[cottonwood]

Has anybody had back labor with first babies and not with subsequent ones? Did you do something specific to avoid back labor? Please share!

I've had horrendous back labor with all three of mine. First baby I labored and gave birth in a reclining position, second was kneeling and squatting, third various upright positions and then kneeling to give birth. It happens as they are descending (last 1-2 hours of birth.) I don't know for sure that this is because of the baby's positioning, but I'm willing to assume it is and work on remedying that. It also may just have to do with the shape of my body and positioning of my uterus; one thing I'm doing is that I've banned the recliner, and now try to remember to sit upright and forward when I'm sitting down, and I try to remember also not to sleep on my back.

Any other ideas?

 

[violet]

Blueviolet -
I had backlabor with my first and I'm still preg. with #2. You mentioned kneeling and you may have also meant all fours, but that was my salvation - I was on all fours and really really really had to focus on relaxing my belly when the contractions came on. Also, I had Dh pressing on the small of my back at each contraction. He left the room at one point to get more hot water into the birth tub, and I almost lost it during the contraction he wasn't there for - the pressure on my back made a huge difference. (He actually complained at one point that leaning into the tub to press on my back was getting too painful for him - hehehe, I wasn't too sympathetic. I think he got some pillows for his knees and carried on)

The only other thing that I think helped my was that I had good chiropractic care throughout the preg. and I definitely felt that my back was in good shape and alignment before the birth. Maybe loosening things up with some stretching on a birth ball when things are getting close?

Good luck, violet

 

[Elyssia]

i have not experienced it myself
but i know that my midwife (and her assistant) will use a technique sometimes for back labor of injecting water into the back
(into the epidural space??)
you would have to ask your midwife about it
i know they have to do 2 injections simultaneously
and that it makes the pain disappear, bypasses the nerve impulse or something
i don't know how long it lasts but gives the mother pain relief
my midwife has been very successful w/ this and has even had some docs in the town where she practices ask her to teach them how to do it

 

[JeanetteL]

You are on the right track!

Check out the books
"Understanding and Teaching Optimal Foetal Positioning" by Jean Sutton and Pauline Scott, and "Sit Up and Take Notice" by Pauline Scott. They are available on the Midwifery Today website (The first is written more for a birth professional, the second is meant for the pregnant woman).

Also, just do a Google search for Optimal Fetal positioning and you should find more information. The website www.spinningbabies.com is great as well.

Jeanette

 

[MamaAllNatural]

I had terrilble back labor with my 1st. I went to the chiropractor at the end of my 2nd and 3rd pregnancies and had no back labor with those ones. I felt the chiropractor made a big difference. If you do get back labor again make sure you know all the postitions that are helpful and have someone helping you who can apply counter pressure or ice etc. It would also be great if you could get in a birth tub and hook up a detachable shower head for someone to beat some hot water on your lower back during a contraction. I hope this labor is just the regular 'ol kind for ya. Back labor is SO hard. You have my sympathy. Good luck.

 

[MamaAllNatural]

Just another thought. Did you determine the position of your other babies? If you think this one is posterior towards the end of your pregnancy you can do things like lunges with a foot up on a chair, pelvic tilts standing, leaning forward onto a chair or on hands and knees. There are a lot of things you can do to encourage the baby's optimal position. Sorry if I'm not explaining them well or being specific enough. Just wanted to mention a couple more quick ideas incase they hadn't been brought up.

 

[JesseMomme]

Blueviolet - wish I had ideas - I had back labor with all three of my labors as well. I'm not sure why, maybe all of my babies were comfortable being posterior,

sometimes I wonder if it's just my physiology, the way my womb is wired onto my back or something. I'd get low backaches during menstrual cramping too (not ovulating but the actual AF days)