Back 2 back baby- your experience

[Lulusunflowers]

Hi Ladies,
So i'm just shy of 35 weeks and have been informed my baby is lying back to back/sunny side up.
Midwife has said not to worry for now as I have plenty of time to see if baby flips over ectt
I've started doing pelvic exericises every day, including forward leaning on a ball and being more conscious on how I sit (no leaning back)
Just wondering if any of you have experienced similar and what week did your baby turn and stay put?
Or if baby was stuborn and stayed where they were, how was your labour?
I've heard mixed things around back2back labour with it being more painful/longer and more liklihood of tearing or needing intervention.
Please sure your experiences, good or bad. First time mumma so feeling a little anxious about it all
Thank you in advance xxx

My DC was back to back at 35 weeks. I spent most of the following 6 weeks bouncing on a ball or lying on across the ball. DC had turned by 41 weeks. I didn’t even realise they had turned.

I think DC1 was back to back as I felt every contraction in my back. I was hooked up to the CTG, and they lost contact multiple times which I think was her turning the correct way around. No-one mentioned anything, so I assume she came out the correct way up at the end.

DC2 was definitely back to back. I had a bedside scan before the ARM as baby had not long been breech before. It was an odd labour as it was easier, but at the same time much longer than my first one. I had some feeling of needing to push, but I was only 4cm, which is a sign baby was still back to back. I had an epidural late on, as I couldn't take the pain any more. In the end I didn't progress any further than 5cm on top of signs of baby distress and I had a C-section. Turns out baby was not only back to back, but had tipped his head back (deflexed head) as well. He was completely stuck and undeliverable vaginally.

4 b2b, 1 breach here. Short painful labours on the whole but no really problematic damage and babies all good. My breach baby was turned and so came out the right way round.

My DS was back to back but I didn’t know. I had an epidural really early so didn't feel any pain. I had a forceps delivery where they had to turn him and then deliver him.

if the baby is still back to back can you ask for an epidural early on (if you want one)? Can you ask your midwife for advice about what to do?

I wish you all the best with everything 🌸

Thank you all for your responses, alot of food for thought xx

Two of mine were B2B.

My “bad” delivery was in the perfect position and barely 8lb. It ended up being a traumatic delivery experience.
My easiest delivery was B2B and 10.5 lb - I was up and about and could have been dancing the next morning with no tearing.
My other B2B and “normal” were both pretty straightforward.

Honestly, I tried all the old wives tales to make a baby turn and none of them made any difference. Thirty odd years later this is still my stubbornest DC 😀

My bad delivery was in a maternity unit which at the time was supposed to be flagship modern unit. It was so awful that I had the others at home.

For me, the quality of midwifery care seemed to make a striking difference. At home I had two experienced community midwives with me, they immediately suggested the best positions for the lie of the baby and the whole experience was calmer, less stressful and with consistent care through the delivery. All my home deliveries had gas and air available and I used a TENS unit in earlier labour. Pethidine was available but I declined it as I react badly to it.

I would talk to recent new mothers using your planned maternity unit to see how they found the care. Ask them about continuity of care during their time on the labour ward, ask about ratios of staff to labouring women. Also if they requested epidurals ask them how long they waited and if they actually received them. Labouring women are a very low priority for anaesthesia in most hospitals unless they are en route to theatre.

Both mine were back to back. Like pp I felt all my labour pains in my lower back, and there was no respite at all between contractions.

I was nearly five days in labour with DS1 (in hospital for the last 36 hours), and couldn't have an epidural until really late on due to availability of the anaesthetist. I was on max strength drips to try and speed things up, and had both G&A and pethidine. It wasn't a problematic birth, just very long and painful. They told me afterwards that, had an anaesthetist been available, they would have done a section as it had gone on so long and DS had pooped.

With DS2, I was 38 hours start to finish, which felt so quick after DS1! Again, very painful, but I didn't need the drips that time, so could move around more easily which helped. I ended up with quite a nasty tear second time round, but that was due to DS2 having the cord around his neck, which wasn't spotted until he was crowning, and the midwife basically having to pull him out by the shoulders at the end.

For contrast, my sister's back to back labour was just over three hours start to finish - so it doesn't always mean long and hard!

Not back to back, but mine tried to be born face first which is similar. My midwives were amazing and spent hours turning me and doing Spinning Babies exercises. He turned before I started to push and was born naturally. I did have an epidural after 16h though. 6 of those 15 were pretty horrific, even in the pool. Next give, I'll be doing every exercise from Spinning Babies from 30 weeks!

Two back to back labours. Painful but I don’t think more excruciating than any other labour, though nothing to compare it with. However the pushing phase took forever with both and second one basically got stuck as he tried to turn and needed a c section. If we have a third I’m choosing an ELCS as I can’t be doing with that again. But I wouldn’t in your situation.

And yes all pain in lower back. TENS was incredible for this.

I had nothing to compare it to but it was really painful-and it hurt in my back- but then labour is painful so I don’t really know if it was worse or not. Sorry- I realise that is not helpful!!

