# Chances of a 2nd posterior birth if 1st was posterior?



## callieollie (Jan 2, 2007)

What are the chances that a second birth would result in a posterior baby if the first one was posterior? My ds was most likely posterior (no one is completely positive -the day before I went into labor I had an appointment and by feeling my stomach my midwife was pretty sure he was in a great position). But, I had lots of signs of a posterior labor - a day of prodromal labor, then erratic contractions, HORRIBLE back pain where I'd have a contraction that would start in my back and last for a minute, then move to the front and last for a minute, then move back to the back again for another minute.... Labor was 25 hours total (once I hit active labor) and I was stuck at 6 centimeters for 8 hours. I ended up being transfered to the hospital, getting pitocin, the whole deal. Any way to tell if this is just how I birth or if my ds was just malpositioned, and if so, how likely it is that another baby would also be malpositioned? Thanks!


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## Momma Aimee (Jul 8, 2003)

:

i could have written your post

we were a planned hosptial with a cnm -- but ended up with Pit after 18 plus hours from water breaking i was d to a 3........and it got worse fromt here (33 hours of labor and a forcept deleivery)

No one ever said DS was OP -- but from all the reading i have done -- he had to be malposiotioned -- no others reason works for the birth we had.

I do have our hiopstial records, but i have never read them that close and i am not sure it would be noted anywway.

I am due againt his Nov and really hope it doesn't happen again

our new OB told us that basically nothing happned in our first labor or delievery to make him concerned that this next one will be a repeat.

but i wonder too what chance of the new baby being backarwrds or malpositioned based on DS

Aimee


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## wombatclay (Sep 4, 2005)

Just because one babe was OP doesn't mean the next will be! But on the other hand, some mamas are prone to OP babes (for a whole variety of reasons), and other mamas have conditions that increase the chance of an OP babe. For example, an anterior placenta can lead to a slightly higher chance of an OP babe. And if you had a c/s or other uterine surgery this can increase your chance of an anterior placenta....sort of a domino effect!

Check out the information on the Spinning Babies website (www.spinningbabies.com) or the Optimal Fetal Positioning page (http://www.homebirth.org.uk/ofp.htm) for ideas about helping your babes into the best possible position for birth.

I know that I've been really religious this time round to follow all the guidelines...after my last labor with an OP and asynclitic babe I'm more than willing to give OFP a try!


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## Momma Aimee (Jul 8, 2003)

thanks for the linnk

i can not go though THAT again









Aimee


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## wombatclay (Sep 4, 2005)

I hear you...every time I get annoyed with the various "restrictions" of fetal positioning I remember dd's birth. And I am determined not to repeat that experience!

42+ weeks (going late can be a sign of a babe in the "wrong" position), pSROM (another common sign), 32+ hours of labor with 19 hours at 7cm with back to back to back MASSIVE contractions (no breaks between contractions, another sign of OP babes I'm afraid). Eventually I got a spinal to see if that would help me sleep (no sleep in over two days, and I hadn't been able to keep food/water down for over a day) but still I never went past 7. So on top of all that I had a c/s.

I've made spinning babies a lifestyle.









Also, look for Penny Simkin's book "The Labor Progress Handbook"...it covers all sorts of physical and emotional/mental reasons for difficulty in labor and provides pictures/suggestions/ideas for dealing with each one. There's a whole chapter on positioning and how to help the mama/babe during the various phases of birth if things aren't lining up properly for an "easy exit".

And if you're planning on having a doula present, make sure you talk with her about back labor and positioning. My first doula was totally lost in terms of assisting with back labor (she'd never attended a birth with back labor or an OP babe) and this time I was very clear when interviewing doulas that I needed someone familiar with back labor and with a whole bag full of positioning tricks/tips/comfort measures.

Happy birthing!


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## Momma Aimee (Jul 8, 2003)

Quote:

Also, look for Penny Simkin's book "The Labor Progress Handbook"...it covers all sorts of physical and emotional/mental reasons for difficulty in labor and provides pictures/suggestions/ideas for dealing with each one. There's a whole chapter on positioning and how to help the mama/babe during the various phases of birth if things aren't lining up properly for an "easy exit".
I just got this book and haven't looked at it to much

-- your labor sounds like mine -- save the c/s was forcep[ts while they preped the c unit.









Aimee


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## hubris (Mar 8, 2003)

Both of my sons were OP. But I'd like to reassure you that having one horrendous OP labor does not mean you'll have another.

My first labor was long and exhausting. I had back labor from the start and wanted TONS of counterpressure. I pushed for 4 hours and "required" intervention at the end - a heinous OB threatened me with a c/s and we talked her down to using the vacuum, which she applied brutally. Ugh. Lovely time. I'm still not sure if we could have predicted DS1 being OP prior to labor starting, but I do think steps could have been taken during my labor to ease his birth.

