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Is there something tht can cause babes to be posterior?

5K views 16 replies 13 participants last post by  SpiralWoman 
#1 ·
My son was posterior and I had a not so fun labor and outcome with him...not going to talk about that.

However, is there something in my body that could cause my babes to be posterior? I feel like this babe is too. I know I'm only 26 weeks and they can move around and change but I'm just curious.

Other thing is if a babe is transverse you can try and have them turned right? When does a transverse babe normally turn? This babe is tranverse and I'm scared that he won't turn. He has his head at my hip and butt at the opposite breast. He does switch sides though but always transverse....
 
#4 ·
Ds #2 was transverse and frank breech until about 34 weeks and flipped quite a bit during pregnancy. He ended up being posterior for the last 3 weeks of pregnancy and I delivered that way. I didn't know he was posterior though.

I used Hypnosis for both my births and to turn ds#2. There is an 80% success rate for doing this. There is a script on Hypnobabies.com to use. I just used my own version and it worked. It took about 3 days both times to flip him I believe.

Btw my birth was sooo great with this one. I can't believe he was posterior b/c I didn't have back pain at all. In fact if anything my contractions were more intense down low and front but this birth was SOO much easier than ds#1. I highly recommend Hypnosis for birthing, it works!
 
#5 ·
I didn't read the links given, but I've heard that reclining in chairs, crossing legs and such, can cause a baby to be posterior. That said, I couldn't cross my legs during pregnancy, that reclined position gave me contractions so I never sat that way, and dd was posterior. I also did lots of hands and knees during pregnancy to relieve hip pain but apparently it didn't keep her from being posterior.

I second hypnobirthing, we didn't know she was posterior, until she was born, she wasn't easier than ds, but it was leaps and bounds better, I can't even put into words the confidence and control I had. It wasn't pain free, but I didn't feel like I was going to "loss it".

As far as the transverse thing, dd was also like that for most of the pregnancy, our midwife said, second babies just have so much more room and it's much more comfy to lay sideways, dd turned head down around 32-34 weeks I think.
 
#6 ·
there's an article on the mothering site with some yoga postures for pregnancy. some of them are supposed to be good for getting baby in the right postion. here's the link -- http://mothering.com/11-0-0/html/11-2-0/yoga.shtml . my first was transverse for a long time, too, but kinda like you described yours with her head down lower than her bum. she plopped and dropped and got turned the right way no problem. hope yours does, too.
 
#7 ·
It sounds to me like you have plenty of time for that baby to turn, but I do understand what it's like to worry about previous situations repeating themselves!!

I just bought a fabulous book called "Sit Up and Take Notice" by Pauline Scott.

She explains the anatomy & physiology of the pregnant (& birthing) pelvis in a way that is so easy to understand--this is easily the best book I've ever seen on the subject of optimal foetal positioning.

This book is hard to find (small press). I ordered it online from the ICAN website. http://www.ican-online.org/ It's a little pricey for such a small book, but totally and completely worth it!
 
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally posted by mamallama
It sounds to me like you have plenty of time for that baby to turn, but I do understand what it's like to worry about previous situations repeating themselves!!
Yeah, but Tracy was posterior the entire time. He never did much flipping! this baby seems to have picked up flipping in the last week! But like you said, I'm trying to cover all my bases to avoid another c/b!
 
#9 ·
Two of my babies were posterior, and with both I had an anterior placenta.

When the placenta is in front, instead of in back as it usually is, you are almost just stuck with a posterior baby. One of mine was actually born "sunny side up", and had some difficulty at birth from aspirating fluid, etc.

Partly because of that experience, with the next posterior baby, I gave birth standing up. of course partly it was becasue I had such back pain that standing was the only halfway comfortable position.
 
#10 ·
Mine was posterior. Some say it could have been due to my sedentary lifestyle. I have always believed that babies choose their positions for a reason and that reason must be honored. Since it's possible to deliver vaginally in every position except transverse, I would not attempt to change my new baby's position. It may be extra work for me, but I have to believe the baby has a good reason for choosing it and to force something different may cause distress.

Mine was dragged out with forceps (which could have been avoided if I had not been on my back) and I requested that she still be born faceup, which she was.

I see no harm in getting more exercise, but again, what baby wants, baby gets.
 
