Midwife says baby is posterior...

[PeterPan]

She sent me to spinningbabies.com so I'm reading there now. The more I read, the more concerned I get. Don't tell me any awful stories about how bad your birth was with it. (I'm 29 weeks as of Friday and she says things could change.) If you had this, did you do anything about it that helped?

[Jami]

Get thee to a chiropracter who is very familiar with the Webster technique. And go weekly for manipulations until birth.

 

That's what my midwife would recommend. And what I'm doing this time around starting at about 20 weeks since I've had two mal-positioned babies.

[Tammy]

I wouldn't worry about it at 29 weeks...and I am surprised she made YOU worry!

 

Tammy

[abbeyej]

Oh, goodness, don't you *dare* worry about this at 29 weeks! I mean, yes, it's worth reading up at spinningbabies.com and doing the exercises and positions -- it'll just radically increase your odds of having baby in a great position... But really, twenty-nine weeks?!? ;) Elizabeth, that baby's going to change position *sooo* many times in the next two and a half months! Please don't stress yourself out about this right now. Read the website, do the exercises, but don't freak yourself out.

[Plucky]

Get on your hands and knees and curve and arch your back over and over very gently. Do this for about 10 mins. or so several times a day. I was born sunny-side up and all my babies tried to pull the same trick. When I did this with my last two it worked. They kept trying to turn back but by being faithful I kept them from turning. Try it.

[dirty ethel rackham]

At 29 weeks, I would not worry at all. My dd would move around like crazy until the last week or so (left side, right side, posterior, back again!) I do, however, second the advice on seeing a chiropractor, especially someone who is knowledgeable about the Webster Technique. Not only does it make those last weeks more comfortable, it helps the baby be in an ideal position for birth.

[Quiver0f10]

Get on your hands and knees and curve and arch your back over and over very gently. Do this for about 10 mins. or so several times a day.

 

 

I did this every day from @ 35 weeks on and even did it in labor. It does work.

[5wolfcubs]

My last two babies were both posterior at birth. Sunny side up, my midwife called them. She didn't tell me they were while I was in labor though...which was good because then I would've been thinking about it (like you are). The births were fine, no harder then the others. Each birth has its own story, and no other babies will be just like it. :)

[PeterPan]

It wasn't so much that midwife was worried as that *I* was! This pregnancy has just been so different, and I was really hoping for a short labor. (7 hours, that's what I'm praying for) Dd was 23, and well that's pretty long, leaves you tired. And we're planning a homebirth. Then when I started reading about how the head doesn't connect with the cervix as well, blah blah, well you know how it is, my worry wart index really ballooned!

 

It's funny you mention the chiro. I've been going to this one that I like for about 2 years now, but once I got prego, I don't think he's been adjusting me right. I went to another one last week who managed to get the kinks out and had all the right tables, unlike my regular. I don't know how to know if a chiro does the Webster thing. I've heard of that. Should I just google to find out more? Is there a directory or something?

 

What's funny is I was measuring 3 cm ahead all this time, and now this time BAM, I'm measure behind, 25 cm at almost 29 weeks! I'm eating fine, no problem there. It almost makes me wonder if the baby was anterior and then switched around recently, what do you think? See I didn't realize how to tell the position of the baby (dumb me, FINALLY reading about this). I've been having small thumps just above my pubic bone for some time and we know the butt is up (she felt that). So that means those lower small thumps are hands, meaning posterior, and the upper strong thumps on my right are feet. So that's demystified a little. What I don't know is when I started feeling those hand thumps, kwim? If I knew that, I'd know when the baby became posterior. It's in the last 2 weeks or so that I've been having serious thumps of all sorts. Never had the butterfly flutters like with dd, just somersaults and now these thumps, seemingly in two places at once.

 

My midwife is a cool cucumber, never freaks out about anything and isn't one to overinform in order to freak you out either. She just wanted me to start doing some reading and do any moderate things I saw there that seemed sensible. She said she had read something about computer use and the position you sit in being connected to it, but I haven't found anything on that yet. I'll DEFINITELY pursue the cat back thing, as that's something practical I can do. And if there's a way to find a chiro who does Webster, I'd be open to that. You know what's weird is my tail bone hasn't felt right for weeks. I mean it downright hurts, even after I went to the chiro. Of course I was so desperate just to be seen that day, I totally forgot to mention it.

