UPDATED: If you had an OP baby...

dcunningham2 · October 2012

were you able to get them to turn during labor? DD was OP which led to FTP, fetal distress and an eventual c-section. I soooooo want to VBAC this time. As of my doc appt on Tuesday this baby was also OP.

I've been having prodromal labor since Wednesday. Tonight the contractions have increased in intensity and somewhat in their frequency - tonight/tomorrow may be game time. I've checked out spinning babies but wondered if you ladies have any other suggestions to get baby to turn

UPDATE: gave birth to my daughter this morning! She was still OP when I got to the hospital, but we got her to turn while pushing - which only took 20 minutes. thank you all for your suggestions

abell77 · October 2012

I delivered my first OP after nearly 3 hours of pushing. He did not turn, but we were able to do it, somehow. My midwife did not confirm for me that he was OP until after he was born, and I think not knowing helped me stay strong mentally. Since it was my first birth I had nothing to compare it to. Second birth was so much easier for a variety of factors, one of them being that he was not OP. Can you see a chiropractor trained in webster technique?

annabelle.27 · October 2012

No. I had a csection with my first who was op. My second was sitting that way too, but I got him to turn before labor using chiropractic. I was hugely skeptical but it worked. Worth a shot.

KrisM86 · October 2012

My daughter was OP when I went into labor. 20 hours later after trying everything we could, she still wouldn't turn. My MW and I decided the best course of action was to transfer to the hospital and get an epidural. I got the epidural after 22 hours of labor, fell asleep and when I woke up 4 hours later, DD had turned and I was 10 cm and I pushed her out in less than an hour.

I'm sorry I don't really have any suggestions. Hope it all works out for you!

ncbelle · October 2012

Eleanor wasn't OP but she was acynclitic (and moved a lot in the last few weeks - we thought she might be OP for a while). She definitely moved in labor - hugely - I've never felt anything so crazy in baby movement! I labored in lots of positions - basically my midwives tried every trick in the book and made me switch it up (even though I wanted to stay in the tub!).

I also can't say enough about hands and knees - hands and knees now (maybe scrub the kitchen floor?!?) and hands and knees in labor and while pushing. Eleanor had shoulder dystocia - I flipped to hands and knees and she was out in one push - it's amazing how much more you open up in that position.

My SIL had a med free (with pitocin!) OP delivery so it definitely can happen. Keep moving in labor, use different positions and think positively - Good luck to you!

wifeofadam · October 2012

I've had two OP babies. My MW got #1 to turn after nearly two hours of pushing and he came out shortly after. With #3 she never turned. Pushing was only 45 minutes, but labor was very strange and long (contraction never got closer than 5 minutes apart even while pushing).

I think if I would have been with an OB with #1 I would have ended up with a c/s. His heartrate dropped suddenly, but instead of moving me in for a c/s my MW got busy trying to turn him and was successful.

sbevmc09 · October 2012

dcunningham2:
were you able to get them to turn during labor? DD was OP which led to FTP, fetal distress and an eventual c-section. I soooooo want to VBAC this time. As of my doc appt on Tuesday this baby was also OP.

This was my experience as well HOWEVER, I was only allowed to labor on my left side due to DS's heartrate, which obviously is not at all helpful with an OP baby. I stalled out at 8cm.

I'd check out spinningbabies as you're already planning to. Chiropractic care could help and in my Hypnobabies class yesterday I was given a handout about a technique the dad can do (this is for very late pregnancy/labor) where they stand behind you and reach around your tummy and actually gently lift your tummy a little bit and pull it in slightly. It's supposed to help get things properly aligned and encourage baby to get into the correct position (including turning around). Maybe look into that to see some more specifics on it? Additionally, I talked to my MW about my experience last time and she said there are a lot of more favorable positions to try during labor that will help with an OP baby.

GL!

CLLDLL · October 2012

DS2 was OP. Oh the back labor. I labored on my hands & knees with DH applying counter pressure w/ a bag of ice the whole time. Dr. boke my water around 9cm & baby promptly turned, dropped, & I pushed him out in 3 pushes.

tokenhoser · October 2012

DS was OP and did not turn, but I delivered him vaginally after 1.5 hours of pushing.

