Due date in 6 days and baby is posterior...

[miggymama]

This is my 3rd baby and my first time experiencing a baby that has been posterior. I feel all limbs moving up front and it has been quite uncomfortable at times. I am trying not to stress about it...but it is hard. I have been doing belly hanging down(cat/cow position) but it seems like this baby really likes it this way. I will be having a midwife attended homebirth. Please share your experiences with this and if I should worry or not. Thanks!

[Plummeting]

DD was born posterior and it was a short (4 hours and 50 minutes) labor with no complications and no drugs. It hurt really, really bad for the last hour or two, but she's my only birth so far, so I have no idea if labor normally feels like that or not (I mean I know most women find it really painful, just not sure if it's that painful). I know it's supposedly more painful with a posterior baby, but I'll have to report back on that after this next one's born in March. I also know having a posterior baby can make labor longer, but it wasn't my experience. I guess maybe she could've just shot right out if she'd been anterior, but under 5 hours is pretty short nevertheless.

Oh yes, and two of my sister's babies were posterior at the beginning of labor, but rotated on the way out. All of her labors were under 4 hours.

[GoestoShow]

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Edited by GoestoShow - 1/4/11 at 9:14am

[belltree]

I wouldn't worry too much. Baby's do turn. My baby started posterior during labor, went anterior, posterior again and came out anterior. The whole thing did not last more than 5hrs from the first contraction to holding my little one in my hands. Everything is possible.

But, I prepared for birthing positions that would help with back labor. And I also learned, that not every posterior baby causes back labor.

[miggymama]

Its good to hear something positive so close to delivery

Anymore positive stories of posterior babies are very welcome! Being so close to my due date I don't want to cause myself anxiety but I want to feel prepared. I have big babies and I have had my first two at home. I am planning a water birth. Hopefully all that will help baby come into the world without too much struggle!

[Peony]

My third baby was posterior, I wasn't expecting that and never bothered to figure out what position baby was in other then vertex. He was born at home after a 4.5 hour labor. The back pain sucked that is for sure, the pool and counter pressure offered some relief. It was certainly doable though. Him being posterior only caused back labor and I had to push a little longer then the last baby, but he was a big guy so might not of been his position at all, or maybe his size that caused him to like that position.

[thefreckledmama]

If you haven't already, you should check out the website spinningbabies.com. There are all sorts of things you can do before and during labor to help baby get into a more optimal position for birth.

[Astraia]

My first was posterior for labour and birth.

I didn't have any back labour, but hands and knees definitely felt like the "right" position.

I had directed pushing before I felt a real urge to push, and pushed for just under 2 hours to get her out. I'm not sure if it was the first-baby thing, if it was the fact that I was wimpy about pushing (because it hurt like a bi&%$) for the first while, or her positioning but 2 hours still isn't too bad.

I'm due in 7 days and this kid also insists on hanging out posterior. Like you, I've been doing hands and knees, pelvic tilts, etc etc (ala spinning babies and any other website I can get my hands on) to no avail. He DOES flip anterior sometimes... for like 30 seconds... and then goes right back again.

For some reason I'm freaking out about it. I escaped back labour the first time, but then I read that back labour depends not JUST on baby's position but on how flexed their heads are. So now I'm thinking he'll be posterior and his head won't flex enough and now I'll get back labour.

Need to think positive. Positive positive.

[LaurenAnanas]

My baby was posterior, and I was sooo happy, because she'd been transverse for quite a while. Knowing she was posterior was a relief!

I did not have back labor, and she rotated on the way out.

I pushed for a loooong time, but she was my first and her chin was not tucked, so she came out forehead first, and the midwife suspects I have a narrow pelvic arch. I think that had a bigger effect on things than the posterior position.

But! No back labor, no complications, and a beautiful healthy baby!

[paxye]

My first two were Posterior... I had long labours with irregular contractions (49 hours and 22 hours) but both turned within minutes being born and I didn't push even once for either of them... they literally popped out...
My third was in a great position and it was my easiest labour...

I am now 40 weeks with my 4th and just yesterday morning the baby was still flipping from one side to the other and mostly posterior and has finally settled into a better position... (I just wrote a blog post about how I did it) I just hope s/he stays that way...

Oh.. and a friend of mine just gave birth not long ago and her baby was born posterior... here is a link to the birth story... it has pics and is very graphic... so be forewarned


anyway... I wouldn't worry too much... I know, easier said than done right If you can, try to do things to encourage a better position, but if it doesn't happen, baby will most likely turn at one point before or during or could be born sunny-side up without a problem...

[mamakaikai]

I had a posterior baby with back labour. It was intense, but it was my first and I had nothing to compare it to. I just really really really *needed* to be alone and remain in labour land, very focused and the room quiet while I whaled like a moose in heat. Low guttural primal sounds, it's how I dealt with it. I think being allowed to be in a birth trance with a very hands off midwife helped me enormously. It was intense, but I still enjoyed the labour. I think it was because I was unhindered and no one came in to the room where I laboured and talked fear into me. There was no fear in the room. Talk to your midwives about this, and to those who will attend you, if you think it could help you.

Eventually my baby turned during labour, maybe about 4-5 hours in. I was side lying, nearly belly down, in a big jacuzzi tub with my legs and body sortof floating. Maybe the position helped. Who knows really. But she turned. And once she did, my labour was very very quiet. I had no need for big moose sounds.

