Baby is back to back

[ticks]

Hi - am due today and my baby is back to back, or OP. My first baby was as well and labour was horrendous (v long). Has anyone got any tips or experience that they can give me? E.g. second time it will be really quick and won't hurt?!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1365&threadid=255626#5126243

that should be a helpful thread

Just try and keep on your feet and as active as possible. Try spending time on all fours, bent over a bean bag or birthing ball.

My dd was OP and the contractions lasted for 5 days. Having said that, I had a waterbirth, which really, really helped.

oh - thanks very much i'll have a read.

Google optimal foetal positioning...
Have a good look through the Radical Midwives archives...very enlightening!
Lots of labours with an OP baby end up not being the agonising back labour type - there was a MN thread recently - my own experience of an OP baby was not a long-drawn-out extremely painful labour, it was fine and 9h from beginning to end.
The crucial thing is to lean forward and stay upright (kneeling or standing) in labour, so there is more chance of the baby rotating before the second stage (my ds did this so was born OA).
You've potentially got a couple of weeks (sorry!) so you could put some of the OFP ideas into practice: sit on a birth ball or a kitchen chair a la Christine Keeler, rather than reclining on the sofa; scrub the floors!; etc...more on website.
Good luck!

Just to give you some optimism - DS was OP and my labour was 10 hours from first contraction to delivery.

mine was 18 hours , but 15 hours was getting to 3cm, she turned and as soon as she did, my labour was very quick.. the key for me was staying active, upright and mobile for as long as i could, whihc allowed her to move... it took her an hour to turn, i had no pain relief and that was by far the worst part of my labour.... DO NOT LIE ON YOUR BACK!! t

ooh thanks everyone, i've just had a quick scan through that link lulumama and that's made me feel much better. how weird, the thread is from the same date last year! prunipud, i think you are right, it feels like it is weeks off rather than hours. i am going to have the cleanest floors around!

My dd turned some time during the labour as well. Although the contractions lasted for several days, like Lulumama, once I got to 3 cm, it went very quickly - only about 3 hours I think, so I suspect she turned just before this.

My baby is not back to back but I am trying to persuade him to go from back to my right to back to my left on the advice of my mw. My current fave is sitting back to front on a dining chair with a big fluffy sofa cushion in front of me to lean over. Very relaxing for sore back too. Lo finds it a bit strange I think, keep on getting little hands and feet gently prodding my stomach wall (he is not normally gentle ).

Chiropractors are supposed to be good for this arent' they?