Still breech and I'm going crazy! :( :(

[mommy777]

I am right at 34 weeks now and my baby boy is still breech (head up) I am so depressed over this. I have had three lovely vaginal deliveries and I don't want a C-section I know it isn't the end of the world, but I just don't want one. My life isn't good right now, I have a lot of little kids to take care of at home, I just don't want to have to spend time recovering from a c-section. I know that if I HAVE to have one, well I have to have one, but I don't wanna!! My OB is very c-section friendly. My town is small, no-one here would ever delivery breech ( I wouldn't want them to anyway)

I just want my baby to turn on his own!! My other three were head down from very early on. I just don't understand why he isn't turning! I know it is early, but this doesn't sound normal for me. I am a tall woman with a LONG torso. He must have a ton of room to turn in there. I have had many ultrasounds and they never say the cord is wrapped around him or anything.

I have checked out spinning babies, but don't know what "leaning" is. I don't have an ironing board to lay on. I don't have any steps to crawl down safely like the website shows.

What other things can I do? I am sick over this and obsess over it all day long (I know that is the worst thing I could ever do) My OB says there is still a chance for him to turn, but as the weeks progress the chance gets lower and lower. I have huge children, I can't see how he could turn as big as my baby's get.

Do you think there is any hope? Thanks!

[Plummeting]

Can your OB attempt a version if he still hasn't turned in a few weeks?

[Astraia]

You've had 3 vag deliveries, so you have a "proven pelvis" as they like to call it.

Assuming baby isn't footling (which also usually rules you out), then why not attempt a vaginal breech delivery? The fact that you have large babies might make some dr's hesitant, but if your other kids have been big then they might let it slide. Who knows.

You might have to do some SERIOUS hunting around (in the area I live, a major metropolis with something like 5 major hospitals, there are only 2 drs who will consider vaginal breech).

It's not that breech is more dangerous -it isn't- it's that a flawed study came out quite a few years ago which scared all doctors into not doing breech deliveries and now no one knows how to do them any more. If you can find someone who kept doing vaginal breech deliveries and knows what they're doing, then you're a good candidate for it!

[DeChRi]

I'm sure someone can give you some spinningbabies.com advice, but just my 2 cents....

My DD flipped at 35.5 weeks. I found a chiropractor that did the webster technique. I am not sure if that helped but she did flip after a couple weeks of treatment. They were 15 min appts so not too bad to juggle other kiddos. Other than that I spent time on all fours and such. She was nearly 9lb, so was good sized as well.

Good luck!

[naturegirl419]

Acupuncturists use moxabustion to turn breech babies. I just turned a 38 week along mom whose baby was very stubborn. It just took 1 appointment. You could call around and ask if acupuncturists have had any experience with this. Also I have heard good things about the Webster technique that some chiropractors can do.

Good luck!

[rlmueller]

Go to Jan DDC

read the post that begins Noooooooooooo... Someone put together from a site I presume SEVERAL ways to turn a breech. Of note: at least two of us there are 36 + or more and have our kids turned breech. I posted the Nooooooo. I will be at the chiro next week, have bought a ball, lean to 'hang my belly, and may try and ECV.

[khaoskat]

Originally Posted by mommy777

What other things can I do? I am sick over this and obsess over it all day long (I know that is the worst thing I could ever do) My OB says there is still a chance for him to turn, but as the weeks progress the chance gets lower and lower. I have huge children, I can't see how he could turn as big as my baby's get.

Do you think there is any hope? Thanks!

Just a hopeful story or two...

DS1 was breech until 1 week or less before he was born and he was born at 42 weeks 5 days. He weighed in at 9 lbs 2 ozs and 23 inches long.

DS2 was breech until 3 days before his birth at exactly 42 weeks. He weighed in at 10 lbs, and was 22 1/2 inches long. Actually, he kept doing flips in the womb and could easily be chased out of engagement even. We chased him heads down using the electronic fetal monitors, since he hated them and I was going for an NST.

