Posterior - When to "worry"

[guest9921]

I am ~40w3d, with a semi posterior baby. This is my second.

Currently, I feel birth is fairly imminent, within the next day or 5. Decent amount of productive contractions, I've checked and my cervix is ~3cm.

Baby is laying with his head in my pelvis, towards my right thigh, and feet/legs are mostly in front. He will occasional turn anterior, but always goes back to laying posterior/head transverse. I can feel his head internally, and what is presenting feels hard and smooth, not like a face or chin.

I do a lot of hands and knees, and baby always turns back. I know its a good sign he can flip around, but I don't understand why posterior is favorable. I'm not 'worried' perse, but I am beginning to think this is something I should stay on top of.

I'm pretty terrified of a backlabor. Any tips? Ideas why baby is where he is?

[Reha]

Was your first baby posterior? It is possible that this particular baby will navigate your pelvis best posterior....or even more likely that once labor kicks in, your baby will flip anterior and stay that way.

Not all babies in posterior position result in back labor. My niece's first baby was posterior, and she labored and birthed on her back (in the hospital). He was born posterior (sunny-side up ). She says she had no back labor at all and that the labor part wasn't that bad (she didn't have any drugs, either). So, you never know.

In my expereince, those early labor contractions are really effective at getting baby into a great position for birth, regardless of what that is for that particular baby. That and the fact that this isn't your first baby (so the lower uterine segment makes it easier for baby to move around in labor), I would say to keep doing the hands and knees and pelvic rocks, but don't spend time worrying (I know you said you weren't, though).

[Mamabeakley]

DS2 was persistently posterior. I didn't do much about it. It didn't even occur to me to worry about it when I was in labor, which was 6.5 hours as opposed to 22 hours w/DS1. I pushed for 10 minutes, at the beginning of which I felt like, "why is this harder than I remember it being?" When he came out sunny side up, my MW said she suddenly went "oh, right, that's why she had a cervical lip".

But it really wasn't a problem. I know posterior labor can be a problem for some people, but it wasn't a big deal for me.

Good luck!

[kythe]

Both of my babies were posterior and I felt contractions only in my back. I know people say it makes labor longer and more painful, but I found labor quite manageable without medication. I don't fear birth. For me, it just seems to be how I carry babies. Back labor is the only experience I have, so I can't really say it was "worse" since I have nothing to compare it to.

My first labor lasted 8 hours, but my second was only 2 hours. With both, I just felt a tightening in my back that came and went at regular intervals. The pains gradually became more intense and closer together. As labor progressed, I found myself wanting to lean forward more and more to relieve the pressure from my spine. I couldn't sit or lie down at all due to pressure on my tailbone. I walked, stood while leaning over a counter, stood in the shower, rocked on all fours on a birth ball (pelvic tilts over a birth ball really help). With my second, I actually pushed him out while on all fours.

My experience is different from how most people describe labor, especially since I never felt anything in front where the baby actually is. You just have to center your pain relief methods on back pain instead of whatever you would do otherwise.

[Reha]

I wanted to add to my post above that my ds was posterior, and I too felt only contractions in my back, never anything in the front at all. He was born at home, and he did finally rotate anterior a little while before he was born. The lunges did the trick for me, I think.

[A&A]

I had an 8 lb. 6 oz. natural posterior baby!

Through each contraction, dh put his hands firmly on my lower back for counterpressure, while my doula simultaneously held a heat pack there. Those two measures helped tremendously!

It also helped to get off my back........birthing on all fours.

[durafemina]

my dd was in the same transverse-OP back and forth position before I went into labour. I had a long labour, but was at home with no drugs. Eventually dd turned OA and I pushed her out lickety-split
As far as the actual labour hurting more - I have nothing to compare it to, but counter pressure and hip squeezes from DP and lots of changing position made things bearable.

[guest9921]

Thank you everyone for the replies.

He still seems to prefer facing my right thigh - so I think this is just how he needs to be right now.

The prodromal labor contractions I am having have been front focused, and very rarely I will have backpain. The mild backpain seems to disorient me much more than even the strongest front contraction.
I guess I will just have to adapt!

The other question I had was - can baby engage in this position? (Facing right hip/thigh, versus OP or OA.)
If so - theres really no way to birth him in this position, is there? Or would he possibly be able to turn if engaged?

I can feel his head fully at this point, vaginally.

[hippiemom]

All 4's in the water honey! For you labor that is... babies turn all around during labor and negotiate those bones as best they can. Worry only if the heartrate suggests distress. Aside from that, the water, counter pressure and all 4's position can help relieve any kind of labor pain, not just back. Yes back labor sucks, it is more painful than regular labor for many women. You have to see where you are at in the moment and respond then. You will know what you need when you get to it. My 10 lb nephew was born face-up vaginally. The labor was long, but she did it.

[Reha]

Originally Posted by Katfka

The other question I had was - can baby engage in this position? (Facing right hip/thigh, versus OP or OA.)
If so - theres really no way to birth him in this position, is there? Or would he possibly be able to turn if engaged?

Babies usually do engage like this, and as your baby's head navigates downward into the pelvis, it will twist to OA (or OP) (that is why once the head is out, it rotates slightly to one side or the other before the body follows usually...it is aligning back up with the shoulders).

[guest9921]

Right - I suppose I just wasn't aware they weren't fully OA engaged, but that makes sense.

[Rockies5]

Originally Posted by kythe

Both of my babies were posterior and I felt contractions only in my back. I know people say it makes labor longer and more painful, but I found labor quite manageable without medication. I don't fear birth. For me, it just seems to be how I carry babies. Back labor is the only experience I have, so I can't really say it was "worse" since I have nothing to compare it to..

I've had back labor with all five, with one I had BOTH back labor and what most people describe when they have labor.

I honestly prefer the back labor and am slightly irked at what a bad name it gets, like it's the worst thing ever.

Yes, do your positive postures, but you may still have a posterior baby, or you may still have back labor with a non-posterior baby (as I did, all my babies turned during labor completely).

I think it's just a variation. It's hard, yes. It's crushing. it's long. But you get longer breaks, and I'd rather have the dull constant smashed feeling then the sharp cramping like sensations. I was upright or on all fours, walking, danging, moaning. The counter pressure was good, but didn't always work. We did a lot of visualization, singing, horse lips blowing, brushing, and laughing (birth is sometime funny because of how ridiculously hard it is, to me anyhow) stomping and listening to water, music and humming

Hope this helps a little. I just want to encourage you to just take birth as it comes, and accept whatever form that is.

[guest9921]

^ Thank you. It has helped, mentally/emotionally prepare me for such an event, anyways.

I'll be back in a few days/weeks.
I just feel like the internet is becoming distracting to me, (I'm 41wks, and feel its coming close.)
Its nice having your post be the last one I read though.