What does back labor feel like?

[aegle]

Does the baby have to be back-to-back for you to experience back labor?

Is it always in your lower back?

I have really really horrible pain radiating down my upper back. It feels like it's burning and twisting and it's been continuous since last night.

I had a positive fetal fibronectin test 2 days ago and have ~50% chance of going into labor this week due to my multiple complications going on.

Anybody have any experience with back labor?

 

[M&S+Bump]

The way I felt it, it was like someone had taken the bottom of my spine and twisted it, and then the pain would radiate out and wrap round the front. It was all very much pelvic area until a lot further on, and even then it would only really go to the top of the bump and down. Joe was back to back.

I've never heard of anyone having upper back pain as a labour symptom, but that's not to say it couldn't be that, obviously.

 

[Mrs M]

Hi, when i had my dd, all my contractions seem to be in the bottom of my back and she wasnt back to back. I wasnt told she was so presuming she wasnt. I started off having mild period cramps at first which got more intense and went to my back. x

 

[Taylorr]

All my contractions were in my bottom and lower back even though my daughter was not back to back. The only way I can describe it is that it was a bit like someone sticking a red hot poker up my backside. It wasn't nice at all....would advise anyone with back labour pains to go for an epidural unless your seriously hardcore! lol xx

 

[mellyboo]

My hips were on fire burning yesturday for some strange reason :S i felt like i was working out and trying to get pass a burn! lol.. it sucked they seem okay today a little bit tho.

 

[armywife11]

Baby doesn't have to be back to back to have back labor.

I had bad pain in my upper back yesterday and I am pretty sure it was baby pushing on a nerve since I felt a ton of new pressure on my bladder as well. I see my midwife today so I plan on asking her about it.

 

[Kat541]

I read a lot of babies that are back-to-back/sunny-side up/posterior will move into an anterior position with the help of the contractions, and no one would have known had there not been an immediate ultrasound prior. So it's possible to have some back labor and still have the baby born face down.
This was also a reason cited for emcs during inductions, because the baby is trying to turn to the proper anterior position, but the contractions are too hard and close together, so the baby gets wedged down before it's in a good presentation.

 

[3porfavor]

My ds was born back to back and it was HORRENDOUS! Because he was facing up, he couldnt engage properly and took 5 hours of pushing him down to engage. The hospital was rubbish though and the midwifes didnt give me any advice on trying to labour in a different position. I had 2 epidurals that didnt work. Numbed my pelvis but didnt touch the pain. The backlabour felt like back cramps and there was no relief inbetween the contractions.It was low down and ran across my back, almost like a band.I wouldnt even wish it on my worst enemy!

 

[Excited4First]

I was laboring in my back as my son was btb. The pain was so deep and strong across my lower back and wrapped around to the sides of my hips. I never felt my stomach harden or experience any pain there.. it was all in my lower back like CRAZY. I had to get on my knees on the hospital bed and swivel my hips during contractions.

 

[DragonTamer]

Occasionally I will get contractions and sometimes they are in my back and sometimes they aren't. The ones I my back feels like a tightening in my lower back that passes after about a minute. Sometimes I feel my uterus tighten other times I don't and I don't think he is btb because I can feel his bottom poke out right after the contraction, but he could be facing sideways. My YDD was sideways and I had back pains in the very early stages of labor but they went away when I was induced and the nurse had me roll back and forth on my sides (couldn't get out of bed being I had an internal monitor on her) and that moved her into position.

 

[campn]

I think in labor most women experience pain in the back, but if your baby is back to back is hurts even more in the back from what I understand.

 

[aegle]

Thanks for the info ladies.. the pain moved down my back into my hips and pelvis, then eased up for a while and now is back in my upper back. Quite confused as to what's going on.

Perhaps it is just a pinched nerve... but sometimes it feels pretty horrendous. Not looking forward to labor whatsoever.. my pain tolerance is in the toilet

 

[vintagecat]

I have no idea if my labor was back-to-back, but I had a natural birth without any pain relief and survived. It was insanely painful, but it can be done. I had most of my pain located in my lower back and didn't really experience much hardening in my stomach really.