You could always look for someone in your area who will do an ECV (External Celphalic Version), but they wont do those until you are at least 37 weeks along. Some say they are evil, but to me -- I would rather take a chance and turn the baby and potentially have a Vaginal Delivery vs just automatically signing up for a c/s. Because worse case comes to worse, you end up with a c/s for fetal distress.

[hapersmion]

There's lots of hope! You have time, try to relax if you can.

I wouldn't personally start up with the tilt board exercises for another week or two, but that's mostly because I HATED them soooo much with my breech baby. But it might be worth investing in a thick sheet of plywood or something if you go a few more weeks and the baby still doesn't turn. That's what I used, a sheet of plywood with one end on the couch.

You can also do a forward tilt, which might even be more effective, without a board or stairs. Just get on your knees and put your shoulders on the ground (the bed is probably the best place for this) and stay that way. It's almost as uncomfortable as the tilt board exercise, but it doesn't require any equipment.

Easier methods of getting the baby to turn are playing music down low at the bottom of your belly, or shining a light down there to hopefully interest the baby. You can also get a bag of frozen peas or something, and put it on the baby's head. You can put something warm in front of the head, in the direction you think might be easiest to turn (if you can tell), and hopefully the baby will move towards the warmth.

The Webster technique and moxibustion are also worth trying, I'd say. We even did the ECV, which was no fun, but it was worth it in my mind, since at the time I didn't have anywhere to go. No doctors in my city were willing to attend a breech birth, especially with a first-time mom, even though some of them used to do breech births all the time before their insurance made it a problem. :P

My baby never did turn, but yours probably will! If not, c-section is still not the only answer. There may be homebirth midwives in your area who are willing to attend a breech birth - there were some in my town that I didn't even know about! We ended up driving to the Farm, in middle Tennessee (they have places for you to stay if you have to come from far away and wait for labor to start). It was a great birth, no problems, and no c-section!

Good luck!

[ExuberantDaffodil]

My baby stayed breech until 37 weeks (and gave me quite the scare )

I did try some of the spinningbabies stuff, but the hips-above-my-head positions gave me horrible migraines. I took pulsatila, crawled on my hands and knees, and saw my chiropractor regularly, and baby eventually flipped.

[olien]

Originally Posted by naturegirl419

Acupuncturists use moxabustion to turn breech babies. I just turned a 38 week along mom whose baby was very stubborn. It just took 1 appointment. You could call around and ask if acupuncturists have had any experience with this. Also I have heard good things about the Webster technique that some chiropractors can do.

Good luck!

YES! This! Accupuncture can do this!

[at_the_hip]

I personally wouldn't worry for at least another week or two. Mine have been breech and transverse past 34w and I think it is just due to the roominess of my uterus...or perhaps it's just lax muscles on my part! LOL At any rate, mine always turned head down before 36w. Some people have success with a dose of homeopathic remedy Pulsatilla. Acupuncture/moxibustion are good suggestions, as is a chiro who does the Webster technique. That would be where I would go next if the homeopathy didn't work.

[doulawoman]

hypnobabies has a breech track, sometimes the tension in lower uterus makes it hard for them to turn and there are excellent stats on women using hypnosis to turn breech (mine just turned at 34 weeks and I was doing this and inversions off the couch, hanging on the birth ball on hands and knees, and had an appointment with the acupuncturist for moxybustion and acupunture if it still didn;t, as well as chiro appts,) and as someone else said you may still be able to have a vaginal birth because fo your other births.

[Ashes]

Can a chiro help? I have heard some can?

[MiaMama]

I was breech until 38.5 weeks. My mom did like the bridge position from yoga, lying on her back, shoulders on the ground, hips up in the air with feet flat on the floor. She did it supported with a stack of pillows. I was a planned HB, and the midwives were not allowed to attend a breech. My mom did her positions every day, and I turned. I was born in my grandpas house, head first!

It is possible.

I am sending you turning-flipping wishes

[morgainesmama]

Hugs!!!

I actually had a telephone interview with a chiro student the other day who, after he was done interviewing me, chatted a while about pregnancy etc. He said the Webster technique has proven 90-90% effective in opening mama's body for baby to turn.