[PeterPan]

Cool, I just searched and found a chiro doing Webster about 20 minutes from me! Don't know if it will help with posterior (only says breech), but can't hurt.

[Unicorn.]

I agree. 29 weeks is waaaaay to early to worry about this. ((((OhElizabeth))))

[3lilreds in NC]

I'm pretty sure I was about this far along when my first dd went from head-up to head-down. And Schmooey flipped ALL the time. Your little one has lots of time to move around yet. No worries! It will all be fine! It's a great idea to do those exercises and see your chiro, but turn down the worry-ometer.

 

:grouphug:

[Jami]

Cool, I just searched and found a chiro doing Webster about 20 minutes from me! Don't know if it will help with posterior (only says breech), but can't hurt.

 

Well my midwife has found that her clients who have regular chiro manipulations just have babies that slide beautifully into place, thus engaging the cervix better and shortening labors, even her first time moms. So it should help with relaxing your ligaments and pelvis for optimal positioning, not just turning a breech baby. At least that's my understanding and I'm certainly willing to try it out with this pregnancy and birth.

 

I'm so glad you found a doc! :)

 

Jami

[94txaggie]

My last two babies were both posterior at birth. Sunny side up, my midwife called them. She didn't tell me they were while I was in labor though...which was good because then I would've been thinking about it (like you are). The births were fine, no harder then the others. Each birth has its own story, and no other babies will be just like it. :)

 

I agree with this one. I had one "sunny side up" and didn't know it through labor. That birth was no worse/better than the others. Just relax...still plenty of time for things to change.:)

[Heather in OK]

Feeling hands down low doesn't always = an OP baby.

 

She said she had read something about computer use and the position you sit in being connected to it, but I haven't found anything on that yet.

Reclining and sitting with your knees above your hips are two of them.

 

I agree that there's still time for baby to turn. However, it doesn't hurt anything to be doing things to encourage optimal position. Ditto the hands/knees suggestions..10-15 minutes everyday. You can also get an exercise ball (aka birth ball) and use that to lean on.

 

Even if your little one stays OP, a lot of OP babies will rotate around to birth.

[Brindee]

My dd was sunnyside up, but the nurse reached in a turned her, and dd stayed that way. Is that common for nurses to do? I wish I would've known to go to a chiropractor then and with my ds now 14! I can imagine feeling better and having a good outcome at the end!

[Stacey in MA]

FWIW, I knew baby's position b/c I was getting weekly ultrasounds from about 32 wks due to a medical condition.

 

I tried a few things to get baby to flip, including walking a lot. (I remember the older kids walking with me, and instead of saying let's go for a walk, we'd say "come on and let's go flip the baby!"....and as we walked we'd chant "flip the baby, flip the baby"! - weird I know, but a pleasant memory! hee hee!)

 

But the thing that I think worked was this (I read about it somewhere online): I used a large wedge pillow to put my hips up on. Only about 10 min. for 3 nights. I didn't do it long b/c it wasn't very comfortable, and I was worried that I didn't know what I was doing. On the 3rd day, it was reasonably PAINFUL, so I stopped. But I now know that it was likely then that baby flipped.

 

The idea behind this technique is that you are disengaging the baby's head from your pelvis, and allowing him the space to flip.

 

FWIW, I was about to try the Webster method as my last resort. I was NOT going to try inversion. The dr. scared me out of that. She explained how when they schedule the inversion appt., it's very serious, that they have to schedule an anesthesiologist for it as a precaution, b/c if something goes "wrong" (like baby's heart rate starts to drop due to cord compression), they would do an emergency c-secion. Yikes! Forget that! I'm a NCB person, and didn't want this intervention in this way.

 

HTH! I can understand your concern, but you have so much time for things to line up the way you want. Try not to worry!

 

- Stacey in MA

[Marie in Oh]

My 1st and my 6th. Both turned in the end. Sitting straight up in a chair during transition worked for the last one.

 

I am surprised your mw even could tell that baby was in that position yet. I am sure baby is still quite high. I think that is odd. Likely he's not like that anymore. You've still got room for him to move around in there. He's likely only about 3-4 lbs.

 

My 5th was breech til 35 weeks and turned. I would not worry in the slightest. And, posterior births usually turn during labor. It is the rare stubborn one that stays sunny side up.

