Back Labor « Back to Group Discussions

[Mittens]

If you had back labor before, what are you doing to try to prevent it from happening again? Any and all advice and ideas would be most appreciated!!!

I am trying to always sit with my pelvis forward and I go on my knees a few times of day with my chest to the pillow. Baby's head is 2/5 as of 3 weeks ago and i can still feel him spinning around from posterior to anterior all the time. I'm just hoping to catch his head at the right time so that it fully engages anterior!! I'm also planning a water birth which i've heard is helpful for back labor.

[WindyCityMom]

I've had two posterior babies, and this one is currently Left Occiput Transverse.  I must have some pelvis!

DD1 is the only one I had true labor with, and I did have terrible back labor.  I'm not sure there's anything *I* can do to prevent baby from settling into a less than optimal position- I'm convinced my ligaments and/or pelvis are off somehow.

I think that seeing a chiropractor would be beneficial, as well as the spinningbabies techniques to help your ligaments and pelvic floor out a bit. 

DURING labor counterpressure is really the key,  I remember (I was confined to the bed) pressing my lower back into the bedrails during labor.  

[Mittens]

Yes, my midwife did an incredible job of counter pressure on my back. Man did she have her work cut out for her. Good thing my labor and birth was only 5 hours!!

[LibraryMo]

Mine has turned from ROA to completely posterior in the last few days and I am now straight up panicking about back labor, and I'm sure panicking is a great way to begin this process. :-/
I'll be happy to hear any additional suggestions past e posture and spinning babies suggestions. I've been very good about them and it's still not helping. The one thing I've been doing is repeating these affirmations: my baby is in the perfect position for labor. And, I welcome my coming labor as the perfect one for me and my baby. If it's going to be back labor, well then, I guess it's going to be back labor.

[Mittens]

I love (and admire) your attitude, LibraryMo.

[hyde]

LibraryMo, I'm (and our babies are!) in the same position. I really liked this article's take on it: http://midwifethinking.com/2010/08/13/in-celebration-of-the-op-baby/

[LibraryMo]

Hyde, that article is so perfect!  Thank you, it was just what I needed to read this morning.

[Mittens]

Great article, Hyde. Thanks for posting it. One thing i will say is that, they're right, each woman's experience of back labor is different and not all of them are horrible or traumatic. However, some are, and i think it's important that midwives/caregivers are careful not to invalidate women's experiences. My student midwife, who has never had a baby by the way, brushes me off whenever i mention my fears of going through back labor again, which for me was terrifying and traumatic. She said, anterior labor is just the same, only in the front. Well, i don't know who's experience she is quoting, but it wasn't mine. I didn't have breaks in between my contractions and i felt the same at 2 cm as i did at 9 in transition. The only time the pain subsided was at the pushing stage, because my baby had turned anterior to birth.