I would continue to do the belly hanging spinningbabies poses. But maybe more importantly, never let your back be in a C shape. If you keep your posture as if there was a string at the top of your head that needs to hang down to the ground in a straight line, your baby will less likely have less opportunity to remain posterior. The C shape that they like to cuddle into will be your belly not your back, if that makes sense. Maybe you're already doing this though.

My last bit of ideas is that if you are heading to the hospital for a c/s, if you are fully dilated, some ob's can do a manual rotation and then babys are born very shortly after. I hope this is not where you end up, but maybe discuss this with your midwife.

You can do it! Many mama's do! Best to you!

[bec28]

I just had my first birth in November and we thought he was anterior the entire time. It wasn't until he came out that we realized he was posterior. I had a fairly quick labor for my first time (12 hours start to finish) and only pushed for about 45 minutes. The midwife said that if he had been anterior, my labor probably would have been much faster.

I had terrible back labor. I felt it all in my butt actually. It felt like i was trying to push out a huge poo . That part wasn't too fun, but the tub helped a little bit with that. And really, it wasn't terrible. I'm sure it could've been much worse.

Good luck!

[jecombs]

My DD was born, posterior, in June 2007. I had a pretty short labor for a FTM, only 9 hours! She also had a nuchal hand. The pushing stage was a bit longer because of her position... about 3 hours, but once I got her past my pubic bone, things went very quickly. The back labor was very intense, so my MW was able to inject sterile water under my skin on pressure points on my back. This completely eliminated the "back aspect" of my labor for about an hour, giving me much-needed time to rest and doze before I started pushing. I highly recommend them!

[Xavismom]

Originally Posted by LaurenAnanas

My baby was posterior, and I was sooo happy, because she'd been transverse for quite a while. Knowing she was posterior was a relief!

Same here!! We had a hard time getting DS head down, so when he finally DID go, and was posterior, I was still blissfully happy.

This is my first/only baby, so I dont have another labor to compare it to, but here is my account.

Labor was around 30 hrs. We had a MW attended, natural birth in a hospital. Our hospital is VERY baby/natural birth friendly, so that helped a lot. I did not want anyone bothering me/talking to me besides DH. I was ok with DH talking, as long as I did not have to respond, it would break my focus, and the pain would intensify.

Labor was much more painful than I expected. Nothing I had planed to do helped at all. The only thing that finally helped (besides being in the tub) was when the MW showed DH how to put counterpressure on my hips. This SAVED me. MW had me lay on my back, with my knees up. She had DH stand/kneel at my feet, and put his hands on my knees, and PUSH as if he was pushing my knees straight towards my hip joint. This helped immediately.

So I spent the last 11 hours of my labor like this (can I just say I LOVE my DH for doing this for so long) I spent most of that in the tub, DH got right in with me to do the counterpressure. We had the room dark, and very quiet. Thankfully MW understood this, and left us alone as much as possible, and whispered when she needed to talk to me.

Pushing was much much better. I pushed in a squat with a bar, it took about 15 min. Poor DS though, I pushed him out so fast, and he was still posterior when he came out, he got a really nasty bone bruise on his head It was HUGE, and it took a good month to go away. Other than that, he was fine though!

My labor was hard, but I loved it. I feel so gratefull for the experience still. I wouldnt change it, it was my most beautiful day. Dont let it get you down, or get to you if your babe is still OP in labor.

[scottishmommy]

Scrub your floors mama! They will never be so clean again! Seriously, I would spend as much time as possible on my hands and knees. FWIW I came out sunny side up after two pushes and 45 mins of labor.

[srs]

Both of mine were posterior in labor. DD was born that way, and DS turned right at the end and was born with a nuchal hand. Back labor for both, in fact, I think I had nothing but back labor. With DD, I found the posterior part much more traumatic, but it was because of a lot of factors - first birth, flat on my back in the hospital, 19 hour labor, midwife did not know she was posterior and broke my water, so she got stuck for awhile. DS was a totally different story - homebirth, 3.5 hours, we knew he was posterior, and I got such better support from my midwives, including the suggestion to push side lying, which took the pressure off of my back. So if I was you, with a third birth and it being a homebirth, I wouldn't worry at all. Back labor is no fun, but it's not the worst thing in the world either.

[miggymama]

Thank you for all your beautiful birth stories...

I am keeping my chin up and not letting this get me down! I know my body knows the way. Hearing all your encouraging stories helps! Thank you!

[HollyRhea]

miggymama,

87% of the time, posterior babies turn during labor. Good odds, I'd say.

I second the suggestion to check out spinningbabies.com. Specifically, follow the directions for 1. sifting with a rebozo 2. inversion 3. pelvic floor release and then get someone to help you with a sacral/diaphragmatic release: http://www.naturalchildbirth.org/nat...or/labor29.htm

Sometimes subsequent babies can be in less than optimal positions because the uterus is just so stretched out (I'm in my third pregnancy, too) and pendulous. Perhaps try a belly-support belt for half a day and see if that helps at all. Breeches and transverse babies are more common in subsequent pregnancies, perhaps because of this.

Hope that helps!
Holly

[Plummeting]

Originally Posted by bec28

I had terrible back labor. I felt it all in my butt actually. It felt like i was trying to push out a huge poo . That part wasn't too fun, but the tub helped a little bit with that. And really, it wasn't terrible. I'm sure it could've been much worse.

Yeah, I had "butt labor" too. I didn't have awful back labor, but I was quite sure DD was going to come out my butt somehow. lol

And like srs, pushing sidelying helped me immensely. I had planned on pushing squatting or something like that, but that was totally impossible - the pain doing it that way and doing it on hands and knees was unbearable. Sidelying was perfect.