[Marie in Oh]

Well my midwife has found that her clients who have regular chiro manipulations just have babies that slide beautifully into place, thus engaging the cervix better and shortening labors, even her first time moms. So it should help with relaxing your ligaments and pelvis for optimal positioning, not just turning a breech baby. At least that's my understanding and I'm certainly willing to try it out with this pregnancy and birth.

 

:lol: this made me laugh. I would think after 6 babies I would have the most relaxed ligaments in the world, yet my labors are still long. Last one was 16 hours. Oh well, that is my lot in life.

[Another Lynn]

You've gotten great advice so far... chiro, cat-back, (also knee-chest), crawling around on hands and knees, no reclining/slumping positions, keep pelvis/hips higher than knees, etc. I'm two days overdue and not totally sure if I'm posterior or not, but I suspect it because she's just not engaged and I'm not dialating as much as I normally am by now. Sometimes I see her back curved along one side of my belly and sometimes I don't (maybe she is still just spinning?:D).

 

Anyway, I will tell you about my experience with my other dd. I was 5 cm on my due date, but my midwife told me she was posterior. I came home and read every website on it I could - did some of the positioning things, etc. The next day contractions came and went, so I decided to go to the pool (Swimming is also highly recommended). We went to dinner a few hours later and towards the end I felt an obvious change (she turned? she dropped dramatically?)I felt contractions start up again. I timed them very leisurely, but was soon breathing through them. By the time we got to the hospital, I was 9cm and she was born 20 minutes later (whew!). The moral of this story is that a) swimming is good and b) baby can still correct his/her positioning very late in the pregnancy :D

 

So do all the things you're reading about and then relax - you do still have plenty of time. But it is very good to be aware of positioning now especially since heart burn drives a lot of 3rd trimester moms to sleep in recliners which is a terrible position! (I'm still wondering if I should get to a chiro at this late date!)

[Sue G in PA]

Don't worry at all at 29 wks. Baby still has plenty of room to "spin" to an anterior position. As precautions, just make sure to avoid seme-reclining, reclining positions (like relaxing on a sofa or in bucket-type seats in cars). Lie on your side often (left side), get on all fours and do the "pelvic rocks", sit on an exercise ball and rotate your hips around (they are good to sit on anyway!) or sit backwards on a chair. All this can help turn a posterior baby. If you get to 36 wks + and baby is still posterior...don't worry! Many babies turn during labor! If that is the case, you can walk down steps sideways. That helps your pelvis become uneven and helps the baby turn and fit. My baby was posterior until the end, but obviously turned w/out my knowing it during labor b/c he was born quickly and face down. Good luck and don't worry...stress doesn't help! :)

[EndsWell]

Almost all of my babies were turned around one way or another...sometimes up until the day before birth. #4 was lying longways across the uterus, which always necessitates a C-section, and then she flipped headdown...and we induced immediately.

 

I would let time see if it really is an issue. Good luck!

[Sandy in Indy]

Get on your hands and knees and curve and arch your back over and over very gently. Do this for about 10 mins. or so several times a day. I was born sunny-side up and all my babies tried to pull the same trick. When I did this with my last two it worked. They kept trying to turn back but by being faithful I kept them from turning. Try it.

 

 

This is really good advice! Start with your back flat and arch up like a frightened cat, go back to flat and repeat. It's easy to do and something about it does encourage babies to turn.

 

I had two posterior babies...both were born naturally, the last one at home. It's harder, but *normal* birth is possible. Don't let anyone scare you!

[PeterPan]

Ok, I've been rereading your advice and looking at the new posts. I didn't realize putting your feet up like in a recliner was a bad position. Humbug, I had been doing that a lot, thinking it was good for me! Can't win. So I'll chill with that. My tailbone has been hurting when I sit in certain chairs, especially the one where I do my computer stuff, and I wasn't listening to it, thinking I just needed to suffer. Now I'm wondering if there is a connection (pain, lower back tightness). So I put a cushion on my computer chair and I'm going to press the issue with the chiro.

