Multiple Posterior Babies?

[Stibalfamily]

I have had two boys, both posterior. Their births were horrendous. When I realized my second was posterior, I went to a chiropractor that specializes in the Webster technique to turn him around. No dice. I am having my third child and wondering, if anyone has experience with multiple posterior births. My midwife thinks there is not much hope and my third will very likely be posterior. I am 17 weeks now and wondering if there is anything I can do. 

[Guest]

Well I have them and it's due to the shape of my pelvis. The things I've done to help are TONS of Webster chiropractic and spinning babies website exercises for optimal positioning. Also knowing how to encourage turning in labor (like inversions and lunges) is extremely useful :)

 

With the Webster I find I have to go for several months and continually work to encourage good positioning, I can't just go at 37 weeks and have it work. Positioning work is a daily thing.

Edited May 4, 2017 by Arctic Mama

[rainbowmama]

I tend to carry my babies posterior (and grow them big), but Despite the back labor, I tend to have quick, quiet births. A posterior baby, especially if you have had a few babies, doesn't necessarily mean a hard birth.

[caedmyn]

My last 2 were posterior. The spinningbabies exercises the last few weeks really helped with the last one...ended up being my shortest labor and him being posterior didn't affect labor in any way that I could tell. I did them with the one before him too but not intensely enough I don't think and that was a rough labor.

[Word Nerd]

All four of my sister's babies were posterior births, but I don't think she had hard back labor every time.

Edited May 5, 2017 by Word Nerd

[maize]

My mom's babies were all posterior, so are mine and my sister's.

 

I think it is our internal anatomy.

[Paige]

My first was posterior and it was a very difficult birth. He wasn't actually born sunny side up, but that was because the doctor was able to physically turn him on the way out so he was sunny side up until the last few pushes. I don't want to think about the pain with that birth! My back hurt and spasmed for months and I was unmedicated so can't blame it on the epidural. My other babies were not posterior as far as I know. My preemies were unusual and rushed and I really don't remember. My very last baby was posterior until the last few weeks which I'm told is normal. The midwife told me to avoid sitting in a scooped position- like laying back on the couch with my feet up with pelvis higher than hips. She suggested sitting more upright, getting on all fours, walking, squatting, etc. I did that and baby turned but I don't know if it was causal or coincidental. I like sitting with my legs up, so it's hard!

[amyx4]

I had one born sunny side up. I gave birth in a kneeling, almost upright position.

[happypamama]

Welllll. . .

 

Baby number one was breech late, and when she flipped tonhead down, she ended up posterior. They tried to get her to rotate, but she never did, and she was born sunny side up. I pushed on my side (for an hour and a half). Back labor wasn't too terrible. I slept during the two hours of transition.

 

But I figured I should try to encourage baby two to be anterior, so I sat leaning forward and all a lot. Well, he was anterior, but his head was so far forward on my public bone. It hurt a lot to get him off and then under.

 

I gave up after that and decided it didn't matter, and I'd take posterior over head on public bone. My others were anterior, except that one was born breech (after being head down at 36 weeks). So who knows?

[Suzanne in ABQ]

My ds was posterior until almost the last minute.  I labored on my hands and knees, which helped with the back pain.  At some point before transition, I wanted to go to the bathroom, so they walked me there (toilet was in the birthing room.)  While bearing down to (I thought) have a bowel movement, I felt this great surge in my pelvis, and heard a few little plops in the toilet.  I looked up and asked the midwife, "What happened!?!"  They quickly got me back to the bed, and I went back to my hands and knees.  Turns out, baby ds had turned himself while I was sitting upright.  He was born in very short order after that (maybe 15 minutes?).  It ended up being my easiest birth experience.

[nixpix5]

It's anatomy sometimes, unfortunately. I have had 4 pregnancies and 3 were posterior. Of those, one was the most horrendous labor I have ever experienced.

[LMD]

only my last was posterior and was born sunny side up, in the bath. It was my hardest labour. You have all my sympathy! if I have another then I will live and breathe the m spinning babies stuff!

[Ausmumof3]

No idea if it's a myth or factual but have you tried the hands and knees rocking thing in the weeks leading up?

[PeterPan]

I used a couple different chiros for the Webster, and one was significantly better at it than the other. You might try a different chiro. Also, once we got him to turn, we kept doing sessions to keep those muscles from twisting and turning him back.

[Stibalfamily]

No idea if it's a myth or factual but have you tried the hands and knees rocking thing in the weeks leading up?

 

I can't remember everything that I did with the second. I tried spinning babies but I started late in the game. I know I did some hands and knees stuff. I guess I need to find a new Webster Chiropractor and start spinning babies now. 

[Elizabeth 2]

I can't remember everything that I did with the second. I tried spinning babies but I started late in the game. I know I did some hands and knees stuff. I guess I need to find a new Webster Chiropractor and start spinning babies now. 

 

This sounds like what I did after DS#1.

 

DS#1 was posterior and spun in labor, leading to a triple cord wrap.  DS#2 was anterior, but I don't think his huge head would have fit any other way. I did use the Webster Chiropractor often, though, and unknowingly used the spinning baby positions naturally.  DD was posterior as she had an anterior placenta. (I was told that with an anterior placenta, there isn't much you can do before labor.)  She was posterior through early labor of three days.  We used baby sifting, lunges, side stair climbing, walking curbs, etc. to help turn her. After that, active labor was about four hours, but she still ended up with a double cord wrap.