Oh yes- it was really quick- about 4 hours beginning to end-she was 2 weeks over so I was induced.

My first was back to back. Labour was horrendous, as others has said the the pain was all in the back and no break between contractions. Just continuous pain til they got an epidural in. Baby half turned then got stuck and had to be pulled out with forceps.

Induced again for my second, scan before inductionshowed also back to back. Midwives were very helpful in giving me things to do to turn him, positions, exercises both before induction and during labour. It worked and labour was fine. I think i was lucky with it being my midwife’s area of expertise and I was quite vocal about how awful my previous labour had been due to back to back, not sure how much that influenced them in to helping me.

First was B2B. I wanted an upright birth but I couldn’t walk once labour really kicked in. Luckily had epidural but DC1 was forceps. DC2 was B2B but turned at the last min and labour was only 3 hours start to finish

I’d be interested to know how many women in this situation had midwives who encouraged an upright position or birthing chair.

My B2Bs were home births and the midwives advised me to try kneeling against the bed for the end stages so I was leaning on the bed, not having to stand but upright and still able to move quite a bit. Things immediately felt a lot better.
I wonder how many of the really difficult B2B births were caused by women not being free to move or choose a good position or rely on a more experienced midwife.

With my second, as he was known to be back to back prior to labour, I lapped my room with my drip stand (wireless CTG) for as long as I could. Then I spent most of established labour kneeling next to my bed on a lovely gel mat as I hated the feeling of kneeling on the bed itself (felt like kneeling on a soft boat). My midwives (there was a shift change) were nothing but supportive, and worked hard with me to find positioning that felt right. Nothing I did or could have done was going to budge my boy (he's still stubborn), and the resulting C-section was inevitable in the end.

If anything I was far more mobile than in my first labour (unassisted vaginal delivery) where all my body would let me do was lie on my right side. They were equally as supportive then. My body just wouldn't tolerate being upright or moving. She did however put her stern face on and haul me out of bed towards the end to sit on a commode to try to empty my bladder, where 1. I couldn't pee and 2. I felt like I needed to poo but couldn't. Transpires (all this really wasn't obvious to me at the time. Thanks diamorphine.) I was fully dilated and baby was making her way down town in preparation for her exit.

DS1 was b2b til 39 weeks found out at 37 weeks did spinning baby exercises including floor crawling with knees up and even handstands in a swimming pool with a quick somersault! Make sure your partner or someone is nearby before doing a lot of them.

My first 2 were back to back. Made sure I had an epidural for the second.
Third was back to back and breech at about 35 weeks. As number 2 had been 9lb 12 I wasn't thrilled when the consultant refused to book a cesarean and said to wait and see. By the next appointment he had turned to the correct position. Must have been when I was asleep as I hadn't realised.

All four of mine were back to back late on, I think it was because for 3 of them I had a significantly enlarged anterior placenta that made that the most likely position. I can't recall which position they were all born in.

One that I know was definitely born sunny side up was actually my easiest and fastest labour out of the four, contractions never got closer than 7 minutes apart, managed with heating pads either laying on my side or using a birthing ball, then suddenly needed to push, got on all fours while pressing my head against a cushion, and baby out in 15 minutes.

That baby was also the one with the smallest placenta. There are a lot of factors that influence birth, back to back is one of them - for me placenta size and baby size were much bigger factors - like I said, I can't remember the position they were all born in, but I can tell in detail decade(s) on about those placentas.

Just posting to agree re active labour.

DD2 was back to back, and l never felt any pain at the front. The back pain was awful so I walked and walked, down the corridor, up and down pacing in the room. I refused to get on the bed, so no chance of drugs! Can't remember how long I stayed upright, several hours I suppose. I felt as if I had to get away from the pain in my back. At transition I collapsed on the bed and pushed her out with hardly any effort...she had turned while I paced.

the pain in my back was bad. Ended up being put on the drip as baby wasn’t progressing and they were concerned with heart rate etc. ended up with spinal block and forceps in theatre. All my labour pain was in my back, all of it, felt nothing around my stomach

All of this. It was the most horrendous birth I had. Didn’t turn. Tore to buggery due to emergency forceps as they decided to keep going with that to get them out in a hurry due to plummeting heart rate vs C-section. Can’t say how glad I am to be in modern medical times. Honestly believe without all the interventions we both would have died. If not, I would have literally topped myself due to the pain. In comparison, my other births were fine.

First two were normal position born at 39 and 40 weeks in two hours. Third was back to back. Two days at 42 weeks. Last five hours were total agony and only offered gas and air as I was in a midwife led unit. I'd had a low placenta which had only just moved out of the way, so I think that baby couldn't get into a better position.

My first was back to back but no one ever checked or informed me of this

All contractions in my back, not in my stomach at all.

My water broke and I had 2 days of on and off back contractions before he got distressed / low heart rate, when I was at 7cms and it was an EMCS.