 

I'm still undecided about whether to stay with this local chiro I found (good but no Webster) or drive twice as far (20-25) for the webster chiro. Guess I'll start a thread on that. Anybody know the difference between a webster adjustment and a regular adjustment? You know what else is funky? It held for a short while after the adjustment last week, and now it's doing this again, where my lowest back (pelvic area spine stuff) twists or pops when I turn in bed. I try to turn very carefully, but it does, nonetheless. Last pregnancy I slept on a waterbed, so it wasn't an issue. This one I'm on a regular bed, so I'm less comfortable, sleeping on my side, and turning a lot.

 

I think my midwife is on top of it and has a plan, which she in fact told me (32 weeks we'll check again and talk about more options, 36 weeks get really serious, and then she'll do everything she knows in birth to get the baby to move). What I'm more concerned about is things *I* am doing that could be making this happen. I didn't have the tailbone pain with dd, so it seems to me when I figure out what's causing it and work to solve/prevent it, I'm also helping whatever is causing the baby to go posterior. At least that's my theory. So I'm not freaked out now, but I do want to do some pro-active things if *I'm* the problem.

 

When I did the cat stretch last night, it kind of felt funky to arch all the way up like that, made me wonder if I could hurt something (the baby). Is that possible or just use my common sense? And I was thinking, the point is to stretch and loosen the LOWER back with that, not so much the upper, right? So it's not so much about how far I arch my middle back as how well I tuck and stretch out the lower back, right?

[Dinsfamily]

My yds was posterior. I did all of the reading and got very scared about having a c/s. However, what I didn't know is that most of those statistics are for first-time moms. If you've already had a vb then I wouldn't worry at all. I did all the exercises my midwife suggested and never sat in a relaxed position hoping to turn him naturally. He never did. When I gave birth he was still posterior and it didn't cause ANY problems. In fact, I only pushed twice and he came out fast with no detrimental effects to my body. Now, his face was pretty bruised, but they tell me that was because he came out so fast and wouldn't have mattered if he were posterior or not. And the bruising went away in 2 days. I hope this makes you feel better.

 

I also agree with the pps. I'm surprised she even told you at 29 weeks. He has plenty of time to spin around.

[PeterPan]

Well that's a good sign! I read some stories to that effect too, that it is the worst with a first birth. Dd came out pretty nicely at 9lb4oz, so I think I have some size in there to pop out tomatoes, basketballs, what-have-you... I'm not worried about whether the birth will work, more just whether it would hurt excessively and make me question my sanity. And I was so hoping for that 7 hour (or less) birth... I do think my midwife is good and will have me into positions and do anything humanly possible to make it go well. It hadn't occurred to me that I could make changes and STILL have the baby stay posterior. I'll try to not rag myself to hard on it then. Thanks for sharing! :)

[Sasharowan]

Mine was posterior at 32 weeks and turned before birth without me doing anything special. Hope you have as good luck.

[abreakfromlife]

mine was posterior at 38 weeks....I looked at spinningbabies and I did the move where you get on the couch and lean down to the floor - I did that for a couple of days and then I felt him flip over, and sure enough, a few days later on the u/s, he was face down!

[Another Lynn]

One of the sites I went to (I'll try to find it again) made it sound that you might not be able to rely on pain (or the absence of) as an indication. Some of the positions were slightly painful to this particular writer (the first link below) until the baby did turn.

 

http://www.aims.org.uk/Journal/Vol12No2/posterior.htm

 

http://www.home4birth.com/pregnancy/posterior/article5.html

[Gretchen in NJ]

Get thee to a chiropracter who is very familiar with the Webster technique. And go weekly for manipulations until birth.

 

That's what my midwife would recommend. And what I'm doing this time around starting at about 20 weeks since I've had two mal-positioned babies.

 

:iagree: And please don't worry yourself about it. Without the chiropracter, mine turned at the last minute.

[manylilblessings]

My first two were posterior (of 5) and one of those was unmedicated (as were the last 3). I don't think it made a difference. I had more trouble with my 3rd child's shoulders than with either of the first two.

[muffinmom]

My first child came out sunny-side up (which no one had noted ahead of time) with no problems (no medication, quick birth, all great). I didn't realize until later that I had had back labor that whole time.

 

Fast-forward to my second child--regular labor was more uncomfortable for me and she was in the *right* position.

 

Go figure.

[Philothea]

I just wanted to thank the OP for making me think! My baby is in the transverse position. I'm sure it is because I have to lay on my sides a lot, I cannot even sit in the computer chair for more than 5 minutes! It HURTS!

