Help!!

I have been looking into the OP position or back labourand wanted to know if it really is seen as being more painful from a medical point of view?

If so is it the contractions that are more painful or the consistent back ache?

Cant seem to find anything to support this so thought you guys would know best!

Thanks xxx

I can only comment from my own experience, my first baby was back to back and the contractions were far more intense than with my 2nd and 3rd. They were concentrated in my back , although felt in my tummy and legs aswell, I can not discribe the pain it was like nothing I'v ever felt before... or again luckily! I felt totally out of control and very scared by the intensity of it. I was terrifed of labour when I fell preg again but the 'normal' contractions were nowhere near as bad.

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Busy Mum to 3 beautiful little boys
First year student midwife!

Thank you, i'm mainly asking this question as my labour was op and agony and i'm terrified to have another one!lol! But iv'e tried to research it and am having no luck!

You have given me some hope though on a personal level, thanks! xx

Oh I see! I don't need to be telling you how much it hurts as you already know...lol! I'm glad I'v given you some hope xx I'm sure I'v got an artical on it somewhere... I see if I can dig it out for you :-)

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Busy Mum to 3 beautiful little boys
First year student midwife!

Hi, I've only looked after a few women with op position - maybe four or five - and only one of them was it not obv from mum that it was op - as in she coped amazingly well with it - wasn't picked up at ve - first I knew of it was seeing the nose and thinking - is that a nose?! It's the wrong side! Babes came out with a squished nose and two black eyes so it had obviously been a bit of a squeeze - but you'd never know it from mum! Maybe oa she'd barely whince though - we'll never know!

Go on cariblue - in for a penny in for a pound - making babies makes the world go round!!

Ha ha, that tickled me holliep!!

Changing the subject a bit but i am absolutley terrified of giving birth again so i'm gonna have to just go for it and deal with the consequences after!!!! I asked my midwife if i was dead (was on every drug going in the hosp tho!).

Ah bless the poor babes, i thought they rotated as they were coming out, is this 'face to pubes' as iv'e heard of that come to think of it?!
xx

Tis indeed! Book yourself for a lovely homebirth - they're blooming brilliant!!

Yes, Cariblue, it is physiologically more painful due to the peristent backache and often a premature urge to push. Many babies do rotate to a lateral of anterior position, but some remain in peristent OP position, some are even born this way (that awful term 'face to pubes' ewwww) I was going to do this subject for my essay, but will save it. In my limited experience it is on the increase theoretically due to women's more sedentary lifestyles.

There is increased need for analgesia, especially epidurals, and sometimes instrumental delivery too

Rotational forceps are pretty difficult to watch

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I must be very odd! My first (my son) was the 'right' way round and caused all sorts of problems during labour and birth (probably cos he was a bruiser!) causing me to have every drug going, an Episiotomy and forceps. It was a very traumatic labour and birth with him of which I can remember very little. Yet with both my daughters they were OP and during the last few weeks of pregnancy I was walking like I'd lost my horse and had terrible backache and pubic pain! Yet both labours with my daughters were a breeze compared to the experience I had with my son, I managed to stay at home until I was 8cm with my last and arrived at the hopsital with tens machine attached only needing to use the gas and air when it came to pushing her out. I also recovered much better with my daughters than with my son, I was home within 6 hours of my daughters being born but stsayed in hospital 3 days after my son!

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ive just done a relfective piece on a lady who i cared for whos baby was OP. i found jean suttons thoery quite interesting. check it out. its onliy a thoery though and only based on her experiences. its all about optimal fetal positioning and what mothers can do to try and get their baby in the "optimum position" preferbly not OP! Hope that helps.

ive cared for quite a few women with OP babies and they seem to be in much more pain and feel the urge to push very early on. they usually want epidurals but as i found out through research these arnt always the best thing as they can stop the baby rotationg into OA.

hope that helps!