[GIO]

Hi.

I've had four posterior labours (I have a funny shaped spine and they won't go the normal way).

1. TENS machine. You need a tens on your back.
2. Get your birth partner / support to turn it up every hour. You won't remember yourself.
3. Lean forward every contraction. Lean over something or be on all fours.
4. Don't use water. You have to take the tens machine off to shower/bathe. It's a great relief for uterine pain, but in a posterior labour it's the back that hurts the most, not the uterus.

Look, a posterior labour isn't all that bad, but I don't know any different, do I?

If you get an epidural you aren't in the right position to get baby to turn (You've probably already done your research and know that most babies actually turn the right way at the end).

So that means an epidural will mean baby is more likely to have trouble coming out so you end up with a c/s or assistance (forceps, vacuum).

Cheers

[Sunnycat]

DS was posterior and I birthed on my back as that was the only position I could be in due to being induced and having the drip and epidural and various monitoring equipment on me.

I was induced and all up the labour was 8.5 hours from start of induction to babe in arms. I only pushed for about 20 minutes.

[mummyinahurry]

Mine turned posterior the day before birth And I found from the start that labour was concentrated in my back. It doesn't need to be horrendous - every labour has its own difficulties - but I found leaning forward over the bed during contractions and stomping was very effective. I also had an epi which was bliss.

Stay positive and confident - be open to moving around until you can find a position you're comfy with

[Bunsen]

Hi.

I've had four posterior labours (I have a funny shaped spine and they won't go the normal way).

1. TENS machine. You need a tens on your back.
2. Get your birth partner / support to turn it up every hour. You won't remember yourself.
3. Lean forward every contraction. Lean over something or be on all fours.
4. Don't use water. You have to take the tens machine off to shower/bathe. It's a great relief for uterine pain, but in a posterior labour it's the back that hurts the most, not the uterus.

Look, a posterior labour isn't all that bad, but I don't know any different, do I?

If you get an epidural you aren't in the right position to get baby to turn (You've probably already done your research and know that most babies actually turn the right way at the end).

So that means an epidural will mean baby is more likely to have trouble coming out so you end up with a c/s or assistance (forceps, vacuum).

Cheers

Just wanted to add that I found water just as effective for my posterior labour as I did for the anterior, so don't discount anything if what you are trying isn't working!

[premmie_29weeks]

If it helps DS was posterior up until about 3 days before he was born. I can't tell you how a birth might be with a posterior baby, but they do move around at the last minute. This one is also posterior (my back is killing me!). So I'm hoping for the same thing again. I read swimming can help, though my OB suggested this despite saying there's no real research to back it up. Worth a try anyway I would think, good exercise and the weightlessness is nice too

I had an epidural after 12 hours, and I know people say it slows things down, but I went from 5-10cm dilated and pushing in about 2 hours once I had the epi in. So it's not necessarily the case. I also had no further intervention (other than MW breaking my waters).

[seepi]

My first was posterior and the back pain was bad, and also I had contraction pain from my neck to my knees.

I really had no idea though and was lying on my back and arching and tensing up with the pain.

But the back pain is very real. The rest is just like any labour really.

- Except a posterior labour can give you the urge to push before you really ready, due to baby pressing oddly on you - so be aware of that too.

Even if baby doesn't turn a second labour should be easier than a first (even posterior I expect). I did have an episiotomy, but no epidural or forceps or anything else with my posterior labour. It doesn't have to mean intervention.

[Elemenopee]

My first was POP (persistent posterior - she never turned). I did have an epi, pethidine and gas - it was a long labour! but no other intervention was needed. Actually, we didn't know she was posterior until after she was born, although my ob did say that explained why I was yelling about my back so much.

[Guest_holy_j_*]

My first was posterior and I'm not going to lie, it was horrendous. All in the back- the pain was not the worst of it, the worst of it was days and days of pain and not getting anywhere. It's easier to deal with the pain, when you find you've made progress in dilating, getting told, no you are still 1cm makes you want to scream. Nearly 3 days all up, pethidine was useless- i ended up having syntocin and an epi, which worked. Water was heaven and heat!, and the ball and doing squats and walking around was useless, it made the pain excrutiating for me. My 3rd I dunno what you call it but he was looking to the side when he came up and he was 2 days worth of labour.

BUT my daughter, my 2nd child was normal, typical labour and progression and was still 10 hours labour.

So i think it really is an individual thing , I probably would have had long labours anyway...i have friends that have had very short labours with posterior babies and said they never felt any back pain at all.

This post has been edited by holy_j: 25/01/2012, 11:13 PM

[meggs10]

A couple of ways to encourage them to get into position is, as someone else had suggested, be on all fours and allow the baby to hang, swing your hips from side to side (this can be great for back pain as well)

I did this twice a day at the final stages of my second pregnancy so that my baby wouldn't be posterior.

My first baby was posterior and it was 20 hours and there was a lot of pain the hip. I kept doing the above exercises for my second pregnancy and the labour was only 7 hours and not anywhere near as painful.

I used a fit ball to support my arms and upper body and rolled my hip around while I was on all fours. I did that for about 10 minutes each time, twice a day.

[lozoodle]

My first was posterior. Whilst it did take a little longer during the pushing stage, it was still relatively quick.

The thing I found the worst was the intense pressure, making me feel like I needed to do a giant poo. My second (not posterior) felt a bit like that but not nearly as bad.

The best thing for me was staying upright and then when the pressure got really intense I found it SO comfortable to sit on the toilet, I'm not sure why - I think the position just helped me feel the pressure rather than freaking out and trying to stop it.

I managed to get through it 100% drug free, and I'm sure you can too if that is what you want. Just go with the flow. Your body is pretty good at telling you what it needs you to do.