Planning for posterior
While we cleaned Den searched through the music channels (on our cable TV), skipping over the really hard rock stuff that he likes (and I don’t), settling on Classic Rock. After singing along to about five songs I asked him what station it was. I love it! Beatles, Eagles, all the good stuff from that era. Yes I may have been born in ’82, but that’s not necessarily what I grew up with. It is great to have music in the living room now. I have to admit, I am entirely sick of the current pop. Some of it can be catchy, but it’s really missing… everything. Some preggos crave certain foods… I apparently am craving certain music!
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I got really excited when I read the article that Jaci left me in my comments (thanks Jaci!) about Optimal Fetal Positioning. It reiterates a lot of what I read on Spinning Babies (another great site, btw), but also stated some things outright that I had been wondering.
The first is that it did in fact confirm that babies tend to like facing their placenta, so me having an anterior placenta is certainly contributing to her posterior position. Doesn’t make it impossible to change, but I’ve noticed her preference from the start and thought, hmmmmm. It does make sense, too: if there’s this blob in the way the front of my uterus doesn’t make quite the same “nest” for her back the way a posterior placenta would.
Then it got me wondering about these contractions I’m having. Now granted I know that more frequent braxton-hicks contractions are common in subsequent pregnancies. But the website says this: “Braxton-Hicks contractions before labour starts may be especially painful, with lots of pressure on the bladder, as the baby tries to rotate while it is entering the pelvis.” I most definitely have a lot of pressure on the bladder every time I get a contraction, and I do not remember that from any contractions – braxton-hicks or full labor – with Devin. That was a nice little light bulb explanation for that fun side-effect. I’m left wondering, hmmm… maybe I’m having all these contractions because my body is trying to turn her? Interesting thought.
The other questions I’ve been asking myself are: first, how much should I stress about this; and, second, how hard should I work at it? It’s easy to get hung up on something. It’s hard weighing how important this is going to be during labor versus how much worry to expend on it. I don’t have any intention of spending the last 3-4 weeks of my pregnancy being anxious. Well there’s a few different things I’ve taken from the articles I’ve read:
– Baby can and likely will rotate during labor – it just might take some hard work (and pain) for my body to accomplish that.
– Babies are even more likely to rotate in a second (or more) pregnancy after having birthed an anterior baby (that’s me, yay!).
– In second+ pregnancies the baby doesn’t typically drop until later on, possibly even until labor starts, and they have more room to move.
– Sometimes even if you do everything you can a baby won’t turn. Sometimes you don’t do much and they do.
– A posterior baby who is refusing to turn even in labor can still be born vaginally (it just might be harder on me!).
So basically I’m going to do what I can in the next 3/4 weeks to encourage her to turn – it doesn’t hurt to loosen my ligaments and give her the best chance. But I’m not going to worry too much about it and I’m not going to get upset when she doesn’t suddenly turn tomorrow (or next week, or whatever). I’ll just know that I did the best I could and the rest is up to the baby in this case!
I’m also understanding how important it is – and will be – to listen to my body during labor (and before). Pain is a body’s way of telling you to do something. There’s a reason that I was feeling good on my hands and knees before I even thought about how she was positioned, something that I never felt a need to do with Devin. If my body is trying to turn the baby during labor I need to listen to it and help it out. The positions that relieve my pain are probably going to be the ones that are most helpful. Which means I can probably expect to spend a lot of labor on my hands and knees. I’m also trying to read up on the Spinning Babies positions for labor to try when the time comes, if it is needed.
Hi! Not sure I’ve commented here, but I’ve been reading for a while. Thought I would say hello and that I gave birth a posterior baby. Her head came out and the doctor said, Oh. She’s posterior. Did we know that? Yeah, I think that might be your job. :P
Anyway, it can be done. Not the most fun I’ve ever had. Here’s hoping she’ll turn for you!
I got a shout out *swoon* :)
Anyway, I think you are doing exactly what you should be doing. I did everything right when it came to my positioning (without doing the outright hands and knees position) and still ended up with a posterior baby and it was harder on me. Basically just being conscious about it is a good idea.
If you do get into labor and you are having back labor and you do feel she is still posterior then I suggest doing a handstand :D Okay, realistically I suggest putting your knees up on a bed or couch and doing an extreme downward dog with your head resting on your arms that are on the floor. Use gravity.
Definitely keeping you in my thoughts though, I’d hate to see you in labor for as long as I was.
ok, I would do this: work hard on helping her turn, but not stress about it. If she turns, great, if she doesnt turn, great (thats what our doula said about i think breastfeeding) Have you tried accupuncture? I dont know if you mentioned that before. They know the spots that needed to be activated and it usually helps. But if it doesn’t, oh well. My friend had a baby last year like that and it was ok ! (no drugs, too!)
Nat,my sisters last baby was posterior and although the labour was a little longer than the first,it was no more painful (this is what she told me anyway! lol).She didnt have an epidural and the only thing she said was that she had back labour (I always did though,and all of my babys were faced to the back so…).
I think its great that you are aware of what your labour *could* be like,and that you are doing everything you can to help her turn etc,but dont let it worry you or stress to much about it.
If the worst comes to the worst and your labour is longer and more painful than you can handle,you could always just go for the epidural (or something else) kwim?
