Pregnancy Diary – 34 weeks Back to Back baby…

That means that there is 6 weeks left until my baby girl is due to enter the world, although I have been very relaxed about getting everything prepared for her, I am starting to realise that reality is that this pregnancy is very very different and I need to get on the ball…quite literally…let me explain…

From the start this pregnancy was different, despite the anti sickness tablets that worked with my other three babies, they were not kicking in. My bump also developed differently, it wasn’t protruding like my others, this time I had a flat front. I thought as baby got bigger that all would be rectified, a bump would pop out. But here I am at 34 weeks and feeling sick still, and my belly is still flat. Yesterday after many braxton hicks which had me frozen to the spot I went for a check up, it turns out that baby is back to back, apparently I have a tilted pelvis which is causing little lady to be wedged backwards and lay against my spine with hers. As a result I cannot sit up straight in a chair very easily, it’s massively uncomfortable and leaning just slightly over is impossible as the baby is wedged inside under my ribs straight down my back and into my pelvis. So what caused this to happen? Well I am not sure it will ever be completely correct, but evidence shows that it’s how you have positioned yourself for the majority of time while pregnant. I will be the first one to admit that this time I have spent the majority of my time driving or working, working means sat in front of the computer in my big fat comfy chair where my pelvis tilted…see where the problem lies yet?

So what can you do to correct a back to back baby? Well there is no definite answer but positioning is the key apparently. I need to stop sitting in the positioning I have been. Walking is also great apparently, but so far I have found that painful. So my plan is to start a little at a time and work my way up to a long walk. Also sitting positioning is key to getting baby to flip. I need to invest in a birthing ball and spend lots of time with my knees lower than my hips. Leaning over the birthing ball is meant to be good, and even being on hands and knees scrubbing the floor.

The bad news is that the midwife is concerned about the positioning, and says that this means that I could actually go into spontaneous labour, something I have never done before.  Apparently I have increased chance of my waters breaking naturally in early labour too, again, my waters have never broken by themselves. Ok, it’s not the end of the world having a spontaneous labour, but it was something I had never considered until now. I assumed I would be induced, and that would be that. In my last pregnancy I was travelling all over the UK safe in the knowledge that no labour would happen…this time however I may have to be a bit more prepared.

My plan this week? Buy a birthing ball, scrub the floors to within an inch of their life, and pack a hospital bag!