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Help me feel better about posterior baby (pic in post #51)


Mrs. A
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I'm 40 weeks today with baby number 5! Baby is definitely posterior and I'm nervous because I'd like to have a natural delivery, but everything I read keeps saying that labor with posterior babies is more difficult and to be honest I'm worried. I'm trying so hard not to be, but I am. I know that baby could still turn. I'm trying all the exercises on spinningbabies.com and I also know that it may all turn out just fine.

But I would so appreciate any reassurance you all might have for me.

Thanks!

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DS was sideways for weeks (head toward my hip, feet at my navel). I could tell he was still there just hours before my water broke. He was in the correct position by the time we checked in at the hospital. I have no idea how.

 

Don't worry, mama!

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Have you done natural before?

 

My babies have all been posterior, and it does make for a long, difficult labor. I went natural with the first five but decided I was just too tired by the time I got to #6 and opted for an epidural.

 

What usually happens with my labors is that the posterior baby doesn't put enough pressure on the cervix so I labor forever with little progress.

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Sorry, I guess my post wasn't very reassuring. Every woman and every labor is different. FWIW, my babies have turned eventually, usually when I am pushing. When I have done natural birth I always left the option of an epidural open for myself; it helped a lot with the pre-labor anxiety to know that I had options for pain relief if I chose to use them.

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You don't have much time, but you can do exercises on http://spinningbabies.com/

 

I homebirthed a posterior baby (3rd kid).  It hurt in my back.  A lot.  Labor was a textbook 10 1/2 hours, though (MUCH shorter than #1 and 4!).  He actually turned over as he entered the birth canal, the little bugger.  But it can be done all natural.  I was posterior myself and my mom had me drug-free.

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So far all four of my kids were posterior. With my first this caused 4 hours of pushing but the others turned much more quickly. What worked for me was pushing on hands and knees until they turned. My third only partially turned before she was born and her poor little cheeks got bruised. All of mine were born naturally. I'm guessing number 5 will be posterior as well. :/

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My last 3 were posterior, 2 of the 3 were born without an epidural (not because I didn't want one, but because they came too fast). It will be o.k. My only problem was that I was never really  sure if I was in labor until the very end because I was having back labor instead of the traditional labor pains. Hence not going to the hospital soon enough to get an epidural :(

 

Best of luck!

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Labor with a posterior baby is quite painful (two of mine were posterior), but both times when it got to the point that it was intolerable (around 6cm dilation) I got forward on my hands and knees for several contractions and the baby turned almost immediately. Instant relief!

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With my #3 I did end up getting an epidural and ended up getting a bit injured on delivery, but she came out face first and posterior fine! The best position for me was using a squat bar and sticking a leg out and all sorts of contorted things.

 

She is 10 now and I will occasionally reminder her that I had to do acrobatics for her arrival, which she thinks is hilarious.

 

Good luck!

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I've had posterior babies naturally and it does suck. I'm sorry, it just does. Keep your water intact as long as possible and move around I'm labor a ton, as this will help baby turn. Spinning babies exercises in labor ar really helpful, too.

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daughter delivered a posterior baby that she was able to get turned via a chiropractor... She went to one who specializes in turning babies.  I went with dd, because she was already in that slow early (am I really in labor?) labor you get with posterior babies.   She definitely felt a difference after the appt.   Baby was born about 9-10hrs later.

 

But, she ended up delivering on her hands and knees. That is one of the easier ways to deliver a posterior baby (although I'll admit its not so nice for the mom - I delivered #2 that way...felt very disconnected from the whole process).   It was an un-planned homebirth (oops) because, in the end, when labor really kicked in we didn't realize she was as far along as she really was.. 

 

Her first was also posterior.. she went to the hospital far too early...ended up wit hall the bells and whistles.  Her son never descended... ended up with a section.   She was determined not to repeat it if at all possible. 

 

Anyway, my humble advice is to stay away from the hospital as long as possible.  Do lots of hands and knees rocking... hire a Doula who has lots of experience (my dd was a former L&D nurse - thank God! since she ended up catching the baby for us).   See if you can find a chiropractor who specializes in turning babies.

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I just watched this video and it looked helpful for posterior babies - even better if they've not engaged yet.

 

 

It is probably similar to something on spinning babies since she references it in the video. But just in case you've not already tried it.

 

 

And also, lots of mamas have successful deliveries with posterior babies. While it may not be ideal and can be more challenging it doesn't need to feel impossible. Even better is that you have time all the way up to and during labor for a change to happen too.

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3 out of my 4 births were posterior.  I went into labor early in the morning and ran to the hospital only for them to send me home.  lol That's not very encouraging for a hormonal woman that's past her due date, but posterior position babies take longer. I learned to stay home until I couldn't take the pain any more.  Yes, it's very painful, especially in the back.  But, I really really don't like needles so an epidural wasn't an option for me.  I had some other kind of pain medicine for my first, but I was so weak that I couldn't hold him afterwards.  I very rarely take pain meds to these greatly affected me.  After that I determined I wouldn't be taking anything with my other births.  With my first three I went into labor in the morning and had a baby by evening.  I labored about 10-12 hours for each.  With my third I started in the  morning and had a baby by noon.  She was not posterior.  She was quick and I felt much more painful and intense.  I'm expecting baby #5 and I'm hoping she's posterior.  Strange, I know, but that's what I'm used to.  That last one was just too quick and intense for me. 

