Those of you that had posterior babies...

JayandEmm · August 2012

Did they turn during labor?

If it helps, Im having a birth center birth so Im free to move and birth in any position I want. Ive been trying to get LO to turn, but he seems very happy where he's at. (Yes, Ive been doing spinning babies techniques)

Im a hair bit nervous about delivering a posterior baby, due to all the horror stories. (But then again, all the horror stories involve induction, epidural, and laboring flat on your back, which would be completely opposite from my birth.)

danienross · August 2012

DD was posterior but I was being induced and no one realized she was until I had already been in labor for 13hrs. Of course since I was being induced I wasn't free to move around. She did not turn until I was pushing.

This time I'm planning a home birth. I am slightly nervous about having another posterior baby since back labor can be rough but at least I will have more freedom and support this time.

00jennifer00 · August 2012

My third was posterior from 18w on. I tried some spinning babies stuff towards the end, but I felt a firm calling from God to leave him be. Like "this is the safest position for him" kinda thing. So I let it go. He was born posterior, with a nuchal hand to boot. It was hard, it was a 4 day labor (contractions every 11m for the first 3 days, except for about 4h each night that they'd slow to twice an hour so I could sleep a bit). On the morning of the 4th day, they were 7m apart. By noon they were 5m apart. Around 2:30 I was like 6cm and I NEEDED dh to squeeze my hips as hard as he could through contractions. It was the only thing that helped. He was born at 4:30. I pushed in a squatting position and caught him myself. He didn't right himself pre-birth. He was smallish though, 36w and 6lb5oz.

ncbelle · August 2012

Eleanor wasn't ever fully posterior but she was at a wonky angle and was acynclitic for most of my labor. I felt her turn massively right before pushing - and I'm sure it was in large part due to the constant movement I did in labor.

wifeofadam · August 2012

#1 was OP and my MW was finally able to turn him after an hour and a half of pushing. He was born shortly after that. His heart started to decel so I think she pushed him back a little and turned him.

#3 was also OP and never turned. I was in the birth tub and my MWs weren't doing internals or anything. DD's heart rate was fine so we just kept going the way she wanted to come out.

Don't worry. I've done it twice and I survived. You'll be fine.

And FWIW, the Old Wive's Tale has been true for both of my OP babies. They say sunny-side up babies have a sunny disposition. Mine really have! That's the payment for all of that hard work

Celyn · August 2012

A lot of babies start out posterior, most turn. Mine did. Some pelvises actually favor this position (though not many). Some turn at the beginning of labor (if you're labor starts out in typical fashion for a posterior baby, keep doing the spinning babies stuff), some wait to the end.

mystrana · August 2012

It's good to hear this information. I have a posterior baby and am pretty nervous about back labor since my back pains already started creeping up there due to baby and the mild scoliosis I have.

BrideNamedMeg · August 2012

I'm almost positive my daughter was posterior during early labor, but she eventually turned and came out the way she was supposed to. I know my son was posterior for a few weeks leading up to my labor and he did not turn. The worst part of having a posterior baby was the pushing - it took 2 hours to get my son out while my daughter was out in less than 20 minutes. It was still totally possible though, and he was born at home totally med/intervention free

BrideNamedMeg · August 2012

I'm almost positive my daughter was posterior during early labor, but she eventually turned and came out the way she was supposed to. I know my son was posterior for a few weeks leading up to my labor and he did not turn. The worst part of having a posterior baby was the pushing - it took 2 hours to get my son out while my daughter was out in less than 20 minutes. It was still possible though, and he was born at home totally med/intervention free

stahlop · August 2012

We didn't realize DS was posterior until he came out (which explained the back labor). He was not posterior when my early labor began a few days prior, so he turned posterior at some point when the real labor began. Honestly though, while back labor sucked, I got through it and it still wasn't as painful as I thought it would be (I did it at home so no drugs or anything). His head was also up instead of tucked and asynclitic, so getting him out was lots of fun. The power of positive thinking can do a lot for you.

annabelle.27 · August 2012

No. laboured on a birth ball. baby stayed op, ended in csection.

JayandEmm · August 2012

Okay this is reassuring! Hopefully he turns during labor and I won't be pushing for 2 hours!

judahsmommy1 · August 2012

Both my babies were posterior. My older son did turn during labor and I delivered him vaginally with a grand total of 4 pushes. In his case, the epidural was actually very medically helpful. (I can't say necessary because I don't know what would have happened had I not gotten it.) However, I needed to be able to completely relax to allow him to drop and turn into the correct position. I was unable to do that while laboring med free.

My younger son did not turn, although he also had an arm up above his head. So his position was even more difficult than my older son's. I eventually needed a C-section for him.

I would very much recommend seeing a chiropracter and practicing spinning babies techniques. I wish I'd had the time.

pixieprincss · August 2012

DS1 turned from OP to OT after 2+ days of labor and was born that way (OT is even tougher on the body).

DS2 turned from OP to OA during pushing (just a few minutes before birth). I was in the water pushing and his heart rate went down to 70 so the MW had me get out of the water (not fun). The HB went right back up when I was on the bed. When he came out SURPRISE face down, we realized the decel was from when he turned.

tokenhoser · August 2012

Nope. I pushed for 2 hours and he came out posterior.

Labour really wasn't that bad though; only about 6 hours of timeable contractions before I started pushing. I was free to move and eat/drink and whatever, he just didn't turn.

No horror story aside from a third degree tear. And even that really wasn't as bad as it sounds.

missmuffin87 · August 2012

No she didn't turn despite my MW trying her fancy maneuvering efforts. I had a natural birth center birth and pushed for less than 30mins and I have a small frame. so even if LO doesn't turn, it won't necessarily turn into a bad experience or long labor.

I did have a 2nd degree tear and the back labor was horrendous, but being free to move around was a big help.

julyjennifer · August 2012

My daughter (baby #1) turned from anterior the night before she was born (based on where I felt her hiccups) and was born sunny side up. Her birth story is in my bio if you want the full thing.

She was posterior during the labor and pushing. I didn't have back labor, it was just a lot of work to push her out. My pushing phase was over 3 hours, but probably the first 45 min or so I was just figuring out how to push and not really trying that hard yet. It was a good birth, med free in a hospital with a doula. Lots of work but I felt like a champ afterwards!

In contrast, my son (#2) was born anterior, very quickly, without me choosing to push (my body did all the pushing on its own whether I wanted to or not), and while it was not as much "work," it was more emotionally difficult being so intense, that I actually liked better how my daughter's birth felt in many ways!

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