Depending on the statistics you read, “back labor” occurs in 25-30% of labors. This is often caused by the baby’s position, facing towards the mom’s front, not towards the back. So the back of the baby’s head is pushing against the mom’s sacrum and tailbone, causing pain in labor. It can be more difficult for the baby to descend through the birth canal and can lengthen your labor. Over 90% of the babies in this position rotate before birth, the rest are born “sunny-side up”!
Now, no one wants a longer, more painful labor, so what can you do? If you find that you are in that group of women with back labor, don’t panic! There are positions that may help rotate the baby during labor and comfort techniques to help ease the pain.
Best positions to help your baby rotate:
Pelvic tilt on hands and knees
Any position where you LEAN FORWARD.
Side Lunges
All of these positions are more successful if the baby is still high in the pelvis and not “engaged”. If a baby is low in the pelvis, it’s much more difficult for baby to change position.
So what can you do to ease the pain of back labor? If you would like a copy of my handout “Comfort Techniques for Back Labor”, just send me a message and I will gladly email you a copy! Or, if you want more details and a face to face, online consultation, message me and we can get started!