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3/4 of mine were posterior until the very last minute.  It really didn't make a difference in my labors as each of my labors have gotten shorter, but it was my first that was "perfectly positioned" and he was the most difficult out of all of them.  I had all of them without drugs.  Have someone on your birth team ready to squeeze the heck out of your hips during contractions.  Labor on all fours.  Until then, do a lot of pelvic rocks.

 

Also, I know this sounds glib, but I really wouldn't worry about it.  It might make your labor harder, or it might not.  Contractions might get your baby turned the right way before it ever becomes an issue.  You already know you can birth babies and there are so many things that contribute to an "easy" vs a "hard" labor and most of them are out of our control.  If you can, I would just let it go.

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Have you done natural before?

 

My babies have all been posterior, and it does make for a long, difficult labor. I went natural with the first five but decided I was just too tired by the time I got to #6 and opted for an epidural.

 

What usually happens with my labors is that the posterior baby doesn't put enough pressure on the cervix so I labor forever with little progress.

My posterior baby was my shortest labor, but hardest delivery. Interesting how each baby/labor/birth is different!
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My second baby was posterior, and 8 days past his due date.  It was a stressful time, but everything turned out fine.  That ended up being my easiest delivery.  

 

I labored on my hands and knees.  The bed had a drop down section that made this really comfortable.  After a couple hours of laboring this way, I felt like I needed to use the restroom, so my midwife walked me to the toilet, and I sat.  At some point, I felt this huge rumbling sensation (not painful), and water gushed, and I asked, "What was that!"  It turns out that the baby turned at that moment.  The midwife walked me back to the bed, and I delivered the baby within about 30 minutes, again on my hands and knees, though it probably wouldn't have mattered at that point, since he had turned.  It's hard for me to change things midway through a delivery.  Whatever position I'm in when I start hard labor, that's where I stay.  

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I'm 40 weeks today with baby number 5! Baby is definitely posterior and I'm nervous because I'd like to have a natural delivery, but everything I read keeps saying that labor with posterior babies is more difficult and to be honest I'm worried. I'm trying so hard not to be, but I am. I know that baby could still turn. I'm trying all the exercises on spinningbabies.com and I also know that it may all turn out just fine.

 

But I would so appreciate any reassurance you all might have for me.

 

Thanks!

My midwife, who had delivered 700 babies, told me she could flip a baby very close to birth and not to worry about it.

Do you know anyone like that?  Maybe someone can do this or maybe it will just turn on its own?

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My first baby was posterior and never did turn all the way around. She was born facing up. She was 8 lbs. 11 oz. with a 14" head. Her labor was probably my easiest. I had ten hours of contractions, followed by an hour and a half of pushing, and it was largely so easy. I dozed through transition. Pushing was longish but easy. I had time to see her crowning with the mirror. No tearing. I had a little bit of pressure, but not really any pain, in my back early on, but not terrible. Very easy labor, very easy birth.

 

In contrast, for my next baby, who was a full pound bigger, I thought I'd try to encourage an anterior position by leaning forward a lot during the pregnancy. Well, he was anterior, but he was also very forward on my pubic bone and it hurt a lot; it took some time to get him off of it and under it and was not a terribly pleasant couple of hours there. My third and fourth babies were anterior, but pushing was crazy with both of them -- two pushes and one push, respectively, and the fourth labor was fast too. I will happily take posterior and slow! You can have a good labor and birth, mama!

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Thanks for the encouragement. I'm trying very hard not to stress about this. I'm going to have to just be present in the moment and not let myself dwell on what "might happen".  I had a membrane sweep today... hoping it will get things started. She also suggested castor oil, but I'm not sure I'm willing to go down that road :leaving:  For now I'm content to keep waiting. 

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DS was posterior and labor was long and painful, but he was my first (and only) and I didn't know it is usually less painful. I had just assumed it would hurt. The labor tub helped a ton - I was able to push in there for awhile too. I ended up with an emergency c section but I think that was mostly because his head was cocked to the side and he was trying to come out neck first. He had quite the cone head when he was born.

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Labor with a posterior baby is quite painful (two of mine were posterior), but both times when it got to the point that it was intolerable (around 6cm dilation) I got forward on my hands and knees for several contractions and the baby turned almost immediately. Instant relief!

Bolded mine.  I would correct that to "can be quite painful."  As a childbirth educator, I had several of my students report back that their posterior labors were not as painful as their "well-positioned" babies.  As other moms here have also said!!

 

I just watched this video and it looked helpful for posterior babies - even better if they've not engaged yet.

