Breech = Cord Issues?

[IHeartO]

I am 31W and around 3-4 weeks ago the baby turned breech. It was head down at 26W and then one day I felt it turn and now it rests almost transverse in my belly.

I was speaking with a doula today (not my doula, just a doula acquaintance) who noted that on rare occasions it is out of necessity that a baby turns breech that late, in an attempt to untangle from the cord.

This bothers me mainly because for weeks now I can't shake the feeling that this baby is all wrapped up in its cord. I even have dreams about this, and at least one night woke up thinking it was stuck.

Anybody heard of a correlation such as this? Late breech equated with cord issues?

Thoughts?

[RedOakMomma]

I've never heard that, and I spent the last several weeks of my twin pregnancy researching breech births. (Ds2 was born breech...never did flip back).

Honestly, I can't believe a doula would say something like that. Not only does it cause needless worry, but what is it founded on? Has she personally interviewed these "rare" babies and asked them why they turned? How on earth would you find the motivation out of something so common and so random?

Please, try to calm yourself. All of my babies were born tangled up in their cords, and they were all FINE. It gets cozy in there.

[mosesface]

the truth is that most of the time (i think the number is actually like 90% of the time), there is no way to know for sure why a baby turns breech. some things can be confirmed with an ultrasound (cord issues, anatomical anomalies), and some things can be established after the baby is born (uterine issues), but most of the time it is a mystery.

my dd turned breech at 40 weeks. she was almost 11 pounds and no one knows why or how she did it!

[snoopy5386]

my question is how can you tell? I am 27 weeks today and I have no idea what position m baby is in yet, it is too early. Sometimes I swear she is breech other times I swear she is head down....

[Realrellim]

I wouldn't think of that as a "late breech" by any means. DD didn't turn vertex until sometime after 30 weeks. This one has been consistently transverse and I'm 28 weeks. The baby has plenty of time to turn vertex yet.

[khaoskat]

My last dd was born with the cord wrapped 4 times around the neck and 2 around the body. she was still moving positions until she stuck her arm out the birth canal and engaged her shoulder.

None of my others of my others were head down until right before they were born. As a matter of fact, at 41 1/2 weeks we were chasing Ds2 back into heads down position with the fetal NST I was having that day.

On the other hand, all my kids were born with the cord wrapped at least once around the neck.

I have done some research of cord wrapped or nuchal cord as they are called. From what I have read, about 25-33% of babies are born with the cord wrapped at least once, if not twice around the neck. Even if the cord is wrapped 4-6 times around the neck, there is no difference in outcomes between vaginal delivery and c/s delivery. The only thing I have found that a provider will not do is an ECV.

I don't remember where I found all the information as it has been 2 1/2 years since I did the research. I did the research because I was denied an ECV for multiple cord wrap, and told immediate c/s or dead baby by one OB. The other OB, the as I call him 'old school' OB was ok with letting me go into labor on my own and waiting to see if baby would turn on his/her own. At the time I went into labor I was breech, but a deliverable breech. She turned out of engagement, and tried to go heads down. But since my BOW broke on its own just a few minutes before, as she was turning, she got her hand in the birth canal and stuck it all the way out. She then kept turning and her shoulder became engaged. The only concern the OB had, when I went into labor, was that since she was breech and very high when my water broke the cord would prolapse.

As long as the cord is not being compressed, the baby is not deprived of oxygen.

[hapersmion]

My breech wasn't wrapped in the cord at all. *shrug* At least, not by the time he was born.

It does seem like something that isn't worth worrying about, though. I even asked the OB at my ECV, when I was having an ultrasound, if he could see why the baby was staying breech (this was at 37-38 weeks) - whether there was something going on with the cord, or if I had a funny-shaped uterus, or something like that, but he said they just couldn't see well enough to tell. So, there's not really anything to be done about it even if the cord is wrapped, and like the PPs said, it is probably fine either way. If I were you, I would try not to worry - just do what you'd be doing anyway. Drink lots of water and make sure your posture is good, then the baby will have room to do whatever s/he needs to.

[Mamatoto2]

My #2 was transverse breech and would.not.turn for anything...my MW suggested that there may be some cord-related issue (tangle, short cord, etc.) or some muscle tone-related issue preventing baby from turning. I had an US to look closely at the cord before we decided to schedule a version because obviously they wouldn't attempt it if the cord looked compromised. They said there did not look to be any reason for her not turning and we scheduled the version. I went into labor naturally 3 days before the scheduled version. DD was still transverse when I arrived at L&D so it was an emergency C-S for me. I asked when they were doing the surgery if they saw any anatomical reason for why she didn't turn and they said no, she just didn't turn.