Certainly it couldn't hurt?

34 weeks still leaves plenty of time for your baby to settle into his/her birth position.

[JudiAU]

Chiro/webster worked for me. Actually she flipped into about ten minutes of pelvic massage that performed prior to the Webster. (Dr. Berlin, Los Angeles) He admitted it was pretty unusual to have it go that first but I didn't complain. I also their acupucturist.

Ended up with a pretty awesome if unplanned unassisted homebirth with 2 hours of hard labor (water broke the day before).

Best of luck. It is very hard an OB who skilled enough to do a breech. They are just out of practice. Some homebirth midwives have those skills.

[mommy777]

Thanks ladies. Thanks so much. It helps to know that others have been through this. I am just scared. I really hope he turns. I have had severe sciatica and can barely walk, I wonder if that has something to do with it? I was thinking since someone mentioned "pelvis tension" I am surely going to try raising my mid section up on pillows with my feet on the floor. (I hope I heard that right) I have already been trying the spinning babies position where you lay with your shoulders and the bed and bottom up in the air.

Where his head is on my stomach is sooooo sore!!! I can feel his head up high under my ribs and when I touch there, it is soooo sore, ouch. I can barely touch the skin cause it is so sore. My doc says that is normal for breech, that is gets sore where the head is.

I can't do the inversion turn or however that is said because nobody here will do it. I have called everywhere. I have an anterior placenta and they said they are afraid of damaging it anyway, but they don't babies turn like that here to begin with A breech birth is really out of the question, they (the docs) acted like I was nuts when I asked that. I am in a VERY small town. Can't travel.

I hope he turns!! That is all I can hope for. I need to quit worrying so much. It is all I do, sit and worry about it. He probably picks up from my tension and won't turn because of that.

Thanks!!

[coffeegirl]

I have a friend who successfully used a flashlight to turn the baby. Don't have details, but she swears by it. Google "turning baby in womb flashlight" and you'll get the info you need. Good luck!

[sarahbay]

Hi Mama!

Hang in there, you still have time to get baby to turn ))

Hugs!! I've been there, LOL

My little guy finally turned at 37 weeks, we thought he as going to be born 2 weeks prior, as I started to have contractions, and started loosing my mucous plug. But I started doing major exercises to get him to turn like the ones on spinningbabies.com

I even went to a pool, and was doing handstands I was so desperate!!! hehe

Right after he turned, I saw a great chiropractor who did the Webster technique on me. He and my MW, both said my left side was incredibly tight, so that's probably why baby was breech.

Once I got loosened up with http://www.spinningbabies.com/techniques/the-inversion INVERSONS(greatest technique EVER!!), baby flipped, but was still sorta diagonal. After Chiro, he straightened out, and I got sciatica badly, which was fixed in one single chiro visit by the way!

Baby was born in about 4 hrs, with no meds, and had arms presenting, everything was fine!!

[nick&jonmom]

My ds2 was transverse the whole pregnancy, very cozy and content, until about 38 weeks. The dr was getting pretty nervous that he wasn't going to turn, but he did, finally! DH talked to him every night and would tell him to follow his voice as he moved down where his head should be (kind of silly, but I like to think that had something to do with him turning ).

Also, one of my sister's babies was breech until the night before a scheduled induction (not sure if they were going to let her deliver vaginally?) She was at 42 weeks! She said it was quite an ordeal but the baby turned all on her own in the middle of the night, 42 weeks, can you believe that?? So, I think there is definaltey hope, as long as your dr's trust the process and let you and your baby prepare for birth on your own schedule, KWIM? BTW, not a huge baby but she was 8lbs9oz FWIW.

I agree with alot of pp about trying chiropractors who are skilld in helping babies to turn, as well as acupuncture, I've heard good things about both. Also, I think laying with your head below your feet several times a day can help too, at least that's what I was told by a midwife when ds was transverse.

Mot importantly, have lots of positive thoughts and conversations with your lo and share with him how important it is for him to turn, maybe he just doesn't know that he's supposed too! I believe our souls do a lot of communicating when they are in there, don't lose hope!