Prosterior labour v's Anterior labour

[Diddles]

Hi guys, I'm currently 4 days overdue! my first child was a prosterior labour and it was a long painful pre-labour followed by a long painful labour with lots of back pain etc. What I was wondering has anyone experienced both types of labour as i'm hoping I will deliver anterior this time and the whole labour process wont be as painful! Am getting anxious as time is drawing nearer and could be any day now!!

[alicesmum]

hey there
my first labour was anterior and my labour last sunday was posterior, so the other way around but maybe helpful.

i needed syntocinin with my second to get things moving along because as u know, posterior babes make things take longer.

all i can say is that an anterior labour is really really painful and a posterior labour was really really really painful! :laughing: hard to quantify but i did both without drugs.

the MWs did say that posterior was less of a problem in 2nd or later births because everything is nice and stretched. :eek: however, i did feel it in my back much more this time.

lots of counter-pressure and massage (and gas) helped.

good luck! ;)

[Tracie]

Hi leightsmum,

This is a great website re getting your bubs into the best position for birth..............it's a little late in the game, but while you are patiently awaiting his or her arrival it can't hurt to try some of the suggestions!

http://www.spinningbabies.com/

Wishing you all the best!

[alicesmum]

yes, that's a good site.

googling OFP is also worthwhile. i spent the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy and much of my labour on all fours and doing all the recommended OFP techniques, but alas, little DS obviously had found his comfy posi in the womb and stayed there!!

however, he turned right near the end of labour (during transition or early pushing, not sure) and came out looking south (just like they are meant to :p ) and turned his head to the left for his shoulders to be born. so he figured it all out in the end!!! :yelclap:

[becca74]

My first bub was posterier, and the labour was absolute hell.....usually babies can take quite a few hours (sometimes even up to more than several hours!) in 2nd stage turning before you can push them out, and unfortunately hospy protocols only allow you approx 2 hours in 2nd stage (depending on their birth culture, I'm sure different hospys will be more or less flexible), and I ended up with a c/sec after 2hrs 40 mins in second stage, because the OB wasnt gonna wait round anymore. It is the incredibly intense backpain which is the real problem - as it is combined with contractions. The other problem is that the length of labour is lengthened as the baby is also trying to turn, and this really slows down dilation alot. Sometimes a posterior baby (after alot of patience and encouragement from support people, and perseverence from the mum) will be born eventually, but the bub usually has a cone head from moulding so much to fit (but as you probably know, this doesnt harm the baby, and the newborn baby is designed with it's head like this for this purpose). In Jean Suttons OFP book she says that with a posterior bub, the presenting part of the head to fit through the cervix/pelvis is 11.5 cms - so unless there is alot of patience waiting for it to turn or waiting for it to mould into a cone shape so it is smaller, you are gonna have a difficult labour and probably a c/sec if it all gets too much. With an anterior baby, the presenting part of the head is only 9.5cm, so as you can imagine, this creates a much smoother journey. Also, with an anterior babe, (unless you have preexisting back problems), you are just getting the contractions on their own.

My 2nd bub was anterior, and he slipped out in 5 pushes in 16 mins. The contractions were extremely tolerable (I even started to get bored) to the point where I cannot even remember the 6-7 hours it took to get to 2nd stage (then they artificially broke my waters, and it hurt like hell for about an hour, but he was born at the end of that hour). easy peasy! I'd say get practicing some OFP.....I have been doing what I can this time round to ensure this bub is LOA, and so far so good :thumbsup:

[Diddles]

Thanks girls - I hope and pray that this one is anterior as it sounds like a much more manageable labour. My first labour was hell and bub had to be pushed out with the help of the suction cup on the head and episiotomy (which took ages to heal). Here's hoping I will go soon and not have to be induced!!