#12 ·
My son was born sunny side up. He stayed posterior all labor and I even pushed him out face up with his hand tucked neatly beside his head. When I saw his hand up, too, I figured he couldn't get to posterior if he wanted to, since he was already engaged.

I had no back labor during my 17 hour labor. I also used Hypnosis (a devout Christian friend of mine recommended it to me). I had one hour of pain, but it wasn't back labor and was always what I could handle. Hypnosis helped me release a lot of my fear surrounding childbirth. I think conquering that fear was the most important process of pregnancy for me.

The spinning babies website has tons of good info. And, like so many women have said -- even if your baby is breech or posterior or LOA or ROA, having faith in your body and the process of birth is the most important thing.

I wouldn't set yourself up for back labor at 26 weeks. Just because your babe is transverse right now, really means nothing. And, IF your babe happens to be posterior during labor, really does not mean you will experience back labor.

Megan, this is a different baby, a different pregnancy and you are a different woman than you were the last time. May your thoughts surrounding this pregnancy and birth be peaceful.
 
#13 ·
Thanks Sparklin.... and you are right this is a different pregnancy! For one thing. I have a lot more knowledge about everything than I did then. Like I said, I want to cover my bases. I just have some unresolved things with my loast l&D. I'm trying hard to get past the past and look toward what is coming!

The good thing is that since I've already experienced what I've experienced I know what can happen and becuse of that I know better ways to resolve certain issues and ways not to be bullied. Dh was een commenting on how he wished he had known more about whta was going on and that he felt kinda just pushed into everything that happened. Yes, we chose induction but after that we made no choice...they did.

I'm kinda enjoying this baby being transverse...then he isn't on my bladder


Oh, and at my u/s last week the babe was face down...which made me happy knowing that at least he could get that way!
 
#14 ·
Mothersong, I don't understand:

Quote:
Two of my babies were posterior, and with both I had an anterior placenta.

When the placenta is in front, instead of in back as it usually is, you are almost just stuck with a posterior baby. One of mine was actually born "sunny side up", and had some difficulty at birth from aspirating fluid, etc.
If a baby is posterior, then isn't he or she born sunny-side up? If they flip to face-down, is it still posterior?

My second baby was posterior and asynclitic. We did not know this before hand. I had no back labor at all -- I had "front labor," if that makes sense. I could not sit upright in bed, the bathtub, or anywhere. I always had to be on my side or I hurt too bad -- I even asked for an ice-pack for my stomach. My nurse said, "I've never heard that before," but brought me the ice!

My first baby presented in the normal fashion and I pushed for three hours before they vacuumed him out. With my second, I pushed for an hour and a half and then he came out. It was not until the last minute my midwife realized what the hold-up was. I just thought I was cursed and this was how I would have babies! Pushing FOREVER!

I like this link to the ICAN website -- it refers to breech babies, but I think many of the techniques would work for posterior babies too. http://www.ican-online.org/resources/wp_breech2.htm
 
#15 ·
my two girls were OP through most of my pg's. Lili never turned, Morrigan did about a week before she was born after reading "sit up and take notice" and doing the recommended excercises in it. i have a tailbone injury that predisposes me to this (it turns inward more and farther than it should) so baby's head is not in a comfortable position if presenting OA - both girls had major stork bites at birth due to rubbing against my tailbone. Morrigan actually has two - 1 large one that goes across the base of her neck from turning her head side to side and one that is the exact imprint of my tailbone on her forehead just above her nose - it's fading now.
 
#16 ·
Out of my four home deliveries, three were right occupit posterior. They were extremely painful. The second occupit posterior labor had a deflexed head; labor was the culmination of a nine month backache! I was NOT sedentary during life, pregnancy, or the birth.

I exercised three times a week, bicycled and even jogged! I also went to a chiropractor every week.

All I can share with you is the exercise and chiropractic adjustments must have helped my endurance and flexibility through the labors because I was in continuous, miserable pain! It was awful! It was horribly painful. But putting up with it was rewarding ....

But I am glad that I was able to deliver at home with little intervention. I was up and around immediately and able to care for my new one right then and there.
 
#17 ·
My sister had a lot of trouble with a posterior or "sunny side up" baby during labor, so I was afraid of it. So, anytime I was at the computer or TV, I was sitting on a birth ball & did not do any reclining in the last half of my pregnancy, just to try & avoid it if possible. I guess it worked, DS was ROA. BTW, I definitely had an anterior placenta.
 
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