Oooh I will be keeping my eye on this thread as my labour kept stalling and I was put on a drip to keep it going. When the doctor thought that things had picked up and my body could take me the rest of the way they reduced the drip but my body just couldn't sustain my labour and it kept stalling every time the drip was reduced. My LO was also back to back but I was basically strapped down for 2 days on the bed as the monitor pads kept moving and falling off so the rather abrupt and unhelpful MWs told me in no uncertain terms to lie down and not move and keep the sensors in postion!!!!!!
If someone could enlighten me as to how you can stay on your back and not move a muscle during labour that would be of great help to me!!
After 73hrs, (and contractions were 7 in 10 for almost 12hrs) and on the way to theatre for my section we over-heard the consultant say "Why the hell has this woman been on 3 times the doseage for twice the recommended time"!!!!!
I'm so excited about being pregnant but have started to suffer panic attacks everytime I think of having to go through that again.
Beanzean, labour is often shown to stall when a woman is not comfortable in her environment, it very often slows even when a new person enters the room and can totally stop if there is fear on the part of the labouring woman - all these things sound pretty close to your experience. Sarah Buckley MD explains why very well and she is of a scientific background : https://www.mothering.com/pregnancy-birth/ecstatic-birth-the-hormonal-blueprint-of-labor
I would also reccommend her book "gentle birth, gentle mothering", it's a wealth of information on the physiology of birth and how every intervention can change the processes, all backed up by medical studies.
I had a C-section too after a "failure to progress" in labour, even with augmentation, DD was posterior too. This book was a revelation to me and that, coupled with reading through my hospital notes with my new midwife has given me new insight to how the cascade of interventions and my fear culminated in the section, not the fact that there was anything wrong with my ability to birth. Also check out this blog, it explains it well, written by a UK birth doula and regular on Home and Natural birthing right here on B&B: https://thebabywife.blogspot.com/2011/07/merci-michel-and-madge.html
Also, labouring on your back is the worst possible position as you are compressing your pelvic opening and working against gravity - it is only done to make the doctors lives easier. It's especially bad for a posterior presentation (back to back).
Try not to panic, there are many, many things that can be done differently so you can have a normal, unhindered and non-traumatic birth. Staying out of hospital is one of them - do you have access to an alternative for birth, stand-alone birth centre or would you consider staying home for as long as possible to labour? You are far more likely to progress well if you are comfortable and feel secure and supported. Do you have access to a midwife who would take care of you for the whole time, not hospital midwives? That makes a huge difference too. Sorry I didn't check where you were and now I'm typing I can't see your avatar, so I'm unsure of what your options are.
Be aware of doctors and OBstetricians scare-mongering about VBAC too - overstating the risk of uterine rupture and understating the risks of c/sections - or putting obstacles in your way, insisting on time limits, cannulas, continous monitoring (oh no, that again!) etc etc as "conditions" in enabling you to VBAC, despite no research backing these measures up. Read up - there is a great VBAC resources link just been set up in "home and natural birthing", and decide what is best for YOU and your baby, make a plan to get what you want and you will start to feel better, I promise!