Hi all,
Wow, this feels like deja vu. A little over 2 years ago, I was on other MDC forums asking for help in turning my breech baby. I found out DS was breech at a 32-week ultrasound to check a low-lying placenta. Despite weeks of Webster, moxibustion, breech tilts, and two version attempts, our little guy remained stubbornly breech. I found--again thanks to MDC--about the only OB left in the tri-state area who does vaginal breech deliveries, the amazing Gae Rodke. But after her attempt to turn him was also unsuccessful, when she went to talk to me about a vag breech delivery--since I was 38.5 weeks, nearly 5 cm and contracting--she noted that he was still very high and had a big loop of cord below him. With that substantial risk of prolapse, even Dr. Rodke felt the risk of a vaginal delivery was too high, so I had my C-section.
Fast forward to now. I'm 27.5 weeks pregnant and had assumed that I had a very good shot at a VBAC. Except my DD seems to have the same stubborn nature DS had in utero. Last week, on a U/S, she was transverse with her head below my right ribs, spine along the top of my uterus, and butt below the left ribs. I had thought that she moved a ton this week and was very hopeful that she got out of transverse...so did a quick positioning U/S (for free--the woman is awesome) at the place that will do our 3D in a few weeks. She did indeed move--to transverse the OTHER way. Now her head is tucked in exactly where DS' head was, below my left ribs; her butt is below my right ribs, and her spine is along the bottom part of the uterus (she's basically in a U shape).
While I know that technically I still have a ton of time to turn her, especially since she's still moving a lot, DS really settled in breech early on and got stuck and stayed that way, and I fear this will happen again. I have the tiniest dip in the top of my uterus--barely arcuate. (Can't be seen on U/S, only was seen during the C-section--DS' head had fitted so tightly into the one side of the "heart" that Rodke said it looked like he was wearing a skullcap.) So I'm afraid her head could get stuck on the one side of the heart shape, butt on the other, and that'll be it. The fact that she flipped from one totally transverse position to another, almost exact opposite transverse position makes me worry that she's starting to like it that way, or my uterus is starting to get molded that way, or both.
Plus, I have read on spinningbabies that it's actually harder in the third tri to turn a transverse baby than a breech, because the uterus begins to mold itself for a transverse baby and there's more room for them that way.
So...I want to do everything I can to move this kid! I'm already starting all the stuff I did with DS--this time, four weeks earlier so hopefully there's a lot more room for her to move. I'm doing nightly breech tilts with frozen veggies on the top of the uterus, and I start Webster with my chiro on Tuesday. But is there anything else that anyone knows of that's specific to transverse positioning that helps them move head down?
On another board I'm on, someone else mentioned that her midwife recommended the Prenatal Cradle--the belly/back support device--to help encourage her transverse baby to move down, since it keeps the belly in a narrower position and doesn't let it expand out to the sides as much. It worked for her, but I can't find any other reference to using it this way.
Any tips? Advice? Experience with transverse lie? I hate the idea of spending the last trimester once again struggling to turn my baby, only to go through the misery of another C-section. Seriously, if someone had told me that I was guaranteed to need another C, or even had like a 75% chance of one, I don't think I would have gotten pregnant again. I dread another C that much! I just want to get this baby turned head down so I can enjoy the last few weeks of my pregnancy and have a decent shot at the natural childbirth I dream of.
HELP!!!
Wow, this feels like deja vu. A little over 2 years ago, I was on other MDC forums asking for help in turning my breech baby. I found out DS was breech at a 32-week ultrasound to check a low-lying placenta. Despite weeks of Webster, moxibustion, breech tilts, and two version attempts, our little guy remained stubbornly breech. I found--again thanks to MDC--about the only OB left in the tri-state area who does vaginal breech deliveries, the amazing Gae Rodke. But after her attempt to turn him was also unsuccessful, when she went to talk to me about a vag breech delivery--since I was 38.5 weeks, nearly 5 cm and contracting--she noted that he was still very high and had a big loop of cord below him. With that substantial risk of prolapse, even Dr. Rodke felt the risk of a vaginal delivery was too high, so I had my C-section.
Fast forward to now. I'm 27.5 weeks pregnant and had assumed that I had a very good shot at a VBAC. Except my DD seems to have the same stubborn nature DS had in utero. Last week, on a U/S, she was transverse with her head below my right ribs, spine along the top of my uterus, and butt below the left ribs. I had thought that she moved a ton this week and was very hopeful that she got out of transverse...so did a quick positioning U/S (for free--the woman is awesome) at the place that will do our 3D in a few weeks. She did indeed move--to transverse the OTHER way. Now her head is tucked in exactly where DS' head was, below my left ribs; her butt is below my right ribs, and her spine is along the bottom part of the uterus (she's basically in a U shape).
While I know that technically I still have a ton of time to turn her, especially since she's still moving a lot, DS really settled in breech early on and got stuck and stayed that way, and I fear this will happen again. I have the tiniest dip in the top of my uterus--barely arcuate. (Can't be seen on U/S, only was seen during the C-section--DS' head had fitted so tightly into the one side of the "heart" that Rodke said it looked like he was wearing a skullcap.) So I'm afraid her head could get stuck on the one side of the heart shape, butt on the other, and that'll be it. The fact that she flipped from one totally transverse position to another, almost exact opposite transverse position makes me worry that she's starting to like it that way, or my uterus is starting to get molded that way, or both.
Plus, I have read on spinningbabies that it's actually harder in the third tri to turn a transverse baby than a breech, because the uterus begins to mold itself for a transverse baby and there's more room for them that way.
So...I want to do everything I can to move this kid! I'm already starting all the stuff I did with DS--this time, four weeks earlier so hopefully there's a lot more room for her to move. I'm doing nightly breech tilts with frozen veggies on the top of the uterus, and I start Webster with my chiro on Tuesday. But is there anything else that anyone knows of that's specific to transverse positioning that helps them move head down?
On another board I'm on, someone else mentioned that her midwife recommended the Prenatal Cradle--the belly/back support device--to help encourage her transverse baby to move down, since it keeps the belly in a narrower position and doesn't let it expand out to the sides as much. It worked for her, but I can't find any other reference to using it this way.
Any tips? Advice? Experience with transverse lie? I hate the idea of spending the last trimester once again struggling to turn my baby, only to go through the misery of another C-section. Seriously, if someone had told me that I was guaranteed to need another C, or even had like a 75% chance of one, I don't think I would have gotten pregnant again. I dread another C that much! I just want to get this baby turned head down so I can enjoy the last few weeks of my pregnancy and have a decent shot at the natural childbirth I dream of.
HELP!!!
.
