Tips for back labor?

[littleWMN]

I will be induced in 4 days. I had terrible back labor with my other labor and delivery. I am looking for any and all tips to help! TIA! :001_smile:

[justamouse]

A husband with strong arms to give you counter pressure. :001_smile: Other than that, I don't know?

 

Happy Birthing!

[Sue G in PA]

Check out http://www.spinningbabies.com. Lots of tips for getting a baby into correct vertex position to eliminate back labor. Back labor is usually caused by the baby facing the wrong way (face toward your front, intead or your rear) during descent. Hands and knees position is good. Definitely avoid lying on your back. Lie on your side if you can't get into hands and knees. That should help. Good luck!

[Mrs Mungo]

I agree with the others-rocking on your hands and knees and counter pressure. Take some massage oil and a tennis ball to help with the counter pressure.

[HollyDay]

the only thing that helped me at all was sitting on a balance ball or laying over the back of something. I liked to sit in a chair and drape my arms over the back of another chair. If that visual makes any sense!

[HerdingCats]

Drugs! Okay, just kidding. Don't flame me please!! I am just one of those horrible mothers who had an epidural all three times. I really tried other things, but nothing else worked. I hope you find some good suggestions, and congrats!:D

[littleWMN]

Thanks ladies! I have tennis balls and lotion. I'll get some oil.

[Ellie]

the only thing that helped me at all was sitting on a balance ball or lying over the back of something. I liked to sit in a chair and drape my arms over the back of another chair. If that visual makes any sense!

I sat on the edge of the hospital bed, pulled the bedside table over, put a pillow on it, and draped myself over it. Gravity pulls baby away from your back.

[Chrystal]

I had back labor with all three of my due to a fluke of anatomy. Number one was the worst, but she was also a posterior brow presentation.

 

I walked a lot. I also rocked on hands and knees or bounced on the labor ball. I agree to avoid lying on your back.

 

Remember that no matter what the nurses or doctors say, you are in charge. You can do what you want to do to not what is the easiest for them, but what is the best for you and your baby. In a perfect world you wouldn't be tied to the bed or constantly on the monitors, but despite what they say to the contrary, you are the ultimate one in charge. Period. End of story. Don't let anyone bully you into anything that you don't want to do.

[dirty ethel rackham]

This is what I can remember from what I used to teach my childbirth students.

 

First of all, try to prevent back labor. Do lots of pelvic rocks during pregnancy (several times a day) to encourage baby's back to facing mom's front. A midwife friend of mine would always feel for what side the baby's back was facing. If it was on the left side, that was a good sign for not having back labor. If it was on the right, baby is more likely to turn back against mom's back. For some reason, babies tend to turn clockwise. Spinningbabies.com does have some exercises to encourage good positioning. However, some moms' physiology encourages back labor and sometimes baby just prefers that way.

 

In labor - stay off back. Walk around to encourage movement, leaning forward during contractions either on hubby/partner or birth ball (on bed or on floor.) Kneeling leaning over a birth ball or lots of pillows is another great way to help the baby turn. Sitting on a birth ball works well too.

 

Counterpressure can help manage pain. With mom stable and leaning forward, partner uses both fists and pushes hard during the contraction. Many people are surprised at how much pressure mom wants. Tennis balls in a sock can be good as well. This works well with mom facing backwards on a chair (that is pushed against something so it doesn't move.) Ice can be helpful as well.

 

The double hip squeeze can help stabilize that joint. This is not the "kneeding the hips thing. How I describe it ... mom is leaning forward onto something (either kneeling or standing). Draw an imaginary upside-down V from the spot in pain to the outside of the hips. Partner then squeezes the hips toward that pain spot. This takes a lot of effort, so calling in the troops can be helpful here. An alternate way to do this is to have mom seated in a chair (that is very stable) - partner kneels on the floor and pushes on mom's kneecaps following the angle of the femur. The idea is to use the femur bone pushing into the hip socket to stabilize the ilio-sacral joint.

 

A bath or shower can also be very helpful in managing the pain.

 

There is a knee-chest position using a rebozo that can be helpful in loosening things up to help the baby turn.

 

An experienced doula can be a God-send with back labor.

 

Hope this helps.

[Heather in OK]

What position is your baby in now?

 

Just because you had back labor with one doesn't mean you will with all.

 

You have already received some great tips here! Most ladies that I assist who have back labor gravitate towards the hands/knees position with counter-pressure. In the hospital you can easily get in that position up on the bed.

 

If they will allow you off the monitor for a while (or if they have telemetry units) you can get in the shower to help as well. Stand with your back to the shower stream and lean over a portable toilet-chair (be careful taking a birth ball in there..you might plug up the drain) or lean against your dh (remind him to pack swim trunks ;) ).

 

A HUGE ditto to the rebozo! I've had clients use that before with great success in repositioning baby.

 

If it was on the left side, that was a good sign for not having back labor.

Unless baby's head is asynclitic. The slightest shift diagonally can cause Mama to have back pain.

 

I am just one of those horrible mothers who had an epidural all three times.

It makes me sad that you think you are a horrible mother because of that! :grouphug: You are absolutely not horrible!

[cjbeach]

Oh I know that pain.

I could not, would not, labor in bed after baby #1.MW was awesome applying counterpressure with her hands and a tennis ball, massaging, arnica, etc but key for me was just not being on my back, period -no way, no how. But I did love my birth ball and tub. If I wasn't in the tub I was walking, rocking, on my birth ball, and much more rocking (bent over, head on hands and rocking hips side to side for a loooong time). Baby #2 I would not get in bed for, since I was with my MW in a hospital as soon as I was 10cm and pushing she and my dh literally pushed me onto bed as my dd crowned. Baby #3 I gave birth to standing up, at home, 2 MWs and dh grabbed him.

[Veritaserum]

Staying out of bed, hands and knees, counter pressure, belly lift, turn off the pitocin once contractions get going (or at least stop cranking it up!), water (both to drink and to shower/bathe in), not breaking the bag of waters (an intact bag diffuses the force of contractions, generally making them easier and that fluid helps the baby rotate into a better position) unless/until the baby is known to be in a good position.

 

My last baby (my 5th) was my first experience with back labor. I had injured my back in a fall about halfway through that pregnancy. Chiropractic adjustments helped get my pelvis back into place. My chiro also gave me a specific series of movements to do during labor to help get my baby to turn. Once she turned and was well engaged, I had my mw break my water so that she would stay put. Dh pressed on my lower back constantly for the last part of labor, which helped a ton. :)

[littleWMN]

thank you!

[Guest janainaz]

My firsrt baby I had horrible back labor. I stood in a warm shower and the pain completely went away.