Posterior baby @ 38-39 weeks

[Steph32]

Just found out today that my baby is in a posterior position... which now that I think about it, he's probably been in for a while, because I've always felt his arms and legs in the front... just wondering how common this is to have the baby still be posterior this late in the pregnancy? Will he most likely turn during labor, or should he ideally turn beforehand?

 

[Bats11]

Well some babies turn just before labour but some dont, sometimes they can manually try and turn him, but then he can just turn straight back around, its difficult to know until your there, but Im sure your doctor/midwife will be keeping a close eye.

Actually Im sorry my answer is for a transverse poition, Im not too sure about posterior, but I do think babies that are posterior means you may have to push for longer??

All the best x

 

[arlosmama]

mine is the same...legs in the front...my MW said that often times they will turn right before delivery or the end stages of labor. She didn't seem terribly concerned...the fact that baby is head down is her main concern...feel well!

 

[Yank in Oz]

Babies can still rotate, even at this late stage. Try to adopt upright or forward-leaning positions during the day in order to encourage the baby's heaviest part (the back) to move towards your front. Avoid the recliner!

Even if baby stays posterior, my OB said there is a 95% chance he will turn just before or during labour. The doc can also turn the baby during labour manually or using the vacuum. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Even if he stays posterior you can still have a natural birth, you just might have longer and more painful "back labour".

Try Googling a website called Spinning Babies which goes into details about ideal baby positioning. Good luck!

 

[armywife11]

I was a posterior baby.. my mom didn't have any real problems.

I have an anterior placenta which means I am more likely to have a posterior birth. My midwife said labor could take a little longer, I more prone to back labor, and I could be more likely to tear or need a cut. She said not to worry about it though because babies can turn even in labor (sometimes the doctor can turn them during birth too) and that although all those things increase they can happen with anterior births so there is no way to avoid it.

 

[venusrockstar]

Both my babies were born sunny side up. My first labour was 9 1/2 hours with 2 hours of pushing.

My second baby was a 6 1/2 hour labour with 12 minutes pushing.

 

[Steph32]

Thanks everyone. I feel a bit better about it now. I do also have an anterior placenta, so maybe that's why. My first might have been posterior for most of my labor, because it was very long and painful-- although no one really told me about baby's position, and I labored mostly at home. He might have turned by the time I got to the hospital. Anyway, I hope I'm not in for another long labor. I will try some of those positions suggested but if he doesn't turn, I'll just hope he does sometime during labor.

 

[LizziesMama]

My daughter never turned, she was born posterior. I was in labor for 18 hours and pushed for 2. Pushing was hard and it felt like I was making such slow progress. She was also really big though, so it was probably a combination of the two. After it was all over I recovered practically overnight. So all in all, it wasn't so bad.

 

[Steph32]

Question for any of you-- were your posterior babies late?? I hear that it's typical for posterior babies to go past their due date!

 

[venusrockstar]

Question for any of you-- were your posterior babies late?? I hear that it's typical for posterior babies to go past their due date!

My first baby was 4 days overdue. My second baby was 2 days early.

 

[babycakes16]

my baby is back to back/posterior as well. im a bit worried because i've heard that this often means a longer and more painful 'back' labour and birth and i was hoping to go natural...im hoping he turns beforehand!

 

[Yank in Oz]

At one point my doc thought my baby might be posterior, although it turns out she is just off to one side. Anyway I did a bunch of research on posterior babies at that point, and it appears most babies that are carried posterior turn anterior during labour. Also, most babies that are born posterior were carried anterior! So it sounds like it's all a crap shoot as far as which way the baby will make his exit. I have read that one thing that really helps encourage an anterior delivery is to stay forward-leaning during early labour, using positions such as all fours or leaning on the birthing ball.

 

[arj]

Mine was posterior from about 30 weeks last time. Labor was fast, dilated from 4cm to 10cm in an hour, compared to my 1st time (she was OA) but the only problem was that during the pushing I needed ventouse and the doctor took an hour to figure out the position of his head, and I had an anterior lip stopping him descend. He had turned half way during the labor and was born in an OT position, so his head was looking at my thigh.

Didnt have any back pain, all front severe 'periody' type pains just the same as my labor with DD, who was face down.

 

[LizziesMama]

Question for any of you-- were your posterior babies late?? I hear that it's typical for posterior babies to go past their due date!

I went into labor on my own at 39+0 and DD was born the next day.

 

[tmr1234]

I found out last week my baby is back to back i have been on all 4s as much as i can to try and get him to turn pluss he is still free hoola hooping also helps with it.

 

[armywife11]

Question for any of you-- were your posterior babies late?? I hear that it's typical for posterior babies to go past their due date!

My mom was induced because of her health...
Found out yesterday my SIL was posterior she arrived on her due date.