of your complaint?

Just a letter with their sincere apologies and the registrar being 'moved on' to another hospital (I think training for him would have been a better option!!!!) We looked in to suing but we were told that we wouldn't have a case unless she was confirmed brain damaged. DD finally got the all clear that everything was ok at 3 months old so suing wasn't an option - fine by me - I would rather have a well baby than money any day.

I'm still baffled as to why, in this day and age, mistakes like this are allowed to happen.

Anabellesmumanddad - sorry to hijack your thred.

am delighted your daughter is well.

re mistakes - doctors, midwives, obstetricians etc are only human.. it is easy to say, mistakes happen, but when it happens to you , you want answers and reasons. an inexperienced, overtired or careless doctor can make a mistake and it can have terrible consequences. i hope that lessons were learnt from what happened to you and again, am glad to hear your daughter is fine and you good luck TTC

Thanks lulamama - will post in the conception sction if we have any luck.

hello, my baby was posterior from about 30 weeks, and i tried EVERYTHING to move her, from sleeping on LHS, to sitting forwards with knees lower than pelvis, to slouching over exercise ball, acupuncture - you name it i tried it. sadly i obviously didn't try hard enough or she was a stubborn baby. ended up having emergency c-section after 18 hour labour with lots and lots of drugs. good luck, i really hope your's turns for you.