Help for breech baby

[LaLaina]

I'm 36 weeks and 3 days. I had an ultrasound today and the baby is breech as he has been at each of my four prior ultrasounds. My OB is not confident that he will turn, as he has always appeared in the breech position.
She explained that external version is an option, but that they are not as effective with a first pregnancy because the uterus will not be as flexible. Also, if there is a reason that he's not turning (cord or stuck somehow) the additional trauma could be harmful.
I'm doing yoga and I'm going to call an acupuncturist tomorrow. Does anyone have any good ideas for turning the baby?
If the baby does not turn, what options should I be aware of? What should I know about c-sections, especially if I hope to have a VBAC in the future?

[wills_mom]

My second son was breech or transverse and had been at most of his last trimester. He was to be my VBAC baby, but ended up a c-section because my water broke early and he was breech. No turning a breech baby when there is no amniotic fluid. I am now 39 weeks with my third. This baby was also breech at 37 weeks (after having been head down the whole time). I figured I would try all the natural techniques to get him/her to turn but if not, I figured there might be a reason for it. I really only got a chance to try headstands in a pool and floating in the pool and s/he was back to vertex at my 38 week appt. I, of course, am thrilled by this and am hoping I can get the VBA2C I am looking forward to. FWIW, while both my c-sections were emergency sections, I healed really well from them and did not find them traumatic. I think the only thing I was heartbroken over was my not seeing my boys after birth beyond the quick glimpse. With my second I knew he had to go to the NICU due to his prematurity and infection he got while I was ruptured. With my first though it was due to preventable causes. Definitely come up with a birth plan for a c-section so your wishes are respected. I have copy and pasted the one I have just in case.

Birth Plan for my C-section

Regarding Mom:
•I would like the catheter inserted after spinal is administered
•I would like to have a hand free to touch my child when he/she is born
•I would like the drapery lowered at the moment of birth so I can see my child being born.
•I would like to see the baby immediately after birth if possible.
•If possible, I would like the baby placed on my chest immediately after birth.
•If my husband needs to leave to accompany the baby to the nursery, I would like my step-mom to come and sit with me for the remainder of the surgery and in recovery.

Regarding Baby:
•We do not know the sex of the baby and would like Dad to announce it
•We respectfully decline the following newborn treatments:
oHepatitis B vaccine
oNewborn Eye Ointment
•I do not want the baby bathed. I would like to be the one to give the baby his or her first bath.
•I would like the chance to nurse the baby first if blood sugar is low.
•If possible, I would like the baby to have his or her assessment done in the OR and have him or her come with me to recovery. If not possible, Dad will be with the baby at all times
•I would like the baby brought to me in recovery as soon as possible so we can begin nursing.
•If the baby is a boy, we will not be circumcising
•I respectfully decline the use of all bottles, pacifiers, and other supplements. Nursing is very important to me as a mother and I would like to get the opportunity to set the baby up with the best start.

[GOPLawyer]

First, only abut 3 to 4 % of babies are breech at birth. There's still time to turn. :-)

Second, I would suggest looking for a care provider (midwife, OB...whomever) that is experienced in breech vaginal births. Breech is just a variation of normal. An automatic c/s for breech is an outdated policy that was based on a bad study. I recommend reading up on breech vaginal birth here.

Also check out a Webster trained chiropractor. Spinningbabies.com is great too.

[expatmommy]

This babe was breech at 36 weeks too. I've been seeing a chiro trained in the Webster technique. Babe has turned transverse, then head down & now we can't quite tell where he/she is because he/she is posterior and all we can feel is arms or legs. We are pretty certain the babe is head down though.

My doc is willing to try a vaginal breech delivery if this babe is frank breech, given that I have a 'well tested pelvis' after already delivering 4 babies.

If I were you, I'd try to find a chiro trained in Webster and some of the positions from the spinning babies website.

[sharr610]

I just got my babe to turn at 36 weeks. Acupuncture will be great as well as visit to the chiropractor. At acupuncture, make sure they put a point in your pinky toe and talk to you about moxabustion. The chiropractor will probably check your hips and do some adjustments there, but mine also did some mid back/rib adjustments saying that it often makes the babe want to move. You will want to check out spinning babies to see about inversions(basically getting yourself upside down). And then you can also try pulsatilla, a homeopathic remedy.


Here was my 10 day approach to this:

3 days pulsatilla 200c 3-5 tablets twice a day under tongue.

Every 5 days acupuncture and chiropractor visits...these can be spaced apart. Like one thing every 2-3 days.

Daily
Morning-inversion-10-15 minutes Cold pack at baby's head
Evening-inversion 15-20 minutes/Cold pack at baby's head/10-15 minutes of moxabustion(DH would do this as I was inverted).