 

 

It is probably similar to something on spinning babies since she references it in the video. But just in case you've not already tried it.

 

 

And also, lots of mamas have successful deliveries with posterior babies. While it may not be ideal and can be more challenging it doesn't need to feel impossible. Even better is that you have time all the way up to and during labor for a change to happen too.

Oh wait!  It's Deb!  I know her.  She was my mentor when I was teaching Bradley Method classes.  She went on to found Informed Beginnings.  If I were ever to go back to teaching childbirth classes, I would certify with them.  She is an awesome teacher and doula!!   (So cool that I got to hear her voice and her quirky sense of humor again.)  

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My first baby was delivered posterior, had terrible back labor, but once I made it through that I only pushed 3 times and out he came.  

 

My last baby turned posterior during labor.  I could literally feel him clawing his way around my belly!  Like one of the posters above, once he settled down, his neck was arched and he was trying to come out with the broad side of his head first.  Nice try, buddy, but that's a definite no-go.  I ended up having a c-section with him.  

 

The encouraging element of this post is that today, both of those boys are safe, happy, and healthy. :)  I wish you a beautiful and safe birth for you and your baby.  And, congratulations on #5!! 

 

 

 

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I've helped deliver many babies that were posterior. The labor is a little more painful but they all came out:)  One thing I recommend is find a chiropractor that practices the Webster technique.  Works well for getting babies to get in a better position. Also look up diaphragmatic release also on Spinning babies here's a link http://spinningbabies.com/learn-more/techniques/other-techniques/abdominal-release/

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My first baby was posterior and his labor was difficult but I had a vaginal delivery and everything was fine. I think a 5th posterior baby would be much easier than a 1st, so you can totally do this! I didn't know DS was posterior until we were in the middle of pushing so I didn't have an epidural or anything. On the one hand, I think had I known I definitely would have gotten the epidural because pain. On the other hand, my doula believes being unmedicated really helped me to avoid a c-section with him. It also helped to have a very easy going doctor. Either way, you are an experienced mother and you totally have got this!

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I've helped deliver many babies that were posterior. The labor is a little more painful but they all came out:)  One thing I recommend is find a chiropractor that practices the Webster technique.  Works well for getting babies to get in a better position. Also look up diaphragmatic release also on Spinning babies here's a link http://spinningbabies.com/learn-more/techniques/other-techniques/abdominal-release/

 

 

Yes, the bolded is what I have to remember don't I? It will end and this new little baby will be worth all the trouble.  Not sure if I'll get the chance to try the chiropractor - looks like labor may be starting here... 

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My 4th was posterior. He was actually born Sunnyside up so he never turned.

 

It was my first homebirth so I didn't have drugs. The bath helped A LOT. Get thee a birth pool if you can!

 

I won't lie, it was the most painful labour of all my births. It was slow progress and transition lasted hours.

 

But I did it drug free and in the end I'm glad I did. Good luck!!!

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Well, it's over! The labor itself was unbelievably easy. I'm still in shock over it. It was long and slow, but very mild if that makes sense. When I got to the hospital I think the house doctor thought I was not in labor- but surprise! I was already 8cm. I got into the birth tub and labored in there for a bit. I had one contraction that felt like my back was bring crushed, but I remembered to flip onto hands and knees and sometime after that was when he turned I think.

 

Pushing was a whole different ball game. I think because labor was so easy the pushing stage felt that much harder instead of being a relief like in the past. But it was only about 20 minutes or so and he was out - all 9lbs 1oz of him!

 

Thank you all for your encouragement and support!

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Well, it's over! The labor itself was unbelievably easy. I'm still in shock over it. It was long and slow, but very mild if that makes sense. When I got to the hospital I think the house doctor thought I was not in labor- but surprise! I was already 8cm. I got into the birth tub and labored in there for a bit. I had one contraction that felt like my back was bring crushed, but I remembered to flip onto hands and knees and sometime after that was when he turned I think.

 

Pushing was a whole different ball game. I think because labor was so easy the pushing stage felt that much harder instead of being a relief like in the past. But it was only about 20 minutes or so and he was out - all 9lbs 1oz of him!

 

 

Congratulations Lisa! I'm so glad the labor was easy and he's here. Now, pics? ;)

Thank you all for your encouragement and support!

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Well, it's over! The labor itself was unbelievably easy. I'm still in shock over it. It was long and slow, but very mild if that makes sense. When I got to the hospital I think the house doctor thought I was not in labor- but surprise! I was already 8cm. I got into the birth tub and labored in there for a bit. I had one contraction that felt like my back was bring crushed, but I remembered to flip onto hands and knees and sometime after that was when he turned I think.

 

Pushing was a whole different ball game. I think because labor was so easy the pushing stage felt that much harder instead of being a relief like in the past. But it was only about 20 minutes or so and he was out - all 9lbs 1oz of him!

 

Thank you all for your encouragement and support!

 

Congratulations on your new little one; I'm happy everything worked out so well.  ( Wow, 9lbs 1 oz is a lot of baby) :hurray:

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