As for Kate not dropping yet,I dont know if you remember my posts from when I was pregnant?
Noelia NEVER dropped.She was wedged right up in my ribs even when I went into labour.I complained alot about that in our DDC! lol.
During the pushing stage,she was still so far up that the midwife got up onto my bed with me and she literally layed across the top half of my belly (which was *right* under my boobs) and pushed down with her fore-arms.
It sucked ALOT,because having her there meant I couldent take deep breaths (or breathe much at all)..but ANYTHING beats a c-section (I had one with my first) so I didnt complain! lol.
I just needed help getting her down because the contractions didnt budge her,thats all.
What Im saying is,what ever happens,her being posterior or not dropping doesnt meant that you cant have a natural birth kwim? If she doesnt drop,they´ll help you out (as they did me) and if she´s sunny side up making it painful for you,there are things you can take :)
They are minor things really..nothing that should get in the way of you birthing at all.
Not long now! So exiting!!! :)
I don’t have any expererience of this, so I can’t really add anything informative, but I do remember someone telling me that babies help themselves be born, they really do work with you as much as they can. I found that thought really comforting. Towards the end, for the last two pushes with A, I actually *felt* him wanting to get out, I can’t explain it any better than that. There was this BIG movement and even the midwives gave each other a look, and I pushed, and out he came. How he was even able to move at all at that stage I have no idea … I wouldn’t have thought there’d be any room!
I guess my point is … Kate will be as keen as you to make it all as smooth for you both as possible, so whatever happens, you’re a team and together you’ll get her born!
Very excited for you now!
Delurking to say that I really hope you will go into labor with an open mind about pain medications, c-sections, etc. If either route are what your baby needs to have a safe exit, accept it and move on. There’s so many wonderful things about motherhood that matter; how she comes out (drugs vs. no druugs, vaginal vs. c-section) is not at all important!
Sue – My birth plan states up front, “Our first and foremost wish for this birth is to bring home a healthy child. … We fully realize from experience that situations may arise such that our plan cannot and should not be followed.” I never mention it because I figured that was pretty much a given, considering we already have one dead child.
However, assuming that the baby is doing well, a natural, non-medicated birth is better both for baby and for mother – better breastfeeding results, quicker recovery, and usually quicker labor (because you can use different body positions to help speed the process.) Drugs would be for my benefit, not hers, and I have no intention of using them unless there is an actual medical reason to do so.
It will not be easy. If I give it my best and it doesn’t work out then, yes, I will deal with it and be thankful. But I am still fully dedicated to giving my all. I would hope that people can and will support me.
Sue, I’d say you aren’t delurking, you are trolling. If you had truly “lurked” at Natalie’s blog you’d be far more educated about her birth experience. She has already gone into one labor already, she knows what to expect but is also smart enough to know (and she has stated this before) that all labors are different.
“All that matters is a healthy baby.” No, what matters is a healthy baby AND a healthy mom. A mom who is traumatized by her birth experience so much so that she endures months of PPD and nightmares is hardly effective as a mom.
Delurking to comment on this one. I did a natural labor with a posterior birth. My daughter didn’t turn until I started pushing. The hands and knees position helped a TON as did a really hard fist or warm cloth pushed against my low spine during the worst of the contractions. It saved me!
Wow- I am not a troll at all, and I’ve been reading her blog since Devin’s delivery. I just know many women who go into labor with specific, detailed expectations and ultimately, do not get what they want particularly when what they want is an unmedicated, vaginal delivery. I want Natalie’s first days with Kate to be as joyous as possible, and if, God forbid, she doesn’t get the unmedicated, vaginal delivery she so wants, I hope she’ll be prepared to emotionally move on from any disappointment. I’ve found that the women who more often get the deliveries they hope for are those who are ready for things to go awry at any second. I just hoped that she was open-minded on this topic. I truly didn’t mean to offend.
Having delivered 2 posterior babies (and not knowing any different), just wanted to let you know that it will be okay. Both deliveries were painful, and I did have back labour, but other than that it didn’t cause any complications.
I had three posterior babies – and was one of the unlucky people who didn’t go into labour as a result (posterior babies often don’t drop and aren’t in a position that kickstarts labor). First two were induced, both only rotated after long intense pitocin labours (24+) which is a hallmark of a posterior baby, after which the rotation led to speedy progress – dilation from 2-10 and birth within two hours.
I had acupuncture with the third posterior baby. He didn’t turn, but i did go into labor – first time without pitocin. So acupuncture works! I used the spinning babies techniques for two weeks daily prior to labour, and during labour with all three…..so yeah, some kids just won’t turn.
The third one was born posterior and it was no harder to deliver him than the first two who had flipped before being born. The issue was his huge shoulders, not the fact that he was sunny side up. The pushing stage was the same length with all three babies, so I am not sure that it is slower to deliver a posterior child.
Pitocin is a million times worse than a posterior baby. I didn’t have epidurals til 24 hours on pitocin with contractions on top of one another for both of the first two and needed nothing when i went into labor on my own with the third. Sure it was intense and of course it was painful, and I was vomiting from the back labour, but it was a walk in the park after the two induced by pitocin. I found that the posterior positioning led to additional pressure but not to more pain.