My second labor was a quick roller coaster ride. While it was more intense, I was well-rested, it was short, and I didn't have any back pain at all, so the whole labor experience seemed fabulous to me.







I pushed for 30 minutes. That OB also ended up feeling that the vacuum was necessary, but he barely used it at all - was very gentle and only used it to ease DS2's head under my pubic bone, and then it was all me pushing. I had taken measures ahead of time to give him a better chance of being OA and we thought he was OA during labor, so it's possible that my pelvis spins my kids around. The whole birth experience was much, much better than the first. I still think some things could have been done during labor to make it better, but overall, it was a satisfactory birth - for a hospital birth.

I'm pretty much planning on an OP baby this time around and will be happily surprised if he/she comes OA. I know that an OP labor doesn't have to be horrible, so I'm not afraid of it this time. I know that *I* can take some steps to help labor progress more easily for me, like those suggested by the spinning babies site, as well as being even more careful about selecting a birth attendant and birthplace. I will INSIST this time on nobody messing with any sort of electronic monitoring, and nobody cajoling me into the lithotomy position. Mostly I want everybody to keep their hands off of me and let me do my thing.









Anyway, I hope if your baby decides to arrive OP, that you have a much easier birth this time. But I'll send out some OA vibes for both of us.


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## Momma Aimee (Jul 8, 2003)

Quote:

nobody cajoling me into the lithotomy position.

















what is this --

Aimee


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## theretohere (Nov 4, 2005)

Lithotomy is on the back, legs up. Pretty much the standard hospital birth position.

My DD was OP, and was born posterior. I had a super short labor and only pushed 20 mins. This baby is still OP- and I think will stay that way.
The only downside I have is back labor- wretched, but this seems to be how I carry.


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## Radish4ever (Oct 16, 2005)

I'm not sure of the statistics of it all, but my midwives assured me throughout my pregnancy that it's unlikely that subsequent babies would be posterior....

With my first labor, DD was posterior and had a cocked head and I transfered after 30 hours of back labor (and water being broken) and 12 hours later got a C/S







boo!

DS was in the PERFECT position, had a less than 5 hour labor start to finish, and it was at HOME!







yay!


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## Adamsmama (Oct 24, 2003)

My first was posterior--didn't know it until I was pushing him out ... but thinking back there were other signs. Hours and hours of contractions without progressing very quickly, they used pitocin and broke my water to help things a long, then had to use vacuum and forceps to get him out (cord around his neck, meconium in fluid, and he was posterior and didn't want to come out!). My 2nd was a much shorter delivery, pushed him out in just a couple of minutes, no complications. I'm wondering if this one is posterior, though. I have an anterior placenta. They keep saying she is head down but not engaged...and I've been having contractions for days many are in my back. I'm worried about repeating my first birth again.


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## AnewMommy (Mar 6, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Radish4ever* 
With my first labor, DD was posterior and had a cocked head and I transfered after 30 hours of back labor (and water being broken) and 12 hours later got a C/S







boo!

Well, that was pretty much me, too! I had 56 hours of labor (after a week of prodomal labor -- usually at night -- which, yes, means I hadn't slept very much at all before going into active labor : (

Pushed for 6 hours at home with my midwife. By now we knew he was OP -- and as I was at 10 cm and pushing well, also knew his head must be cocked funny, b/c he wasn't making any progress past my cervix.

So I had to transfer to the hospital. In our wonderful state, homebirth is "illegal", so we couldn't tell them that I'd been at home pushing already for 6 hours, so they made me push for 2 more AHHH! It was horrendous. I thought I was going to die from exhaustion.

End of story: c/s. I didn't want a c-section, of course, but we were thankful the baby and I were both ok.

I did want to input that in my future pregnancies, I will see a chiropractor throughout. I saw a chiro the week before I went into labor, and he showed me how my pelvis was misaligned...it was causing my uterus to sit "cockeyed". It was quite amazing to see, actually! So he did the webster tecnique (see the "Chiropractor and labor" thread!) and adjusted me in a few other places, as well as massaged some pressure points that can help induce labor. I WISH I had known to see him sooner, b/c by this point the baby was already engaged in my pelvis, and I think if I had seen a chiro throughout, it may have helped correctly align baby.

For whatever that's worth to you, I'd say it's worth looking into! You'll need to find a chiro who has experience doing the webster technique and working with pregnant women.

HTH! Best wishes!


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## clavicula (Apr 10, 2005)

nak

dd1 was posterior, had looong back labor. dd2 was not. it was easier and faster-10 days ago!


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## wombatclay (Sep 4, 2005)

congrats clavicula!


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