What does back labor feel like

Comparison of a single vs. Midwifery 29 6 Does back labor really happen? Refika G et al. Effects of intradermal sterile water injections in women with low back pain in labor: A randomized, controlled, clinical trial. Balkan Medical Journal 35 2 : Terreri C. Best labor positions for back pain. Join now to personalize. Photo credit: iStock. What is back labor? What causes back labor pain? What does back labor feel like? Is back labor related to the baby's position? Is there any way to tell if I'll have back labor?

What can I do to ease back labor? Moms in the BabyCenter Community describe back labor like this: "It feels like someone is ripping your spine out.

No, experts don't know of any proven risk factors to give you a heads-up beforehand. Sources BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. Featured video. Retroverted tilted uterus and pregnancy. Exercises and stretches to help with labor. Posterior position. What does labor feel like? Moms describe. Losing your mucus plug. It also gives the baby optimal room to rotate.

Your labor coach or doula can apply ice or heat to your low back, massage your low back, or press on it with a tennis ball or other round object. This is called counter-pressure, and it sometimes reduces the pain of back labor. Pain medications or an epidural will also help. If your birth plan includes an epidural, know that the pain may be relieved once it's administered.

What Back Labor is Really Like. By The Editors of Parents. Save Pin FB More. Getty Images. Credit: Getty Images. Be the first to comment!

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Tell us what you think Thanks for adding your feedback. All rights reserved. Close Sign in. Labor and giving birth may be one of the most exhilarating events of your life. And when bringing new life into the world involves back labor, it gets a bit more challenging. You can still handle it, we promise. Gradually, those first twinges will become more intense with each contraction — beginning, reaching a peak, and then fading away.

These contractions are the tightening of your uterus as it pushes your baby lower into your birth canal. Most of us feel intense pain, cramping, and pressure during active labor. Usually, the pain you feel will center in the lower abdomen and pelvis. But 33 percent of women will feel more pain in the lower back, sometimes due to how baby is positioned. And carry right on with your breathing exercises because, well, it happens — and it can un-happen, too.

You may still get off easily — or, rather, more easily. Birthing a little human is hardly easy! There are a few other possible risk factors for back labor. If have pain during your menstrual cycle, are giving birth for the first time, or have had back labor in the past, you may be more likely to experience back labor regardless of which way your baby is facing. One small study found that women who had lower back pain during their pregnancy or who had a higher body mass index BMI were more likely to have pain in the lower back during labor.

Since back labor is often caused by the position of your baby, you may want to try out these tips during your pregnancy to encourage your baby to slip into the best position for you:.