Anyone have/had a posterior baby?

[Kimmiepie]

At my appt today my midwife said that baby is still posterior. She thinks he'll turn during/before labor...but I've read posterior is pretty common with anterior placentas which is what I have.

Has anyone here actually delivered a posterior baby? Or had success in getting them to turn?

[quietserena]

mine was posterior and turned in labor. i labored on all fours and spent as much time doing Cat/Cow as possible before labor (which isn't much that late in pregnancy)

i think she turned pretty early on because I had back labor at one point but by transition, didn't. huh, completely forgot about that until now.

[xakana]

Naomi was posterior at the beginning of my labor. She turned during labor (possibly what took so long) and was transverse when her head was coming through the cervix and she turned then, then the doctor turned her face up as she came out so he could suction out the meconium in her mouth and nose. So I think I delivered her posterior.

[Kimmiepie]

That's what my midwife suggested, was being on all fours as much as possible during early labor.

What is the difference with a posterior baby? Back labor? Harder to push out? Are there potentially more complications?

[zoe196]

my ds was posterior but turned at some point. My experience was back labor which made it impossible to lay on my back at all and very difficult for the mw to check me for dialation (she didn't in the end)... I think if the baby passes under your sacrum (tailbone) face up it can put a lot of pressure on little ones face-- my ds is almost 3 and still has a slightly red/ bruised looking forehead. He also required a lot of craniosacral work as he had a lot of issues with his body being asymetrical which I think was a result of his birth. FWIW I think lots of kids are born posterior and don't have those things happen!

BTW I labored in a birthing pool and I think that is what made a posterior labor manageable for me-- I think I would have found land labor very difficult.

hope this makes some sense, feel I'm being clear as mud!

Zoe, mama to Thomas 1/06

[Moonprysm]

I was induced with DS AND he was posterior. He apparently turned at some point because he came out normal, but the back labor was insane. I sat on the birth ball and DH had to put pressure on my lower back the entire time while my mom fed me ice chips. It was the only way I could get through it.

[Taryn237]

My babe is posterior too and when I mentioned it today my mw said 'Sooo?' I'm glad she's not concerned anyway!

[Kimmiepie]

I sure hope mine turns. It doesn't sound very pleasant.

[alaskaberry]

I did last time, it ended up a c/s but that was because of a number of things.

This time I've been doing a lot of time on my hands and knees (1/2 hr a day) to get the baby to turn. Good luck

[Mommy StormRaven]

Originally Posted by Kimmiepie

Has anyone here actually delivered a posterior baby? Or had success in getting them to turn?

Both actually - brthed an OP baby and got one to spin.

Lili was OP and did not turn but still barely tore with proper perineal support.

Morrigan was OP but turned - check out spinning babies. What really did it for me was lying belly-down across a beanbag chair and using the chair to cradle the belly. Gravity works the heaviest part of baby (spine) will naturally rotate to the bottom, do this every day and baby should turn.

I'm very prone to OP babies becuase I've busted my tailbone 5 times and it's never healed well, it curves INWARD and slightly to the right. What baby wants it's eyes pokes by that? None, M did turn the right way but STILL has storkbites between her eyes and on her eyelids from wher ethe tailbone rubbed her and she is 5 now.

It CAN be done but it's not always fun or easy...

GOOD LUCK!

[Kimmiepie]

Thanks.

I have briefly looked at the spinning babies website, and tonight I printed off some stuff about acupressure. Hopefully something will work!

Several people said baby was able to turn during birth...I wonder how common that is?

[Mrs.Oz]

DS was posterior throughout my whole labor and was delivered that way. I was induced, no one told me he was posterior and the back pain was hell. It took 6 hours for me to dilate to 4 cm with the Foley bulb and NO pitocin, and another 12 hours on Pitocin to get to 10. Pushed intensely for an hour and 15 min. and had an almost 3rd degree tear (this was all before I came to Mothering and had any clue about anything) and injured my tailbone.

From what I've read, during a normal, non-induced birth where the mother can get up and reposition (and has attendants who CARE about the birth experience and not just forcing the baby out), the majority of posterior babies turn during birth.

My experience was pretty bad, but it wasn't the end of the world and if it happens again I'll deal with it (although this time I have a little more knowledge on my hands).

[Kimmiepie]

Yikes Mrs. Oz.

I am fairly certain that with my first baby he was posterior, but no one told me. I was induced early with IUGR and the back pain was the WORST!! The labor was 24 hours long and pushing was hours. Of course I could be wrong, he could have been turned the right way. I just remember the intense back pain and I never had that with my others so I'm assuming.

*sigh* Turn baby turn!!

[quietserena]

Just wanna note that the best time to go on all fours is when baby is kicking - best chance s/he will slip into position then.

[Rockies5]

Birthed 5 OP babies. Backlabor isn't the worst thing ever, but I do encourage some OFP excercizes. Almost all of them are on spinning babies

I also believe some babies just like this position (and some some pelvises simply carry this way) and it isn't a problem in those cases. I'm a shortie and all my babies were large and tall..as long as you aren't inducing or laboring on your back it will all work out.

[andbabymakes4]

Similar to Mrs Oz here, induced and was posterior and delivered that way. Took me 3.5 hours of intense pushing to get her out. Luckily for me it didn't take that long on the pit to dilate.

[Kimmiepie]

Originally Posted by quietserena

Just wanna note that the best time to go on all fours is when baby is kicking - best chance s/he will slip into position then.

Thanks Serena! I'm glad it all worked out for your birth.

Rockies5- That is encouraging to hear that you birthed 5 OP babies. My midwife said it may not even be a problem for me because I've had so many already (birthed 4) and my pelvis is sooo roomy. But I'd like to do what I can just in case.

[Biscuits & Gravy]

Sorry for crashing DDCs, but my first son was posterior. I was induced and delivered him vaginally, his little face was looking at the ceiling when he came out. I had minimal tearing, just needed 2 stitches, but I did push for almost 2.5 hours. With my 2nd I just knew he was posterior as well, and I did a lot of "on all fours" positioning during the last weeks of pregnancy. He changed positions almost daily during that time, and turned the right way during delivery.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

My daughter was posterior (although I didn't know that until labor came on). I had a very long natural labor (38 hours) and she ended up never turning and came out sideways. It is possible, although not always pleasant.

I did everything known to man to assure that she wouldn't be posterior (how I slept, exercises, everything!). Sometimes that's just the way babies need to be for who knows why.

I did almost the entire labor on my hands and knees, although I draped myself over a birth ball because my arms were too tired to hold me up that long. I labored in the jacuzzi as well on my side and hands and knees.

Don't worry though, he/she will make it out the way he/she wants! Happy end of pregnancy and labor!

[sbsurfer]

"I did everything known to man to assure that she wouldn't be posterior (how I slept, exercises, everything!). Sometimes that's just the way babies need to be for who knows why."

Me too! He was sideways, then turned posterior sometime during labor--but no one realized it. After 5+ hours of pushing, we transported to the hospital--he came out with the help of the vacuum, and the doc, nurses and midwives all gasped when they saw him rocket out sunny-side up. It was an adventure!