[LillynJonson]

Both my babies were in the posterior position. With my first the labour was extremely painful (ouch that back pain!) and I required an episiotomy. 2 years later with DS, I tried all the techniques to prevent the baby from being posterior (much of the last few weeks of pregnancy was spent on my hands and knees!:eek: ) but it didn't make a difference. :( The labour second time round however was MUCH easier and although throughout labour DS remained in the posterior position he actually turned during the actual birth and I didn't need an episiotomy unlike DD's birth.:D

[Seekrit]

Oh my, I was a 'star gazer' and I've said all along, I hope that small-nugget won't be a star-gazer herself.
I learnt today, at 35 weeks, that she's made herself quite comfy lying ROP (right occiput pos) :( I was given a hand out about positioning - sitting forward, not putting my knees above my hips, leaning forward during Braxtons, etc.

I know she's been pos for a while - just based on how she feels today and how she normally feels - so what's the chances that she will actually turn? This is my first bub so I'm a bit worried.
I think a major problem of mine is that I keep waking up on my back :/ no matter how many pillows I wedge, when I wake up I'm on my back having a snore.

[middlecm]

My first son (22months) was a posterier birth of 7 hours and ended up with being vaccuumed out after 2 hours of pushing. Hard work but fairly quick for a posterier birth.

My second son (5months) was also posterier. The difference was that the whole labour was only 3 1/2 hours and I pushed him out in 4 pushes!! :smiliedance: Even my doctor was surprised when Aaron popped out facing upwards as the labour was so quick (still hurt like hell though).

Good luck
Christine

[*Sal*]

My first two labours were with babies in anterior position. First was 18 hours with 2 hours pushing, second was 5 hours with 5 minutes pushing. When my third was born, the midwife was surprised to see she was FTP (face to pubes :laughing: ) because my labour was only about 2 hours with 5 minutes pushing. I guess a posterior labour is easier when it's not your first.

Hope you enjoy your birthing experience.

[mrsd]

Good luck Leightsmum !

My first and 4th babies were posterior and the big change I noticed with the other anterior births was that I could move around more freely.

You can actually walk around and labour is generally bearable until just near the 2nd stage for me. It's also much quicker. I hope all goes well - you'll have your little bundle soon, regardless of how he / she appears.

[Seekrit]

I've heard pos bubs don't always engage - is this a problem with labour starting spontaniously? :)

[rynosmum]

Mine didn't engage but my hind waters broke and I became 3cms dilated quite quickly.

Because of the posterior labour though, I then had my forewaters broken at the hospital and had the drip to push it along.

I ended up with a venthouse to bring him out but went through full labour to delivery just with heat packs and a bit of gas. I had the epi when they started talking about the venthouse although it was almost too late - I was pushing by the time the epi went in.:eek:

My active labour ended up 5 hours from the time they broke my forewaters so I was pretyy rapt with the result:thumbsup:

[StormAngel]

My first 3 babies were posterior, all very, very long labours & needing forceps after about 2-3 hours pushing :thumbsdown:

Bub #4 was anterior and only took 1.5 hours :thumbsup:

[Diddles]

I'm going into the hospital to have a memebrane sweep in an hr and they will let me know what is going on re- dialation baby position etc so:fingerscrossed:

[StormAngel]

GOOD LUCK!

[Diddles]

Well just had the examination done and they said I was 2cm dialated and soft. Dr said I had a 50% chance of going into labour from the sweep - if not i am to wait till Saturday for induction! So I guess it's up to God now - bub will come when he's meant to!:thumbsup:

[~EmsMum~]

Well just had the examination done and they said I was 2cm dialated and soft. Dr said I had a 50% chance of going into labour from the sweep - if not i am to wait till Saturday for induction! So I guess it's up to God now - bub will come when he's meant to!:thumbsup:

Goodluck :D

[Diddles]

Hi Girls the membrane strip worked as i went into spontaneous labour in the early hrs of Tuesday morning and delivered 4.2kg Callum Ben into the world at 1.44pm. He was anterior and the labour itself was 100 times better than the first childs. i remember it was still painful but no where near as much as posterior birthing. Thanks to the gas and air and my husbands sence of humour I got through it without an epi!!! And the recovery was much better too as I was not numb afterwards. :wave:
Although now the little tyke is home he has been extremly unsettled at night and I've only slept about 2hrs in the past 48 - I pray tonight is better!!!!!:sleeping: :sleeping: