Life

What Causes Back Labor, A Common Ailment For Moms-To-Be

by Autumn Jones

After my contractions started during my second pregnancy, I wondered why I was having so much pain in my lower back. With my first son, tI only felt pain in my belly, so I didn't know what to think about the sharp daggers that were piercing my back every few minutes. Before I went to the hospital to deliver, I stopped by my doctor's office to have her check out the situation. When I described what I was feeling, she told me I was having back labor and to "hang in there." "What causes back labor," I wondered, as I tried to take deep breaths on my ride to the delivery room.

According to Baby Center, "back labor refers to the intense lower back pain that many women feel during contractions when they're giving birth. Although it's not super common, back labor occurs in about 25 percent of pregnant women, as What To Expect's website pointed out. If you are among this group of women who will have back labor when your baby is ready to be delivered, you're likely to wonder what put you in this category, but rest assured knowing that it's nothing your doctor or midwife can't handle.

The reason you're feeling labor pains in your back is due to the position your baby is in once the labor process begins. As the website for the American Pregnancy Association reported, the most common reason for back labor is when the baby is facing up toward the belly, the baby's head puts pressure on the mother's backbone. However, it's also possible that women who experience low back pain during their menstrual cycles are more likely to feel labor in their back during childbirth.

As Parents magazine pointed out, although back pain is a common symptom of discomfort throughout pregnancy, don't take extreme back pain lightly, as it is a sign you are going into labor. It may hurt like a mother, but all contractions do, and you're tough as nails. As someone who's been through this before, I'm here to tell you that you can do it.