 

I'm doing all that I can to get the baby into the right position, but I am sure that since I had the idea to hire a doula this time, she will be able to help too! My other two did not even go head down until the very end of the pregnancy either.

[Heather in OK]

My tailbone has been hurting when I sit in certain chairs, especially the one where I do my computer stuff, and I wasn't listening to it, thinking I just needed to suffer.

Get one of those exercise balls. They are great for sitting at the computer and will help you be in a good position.

 

I wouldn't worry about doing the whole "cat stretch" thing, especially if it's not comfortable. Just being on hands/knees will be beneficial.

[Mommy22alyns]

29 weeks is SO early! I had Sylvia at 36 weeks, and as late as ~35 weeks, she was transverse. So the little stinkers can move around a lot in there! ;)

[PeterPan]

Just wanted to tell y'all, I went to the chiropractor who does the Webster technique and got adjusted. After the first session Wednesday I got some movement and the kicks totally switched sides, no more hands below my navel, my lower belly started to round out, and my fundal height increased from 29 to 31. (I completed 31 weeks Friday and had been running 3 cm ahead prior to the baby turning posterior.) So I got adjusted again Friday, and now my fundal height is 33 cm and the movement is totally different, not like anything I've had with this baby. My whole belly bounces out and my shirt dances! It seems to me, as a novice, that he has turned with his back out and that he kicks against my back, making my whole front jump! That's all I can figure.

 

So I'm going to watch movement and see what happens, but it appears to me the baby has shifted to anterior, don't you think? I'm fully rounded now, have no lower hand movements, and my fundal height is getting back up to where it should be. So I am just ELATED! Ok, just got some movement, and like I was saying, it's smack in the middle, well above my belly button. And the firmness is smack in the middle, not flopped to one side like it had been. The chiro wants to see me Monday, see how things are staying (whether the tension in the back is symmetrical), and then we'll go to once a week. It's kind of disgusting to have to pay as much as it costs just to have one crack (just your lower back, nothing else) and one trigger point released, but if it works, it works, I guess.

 

BTW, I tried to do the cat stretches y'all recommended, and I think I'm just too short in the torso for them. They gave me terrible heartburn and pushed things up. Someone else told me about lying on your side, then knees and elbows (no arching to scrunch your innerds), and then repeat with the other side and knees/elbows. I did that once or twice. Really though, this Webster technique was pretty dramatic and just plain did it. I'm a LOT more comfortable now too with walking and whatnot.

 

So if you've been curious how it was going, there's your update! I go to the midwife on the 30th, so she can check me then and say something official. In the meantime, I'm at least getting enough movement that I'm hopeful.

 

Yeah!!!

[Mom2GirlsTX]

Well that sounds really promising! I'm glad that you can walk more comfortably, and hopefully the baby is adjusting himself into a nice correct position. Thanks for the update! Keep us posted.

[Jennifer in MI]

That does sound promising!! I had the Webster technique done with my fourth and I'm sure that's what turned her too.

 

Oh - and the chiro can adjust other things while you're pregnant too. Mine did the Webster technique one time and then the rest of my back the next. She also adjusted my pelvis as I was getting a LOT of pain there.

 

Doin' a happy dance for ya'! When is your next dr/midwife appointment?

[PeterPan]

My next midwife appt. is on the 30th, so that's in 1 1/2 weeks. I think the chiro wanted to adjust just the sacrum area at first (to allow focusing of the body, woowoo) and then add in more when everything seems to be holding and happy. See I think I got into this pickle with a chiro adjustment from another chiro who wasn't as experienced with pregnancy and messed it up. So now we're undoing that, which seems reasonable to me could take a couple times. Once it's staying balanced and everything in in place, I think she'll go to adjusting me fully. It's weird, but the referred pain I was having in other places (knees, neck, etc.) also got better, just with doing this sacrum thing. So even though it's not the whole shibang, it's still helping a lot!

[keptwoman]

All 3 of my babies have been posterior going into labour, regardless of my best efforts to move them beforehand.

 

All 3 turned in labour, and the 2nd and 3rd labours were 5 hours and 40 mins respectively. I don't know if they were more painful than anterior labours, because I haven't had one.

 

I wouldn't even worry slightly about it until much much much closer to your due date, but even if they don't turn, well I'm here to tell you it isn't that bad :)