Back Labour Pain?

[yolly]

Ive heard alot of women say they had all their labour pain in their back... Just wondering when this happens is the pain of the contraction actually felt as a cramp in your back or do you just get a sore back whilst in labour?

[mbear]

I had back pain for my first labour. I can describe it as a constant pain in the back....whilst still having contractions. Contractions were felt at the front (uterus) but the back pain was constant. Im lucky enough (???) to have had 1 labour with full on back pain, and 1 labour with all front pain (no back, all tummy pain). Im praying/hoping for a front pain labour again.....the back pain just threw me...goodluck.

[Meg01]

I had back pain labour because bubs was posterior, with my first. It was horrific. I didn't feel anything on my stomach at all. I have been working hard to avoid this one being posterior again, because it was hell!

[Ginger]

meg- how do you work hard to avoid it being posteior?

[Lucy]

All my labour and contraction sensations where all in my back and just above my hips.........definitely not just an aching back from bending over.....but quite specific labour feelings centred around the back of my hips....

[Astrid]

Pain with contractions here, did feel a thing in my belly. It was awful, massaging helped until DH rubbed my skin off!

[Janie]

My bub was posterior and I certainly felt alot of pain in my back, but mostly only during contractions. Heat packs and DH massaging it helped alot! It was much worse during the pushing contractions.

[blue daisy]

Hey Yolly

the sensation of the uterus contracting and where it is felt most intensely differs with each woman and each pregnancy

you can experience discomfort...in your pelvis/around your cervix/pubic area, in your lower back, down your legs, in your hips or in your abdomen, and towards the end of labor as your approach 2nd stage you can feel the discomfort in your vagina

where your feel the sensation of the contraction depends apon where the baby is laying in your uterus and pelvis...

you are more likey to have a back labor with a posterior labor...baby facing up, back to your back...as the baby places pressure on the sacrum...and the labor can take longer as the bubba has to rotate further to navigate the pelvis and be born

ways to counter this back pain include massage and counter pressure...during the contraction someone massages or applies pressure to your sacrum/lower back to provide pain relief...it works on the principles of the gate control theory for pain relief...as the skin is massaged/pressure is applied it closes the gate to the nerve impulses from the cervix moving up the spinal cord and being interpreted in the brain as pain. The cervix is where the sensation of 'pain' in labor comes from...not the uterus

immersing in water is another excellent way of alleviating lower back discomfort in labor

positioning also helps to reduce discomfort

but most important of all...a relaxed mother and a fearless/supportive/nurturing care giver and support team

xx yogababy

[chon]

I had major lower back pain as well as front pain during the last stages of labour. I noticed it when the contractions were REALLY strong. It was a very strong ache all the way across my lower back, thats the only way I can describe it.

The midwife got me to sit up on the side of the bed with my feet on a chair in front of me, my DP rubbed and applied pressure to my back during contractions, which felt good. I was hooked up to a couple of machines so couldn't walk around or anything, but sitting up definitely felt better than laying down.

[Meg01]

Hey Gracie,

I am not doing any reclining this pregnancy. Last time round, I spent the whole time stretched out on a recliner, which makes it easy for the baby's spine (being more heavy than the other parts) to nestle into your spine. It's also good to get on all fours when you can. When lying on the couch, I only lie on my side or I sit up with a big cushion behind my back. I think keeping your knees lower than your hips helps too. Mainly though, i rock around on a fit ball. There's lots of tips on the spinningbabies.com website to help baby avoid posterior position.

[BellyBelly]

I read a study I think from Midwifery Today (?) which said that women who had an epi had 12% posterior rate and those who didn't had a 3% rate... so keeping active, no epi and leave those waters! One midwife said that the day she stopped rupturing membranes was the day she stopped seeing persistent posterior bubbies.

With back labour, some women find pressure helpful, TENS, water and also saline injections which midwives need to be trained to do. Hurts like heck apparently, like a wasp sting, but removes most or all of the pain. Lunges in labour are good to help move the pelvis hence the bub, as is walking and stairs.

[MamaPan]

kelly couldnt it be that the women with posterior bubs were more likely to have an Epi due to longer labour and more pain rather than the Epi causing the bubs to go posterior? Or did it show that after the Epi the bubs turned posterior???

[shell_l_d]

My 1st was undiag breech & 2nd was posterior which was confirmed after obgyn broke my waters when still only 5cm dialated (to speed things up), then obgyn could tell that bub was facing up. Bub didn't turn though so ended in c/s even though was fully dialated & fully effaced, head was just too far up due to facing wrong way.

I found back pain & tummy pain during contractions & felt the best posi was kneeling on floor cushions & leaning head/arms over bed & DH &/or doula massaging back & tummy. In the end I was begging for the epi though but was too close so couldn't have one, until in theatre for c/s.

[Ilithyia]

Both of my girls were born posterior. However with Briley, i did'nt experience any back pain at all. Colby on the other hand gave me extreme back pain.

For me the pain felt like a constant burning hot like pain. Unfortunetly for me the only position i felt comfortable enough in to handle the contractions was standing. This put even more pressure on my back and therefore more pain. I stood for the whole duration of my labour. Needless to say my back was VERY sore for the next few days!

[yolly]

Hi Guys, yep my bub was posterior....and alot of my pain was in my back
spent most of my time up on all 4s trying to relive the pressure!