I would have done one more moxa treatment during the day, but I always forgot. Just 10 minutes or so, with one stick burning on each toe.

GOOD LUCK!!!

[nova22]

I've had babies who were breech right up to the end. A chiropractor helped me with #4. I didn't get acupuncture, just a chiropractic adjustment, and I could actually feel the baby turning later in that day. It also helps to stick your bottom in the air every single day for maybe 10-15 minutes total. Get on your hands and knees, then put your head and chest down so your bottom is way up and your top half is resting. I did this every single night with #3 and she finally turned.

Let me tell you something about c-sections, just in case you have one, because this is something I would have liked to have known before I had mine. After the anesthetic when they put me on the table and lay my arms out beside me, my blood pressure took a sudden and steep dive. I felt like I couldn't breathe and for a moment I was in such a panic that I thought I was going to pass out or die. In that brief moment if I had been able to speak I would have told them to put me completely under because I was in such agony. Later they told me that my blood pressure had dropped so they gave me another medication to help that, and they said blood pressure changes can happen a lot with the anesthetic. If I had known that beforehand I feel like I would have been a lot less panicky when I was short of breath. I don't know how common it is, or whether it would happen to you, but if you feel that way just remember it will pass very shortly.

I do agree with your OB that external version can cause unnecessary trauma but I disagree that it is too late for your baby to turn. Be adamant about that baby-turning position and hopefully Baby will turn in time. Good luck

[LaLaina]

Thanks for the advice. I have an appointment for acupuncture and moxibustion on Friday. I'm going to check into the Webster technique, keep doing my yoga, and see what we can accomplish.

[mambera]

Hypnosis! More reliable than external version and lower chance of baby turning back to breech.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8000559

Moxibustion, unfortunately, is not supported.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15846688

GL!!!

[Jazzmin]

I used moxibustion, inversion and handstands in the pool to help turn DD.

DD would become VERY active after moxibustion. "Supported" or not, their is certainly no harm in doing it. Well, maybe an accidental burn to the toe, but that is about it

In the end though, it was the pool that made her flip. I would do handstands in water about neck deep- it is a lot harder to do when pregnant. I did several every other day and then finally, after coming up for air, I felt her flip. Luckily, she stayed that way.

[Sorin]

My babe was diagnosed as breech at 38 weeks, and I did have a version, which failed. I tried all the tips from spinningbabies for a week, but I ended up having to have a scheduled c-section about 3 days from her due date. Initially, I was disappointed that I would not get the natural vaginal birth that I had been planning for, but I got over that pretty quickly. As a first-time mom, I was not willing to attempt a vaginal breech delivery (no "proven pelvis"), but if I had had at least one child vaginally, several OBs in the practice would have delivered her. The c-section went really well, the staff was respectful, DD never left my sight and we did skin-to-skin and started nursing in the recovery room about 20 minutes after she was born. Now at almost 8 weeks post-partum, everything has healed very well, and I feel back to normal (well, as "normal" as one can feel with an 8 week old with erratic sleep patterns!)

The OBs also told me that my c-section does not mean that a vaginal delivery is out of the picture for me in the future. They do tons of VBACs, so if I get pregnant again, I'll attempt the vaginal delivery if I can!

Good luck, and remember that if you have to have the C-section, it is ok! You can still have a really great birth experience.

[Beccadoula]

Find a local chiropractor who does the Webster Technique...it really works well, much of the time!!!

[dancindoula]

Do all of the advice listed above, and then DON'T let anyone schedule you for a c-section. Babies can and do flip even in labor, so at least wait until then before heading to the OR. Don't let anyone try to convince you it can't happen.

I can't remember now if it was here or on the midwifery forum I'm part of, but I know of a baby born breach but with the fetal scalp electrode firmly screwed into his head! So yes, he was head-down, had an internal EFM installed during labor, then flipped with it still on and was born that way. Moral of the story: don't give up on the idea of your baby turning until you are in actual labor - you have LOTS of time for you little one to flip.

[kltroy]

My first was breech from 30+ weeks. We tried everything (see www.spinningbabies.com) including Webster Technique and an ECV at 37 weeks, which failed. It ultimately didn't work and I did have a scheduled c/s at 39 weeks. At that point I had given up and was resigned to it and just wanted to meet my baby already. It was disappointing, but I did have a very nice VBAC 2 years later. My seond baby was breech at 31 weeks and moxibustion helped her flip head-down that week.