I think being on my hands and knees helped.

aylafsu88 · October 2012

I had an anterior placenta and was worried that my LO was in OP as my contractions were inconsistent during labor. My doula had me try positions during labor that would help my LO turn into the more favorable position. The ones I remember where laboring on hands and knees in the tub and standing with one leg on the tub and rotating my hips during contractions. Check out the spinning babies website, they have alot of positions listed that can help your LO rotate. GL!!

kegallagh · October 2012

DS2 was OP. Progress was slow and contractions never got closer than 3 minutes apart. Thy never got super intense either. I was walking and squatting, lunging, stretching around with a smile at 9cm. He did not turn on his own during labor despite lots of position changes and homeopathy. His heart dropped dangerously low just as I started pushing so I ended up having an episiotomy to save his life after about 8min of pushing curious how long it would have taken for me to push him out on my own.

pixieprincss · October 2012

Yes, with both boys. I have one tough story and one easy story.

DS1- He turned about 55 hours into a 63 hour labor. As you may have guessed from that timeline, it was a pretty extreme labor (all back labor). To prevent the c/s the OB was threatening, I elected an epidural and then did the Bradley Relaxation Pose on my side for about an hour. I think the epidural genuinely helped my body release so that DS could descend and the OB thought the side-laying would help him spin. Unfortunatley, he turned OT, which is even less desireable. But, I delivered him vaginally nonetheless after 3 hours of pushing.

DS2- A had a day of early labor and then 9 hours of active labor. It was back labor and tough, but doable. I was in the water pushing when the MW picked up a scary-low heart rate and they made me get out of water. About 3 pushes later, DS came out face down! The MW deduced that the HR drop was actually from him turning, (he had still been OP when I got in the water). With that birth, I only pushed for 30 min.

From my experience, I would say side-laying and water (labor-tub deep, not bathtub deep). I also did ligament work with a chiro in late PG with baby 2 and my chiro (who I had seen all PG for adjustments) was able to reassure me that things were loose enough that baby could still turn.

iris427 · October 2012

My first baby was OP and after pushing for around 2 hours, I had a c/s. My OB did not try to turn her first. I am pretty sure that because I am small (under 5 feet), my OB just assumed that my pelvis was too small and didn't even consider that it might be something else. Since I did not know the baby was OP, I did not do anything to try and turn her.

My second child was OP the morning of my last prenatal appt and I think he was still OP when I went into labor that night. If so, he turned on his own during labor and I had a VBAC. 95% of OP babies will turn on their own during labor. I think staying active in labor and listening to your body is important for proper fetal positioning. GL

ncbelle · October 2012

Well congrats on baby and the VBAC!!

iris427 · October 2012

Just saw your update--yay! Congrats!!!!!!

Celyn · October 2012

Hooray for your successful VBAC!

kegallagh · October 2012

Yay! Congrats!

amandaleigh1 · October 2012

My baby wasn't OP till the very end as far as I know, when after 3 hours of pushing, I could not get him past my pubic bone. I begged for assistance as I was completely exhausted. I opted to try for vacuum delivery. It was only after I had a pudental nerve block for this, that the OB reached in and discovered the OP position. She turned him around (don't ask me how) and then she pulled and I pushed, and out he came! I was soooo glad I got help. Other than the nerve block, I did it au natural.

LindseyJW · October 2012

congrats! same birth story as you with #1, though no fetal distress.

so awesome that you had some new skills for this baby and got her to turn! congrats on your vbac mama! enjoy the pride and accomplishment! and enjoy that little bundle of joy!

KrisM86 · October 2012

So glad it worked out and congratulations on your baby girl!

robyn2201 · October 2012

Congrats on your VBAC!

pixieprincss · October 2012

Congratulations!!!

nosoup4u · October 2012

Yay, Congrats on the VBAC!!!!

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