Birth is a Pain in the Back!
There is this horror story that follows birth. Some women who have experienced it will shout with acknowledgment when she meets another who has suffered the same, "Yes! That was the worst! No one told me it was going to be like THAT!"
Ever heard of Back Labor?
Back Labor. The American Pregnancy Association refers to it blandly as "the pain and discomfort that laboring women experience in their lower back."
Although women can experience sensations of pain and discomfort that vary widely, back labor is usually talked about in connection with the position of the baby. Some cramping or pressure is often felt at some point in labor. Back labor, however, is usually felt more consistently throughout labor, with contractions and without.
What is back Labor? Why is it so bad? Why is there no break?
Back labor is typically related to how a baby is positioned. A woman has greater chances of experiencing back labor if the baby is OP, or occiput posterior. Posterior babies are sometimes called "sunny side up baby," meaning the baby's face is facing toward a woman's belly button.
The "ideal position" for a baby to be is head down and anterior - or the baby facing a woman's spine. Because the baby is flipped when posterior, the hard part of the baby's head - the back - is now close to the mother's tailbone. Because of this close proximity, it is common to experience pain or back labor.
But if a baby is posterior, or even just not "ideal", there is an increased chance for pain, even if contractions are not yet started. Positioning is often the reason for pain.
Can back labor be prevented?
The short answer is no. It is not known beforehand if a woman will experience back labor. Even if a woman knows her baby is posterior, that does not mean she will feel back labor.
Just like every baby is different, every labor is different.
Some things that have been shown to help before labor begins to encourage "better" positioning are:
squats
sitting so that your knees are below your hips
sitting on a large exercise ball, or a "birth ball."
chiropractic or massage therapy throughout pregnancy
What helps back labor pain?
"What do I do if this is me? What if I get back labor?!"
So what if you are the woman who gets back labor? There is no guarantee that posterior babies mean back pain, or that anterior babies don't, so having skilled support and tools that encourage relaxation are things you can control.
If you are in labor and experiencing back pain:
Positions to try
Get off your back. If you are required to be in bed for medical reasons, try lying on your side or even on your hands and knees. A modified hands-and-knees position is better than lying on one's back.
walking, swaying movements
squatting or lunging with one foot propped up just a bit from the floor
Other methods of relief
Use heat or cold on the areas of pain
Apply counter pressure - or press on the areas that hurt
Hydrotherapy, such as laboring in a bathtub or shower
TENS unit for muscle stimulation
A challenging task for a laboring woman is relaxation, but having relaxed muscles and a calm mind is a well-known way to encourage labor to progress and ease pain. If you are concerned with back labor, having a support person who is able to aid with each contraction in the way that best suits you is priceless.
Support
Oftentimes, women who have babies that are posterior also have labors that are longer and/or have erratic contraction patterns. This can mean that many of the techniques described above will need to be used. This also means your partner may start to feel exhausted far before you are ready to deliver.
If you are concerned about coping with back labor, using a labor doula can be a great help, not just for you, but for your partner. If you are having contractions every 2-3 minutes and require forceful counter pressure for the length of every contraction, your partner really is doing labor with you.
Although you cannot tap out and have someone else have contractions for you, giving your partner the chance to take breaks and alternate with your labor doula means you will have fresh support for your entire labor.
Because labor can be a pain in your back!