A few suggestions are:
1. If there's a doc that does vag. breech deliveries in your area, try to get in to see him/her and talk about risks, benefits, and whether this would be a reasonable option for you. Your local ICAN group almost certainly help you find that person, if he/she exists.
2. try everything you can. The ECVs can and do work a good portion of the time. They work better if this is not your first pregnancy. They work better if the baby has been not "stuck" in the same position for a long time. They work best when baby is not too big, but baby has a higher chance of re-flipping to breech if baby is too small. I was told that 37 weeks was roughly optimal for ECV.
3. Hypnobabies has a guided meditation CD for flipping breech babies. It certainly can't hurt, esp. when combined with some other things (like I would probably go in for Webster chiropractic, then go back to your home and burn some moxa by your toes while you relax and listen to the CD.)

There are some pros/cons to schedulign a c/s versus waiting for labor. The pros to waiting for labor are physiologic in nature. The pros to scheduling are all pragmatic in nature (get a good night's sleep, have more energy to devote to recovery, make sure childcare is in place for any older children).

Best of luck! There are many good threads on c-birth plans, and if you get to term and baby is still breech I would talk to whomever will be doing the surgery, if you know who that is, ahead of time. The National Library of Medicine also has a narrated video of a c-section. If you google "NLM, surgery video, cesarean section" you will find it in the first link.

[heathenmom]

DD#2 was persistent breech. I had a failed ecv and tried everything to turn her. I finally gave up and scheduled a c/s.

Four days before the scheduled c/s, she flipped, I went into labor, and had a lovely homebirth. She was born at 41 weeks and was at least 10 lbs. (the scale was calibrated incorrectly ... I think she was closer to 11 lbs.). Babies -- even BIG babies! -- can and do turn, up to and during labor.

Sending you and !

[HeatherIris]

Pulsatilla and chanting

Hello,
My baby was breech at 33 weeks and I believe that what helped her turn was that I used pulsatilla (a homeopathic recommended by our midwife and doula) and my friends chanted for us:-)
There is a great resource at Susan Weed's (a respected herbalist) website:
http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezin...ildbearing.htm
As for the chanting, my friends encircled me at my blessingway and danced and sang, "Turn Baby Turn". At our appointment the following week, it was confirmed that she had turned!

[lazzybee]

My son was breech, also. I opted against the ECV because of many reasons, one being cord issues (as it turned out the cord was wrapped around his neck, as mine and my father's had been--guess it's a family thing haha). I tried hypnosis, elevating my hips, using a flashlight and music and etc. I scheduled an acupuncture appointment but I went into labor before I had the opportunity to go! As for vaginal birth, I am aware the risk of the head getting stuck is low, but I just wouldn't take that chance. I mean the chance of being breech is pretty damn low, and no luck there.

I was all pepped up for a natural birth, but I'd say it's important to not get down about that. I was before the c-section, but afterwards I didn't think about it for a second. I realized it was silly.
Also, despite the birth being almost exactly opposite of everything I wanted, it went fine. I didn't feel traumatized or robbed of an experience--I just made the best of it. Have some humor about it.

I hope your baby flips!!

[nutritionistmom]

I used homeopathy to turn yds at 35 wks, but it was Ignatia Amara 30C. It's proven effective for fear, anxiety, and depression from suppressed grief, anger or shock; causing tightness of the lower uterine segment and keeping the baby high.

[Sylvansmom]

Successful external version

I tried many of these methods--yoga, inversions, meditation, and moxibustion day before EV. My external version was a success, and it was my first pregnancy. Calming breath during the version was really important, as it is not a pleasant sensation and easy to get anxious. Good luck!

[phathui5]

The chiropractor down the street from us was trained in the Webster technique. He's had 100% success rate so far with getting breech babies turned around.

[kindacrunchymama]

My DD was breech for weeks. I tried EVERY technique out there, yoga, chiro, moxa, acupuncture, homeopathics, inversions, headstands in the pool...EVERYTHING. I finally caved to do ECV because I REALLY wanted a homebirth and was not comfortable doing one breech as a firs time mom and living 30 min from a hospital. The ECV was not pleasant and she was still very stubborn - it took 6 attempts. The last one the Dr said he was not going to try again; if she didn't turn he was done and I would need to schedule a CS. Luckily she did turn and stayed turned and I had the perfect homebirth I wanted.

Even thought all the natural remedies and techniques did not work for me, I still would recommend you do them all and then go for a ECV. Also I will note, that I did opt for the muscle relaxant for the EVC to increase the chance for a positive outcome. Given how difficult she was to turn WITH the drug, I am glad I did it because I don't think she would have turned without it.

Good luck! I know how frustrating, exhausting, disappointing and overwhelming having a breech babe can be. Hang in there mama and just keep hoping for and doing your best.