Edited May 5, 2017 by Elizabeth 2

[Murphy101]

I have had multiple "sunny side up" babies. No fun but had worse. I don't see much point to all the spinning babies and such stuff. And there's no small chance of danger when done without guidance. Unless it's while in active labor, there's no point bc it's highly possible baby will just move right back to that position. In one of my pregnancies the baby freaked the heck out in there and immediately got back into position. Thankfully bc we learned at delivery he was so wadded up in his umbilical cord, that particular position was basicly the only one that didn't strangle him to death. Still had a dangerous delivery but at least he is a living breathing joyous 5 yr old now.

[4Kiddos]

My three boys were posterior babies with hard back labor and very, very long difficult labors. I tried EVERYTHING- spinning, manual rotation, different labor positions, exercises, the doctor manually turning, herbs, red raspberry leaf tea, etc. My OB was really skilled at getting babies to move but she just knows that I have really difficult labors. She says it is just me and is always amazed at my hard labors.

 

My first daughter was also posterior but after a week of regular labor, 12 hours of hard intense labor, and 3 hours of pushing she was not turning or moving. She was stuck with her head sideways and rotated a weird way. I ended up having to have a C-section as she was starting to have troubles.

 

My last little girl was born via C-section because my doctor didn't think it was a good idea to try VBAC with my really difficult labors. I am due to have Baby #6 in October and that will also be a C-section.

[maize]

So is there an established link between posterior babies and nuchal cords? Because I always wondered why 6 of my 7 had the cord wrapped at least once around their neck! Seemed statistically unlikely.

 

This last one is the only one who didn't have the cord around his neck--his cord was so short it actually snapped during delivery.

 

Mine have mostly turned during pushing.

Edited May 5, 2017 by maize

[Stibalfamily]

So is there an established link between posterior babies and nuchal cords? Because I always wondered why 6 of my 7 had the cord wrapped at least once around their neck! Seemed statistically unlikely.

 

This last one is the only one who didn't have the cord around his neck--his cord was so short it actually snapped during delivery.

 

Mine have mostly turned during pushing.

 

I can only speak to my experience. Neither one of my boys had the cord around their neck. They were both born fully sunny side up, the did not turn at any point. 

[HTRMom]

First baby: posterior. Horrendous birth. Turned after many hours and some morphine.

 

Second baby: Posterior. Start and stop prodromal labor for days, once labor started in earnest progression was normal. Short but intense. Turned at some point. This baby had a cord wrapped around his arm in a dangerous way and had a rare amniotic band.

 

Third baby: Prodromal labor was so intense and prolonged that I was induced. Epidural made labor easy. He came out sunny side up, in just a couple pushes.

Edited May 6, 2017 by HTRMom

[Stacia]

My dd (first baby) was posterior & born sunny side up. Horrendous labor & absolutely agonizing back pain. Doctors & midwives never noticed this, leading up to or even during labor, until the very, very end (over 24 hours of labor, over 3+ intense hours of pushing, etc...). They literally realized it less than 5 minutes before she was born. Why? I have no idea but wonder if it was some kind of medical malpractice or ignorance or something. It's not like I knew anything (first baby) & I was in such complete agony (even w/ an epidural) that I was barely aware of anything. I didn't know any better, though, & wasn't even functioning cognitively to ask questions at that point. I am just thankful that she was safe (& that I was too). Boy, she looked angry once she arrived & I don't blame her one bit! I think she had neck pain from it (what the lactation consultant thought since she refused to lean her head forward to nurse). Anyway....

 

So, zero advice here, but :grouphug:  & wishes for a smooth, bearable, & safe delivery.

[Reefgazer]

My mom had us three kids in the 60s when there was no ultrasound to determine position.  When she was in labor with her third (my brother), the doctor yelled out "Not a third one!", but, yes, all my mom's kids were breach, and she said it was hellacious.

[Ausmumof3]

So is there an established link between posterior babies and nuchal cords? Because I always wondered why 6 of my 7 had the cord wrapped at least once around their neck! Seemed statistically unlikely.

 

This last one is the only one who didn't have the cord around his neck--his cord was so short it actually snapped during delivery.

 

Mine have mostly turned during pushing.

I don't know but a friend who recently had the cord thing said apparently it's more likely if you have a lot of fluid around the baby still.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I carried all of mine posterior, and they spun during labor (no one was born sunny side up).  My second was palpated as posterior and high, and was born three minutes later... so... they can spin fast!  I have always labored in my back, and applying counter-pressure for each and every contraction makes a huge difference in comfort level.

 

 

Well I have them and it's due to the shape of my pelvis. The things I've done to help are TONS of Webster chiropractic and spinning babies website exercises for optimal positioning. Also knowing how to encourage turning in labor (like inversions and lunges) is extremely useful :)

With the Webster I find I have to go for several months and continually work to encourage good positioning, I can't just go at 37 weeks and have it work. Positioning work is a daily thing.

 

I agree with all of this, also spend part of each day crawling around on hands and knees!  

 

 

I tend to carry my babies posterior (and grow them big), but Despite the back labor, I tend to have quick, quiet births. A posterior baby, especially if you have had a few babies, doesn't necessarily mean a hard birth.

 

 

This was my experience as well.  Fast, intense labors, but the fact that baby started posterior didn't seem to have any negative effect overall.