Hi there, first off congratulations on your pregnancy and pending birth. I read your post and just had to respond, I hope you don't mind since I am not a regular here anymore.
Since you don't know me let me please first tell you that I am very supportive of UP/UC and also once led an ICAN chapter as well as taught BirthWorks classes and was a doula (ALACE) trained. I also went UP with my second child, planning a UC. I put that out just b/c sometimes I know I read posts here when I was using the forum and when I read a dissenting post, I would easily dismiss it (And I should have at times!) knowing or thinking that the poster was just anti UC. lol.
*IF* baby is transverse or some variation thereof, I would be concerned about laboring at home. Maybe I would do it, but I sure would have a back up plan. A baby transverse (either complete or otherwise) does not plug the cervix well obviously during a contraction (like a head will apply pressure in an LOA or ROA baby). This means a very real risk of cord prolapse when the waters release, creating a true life emergency for the baby.
So, if it were me I would
1) Get a trained professional to assess position of the baby. (No need to worry if babe is in fact head down nicely)
2)If babe is sunny side up (you would not feel a bum in this case) I would do all sorts of OFP stuff for the rest of your gestation and also know what to do in labor as well for OFP (optimal fetal positioning).
3)If babe is transverse anterior or posterior then I would start thinking and planning what to do. I would have to make a birth plan if labor were to begin with the baby still transverse. I would consider whether I would be willing to labor at home with the real risk of prolapse. At what point would I transfer? How would I assess baby's position during labor? Personally I wouldn't want to be worried about guessing the position and wondering if I was right or wrong in a UC situation with a possible transverse. I would need to have a plan for the case where the cord does prolapse or where babe is still transverse and the waters have gone. Yes, you may be able to save time by taking a car rather than an ambulance, but you would need an extra person, and you would all ideally be familiar with what to do in the even of prolapse (mom upside down, head low on floor, butt way up, someone keeps cord wet with washcloth and water, also can have to reach in and keep cord from getting pinched by pelvis or body part of babe.). Your husband cannot do this while he drives.
*For me, I would never be willing to labor at home with a diagnosed or suspected transverse baby* the risks are just too great. I would consider going to the hospital and fighting them off left and right allowing me to labor, but ready for emergent medical care if needed.
I will have to look up the claim that ICAN thinks a transverse lie should be allowed to dilate completely prior to c/s. I don't doubt that a baby can turn last minute, but I do recognize that a transverse baby has the distinct disadvantage of not being able to dilate the cervix well during contractions. a hand or shoulder just does not do the same thing as a head or even bum in the breech position. I can imagine that getting to ten would be extremely difficult or impossible (?) with a true complete transverse baby.
So, if baby were diagnosed transverse at this time, I would be doing OFP, swimming all the time, doing headstands in the water, lol, try a version, do chiro care, talk to baby, visualize babe head down. Pray. Take homeopathic remedy. I would make a birth plan and transfer plan, and also honestly, a cesarean birth plan.
In the event that a cesarean was truly needed (scary, I know) I would want the hospital to know precisely how to make the surgery and birth as "good" as possible. ICAN could help with this, so could other crunchy mamas versed in the procedure and what can be done given the situation to make it the gentlest as possible given the situation. That may mean that you need to learn a lot about the procedure itself first. I know ICAN has a white page that describes the surgery.
Also (And I know this is an alarming and overwhelming post given the content) I want to add that I would have my antenna up about other things that may be going on. Those potential factors play into my own discomfort with laboring at home, or possibly even waiting to go into labor, with transverse baby. Sometimes a baby will be transverse or malpositioned in another way and resistant to change to LOA or ROA (version is unsuccessful or chiro is not helpful) because of some issue that you or I don't know of in utero. There could be a very real cord issue (too short or all wrapped around) or a placental placement near the cervix that prevents babe from moving from transverse. You have to wonder with a stubborn persistent malposition why they are that way. SOmetimes it is for a reason. In this case, I would think about getting an u/s done to see what is going on. Yes, typically I hate interventions and technology, but in the case where babe is transverse still and I an facing a surgical delivery, but hoping for other safe options I would need more information about what is going on for babe so I could sort out what were other options and what weren't.
So, get a TRUE assessment of fetal lie. Hopefully, you will have no issues and babe will be all set to come on out! If not a great report, try everything but meanwhile get in high gear making a birth and transfer plan in case it is necessary.
I know that this whole post could be a major downer to you. I'm gonna pray that it is all written for naught, but I felt compelled to throw it all out there so you at least had the information if you didn't already. Please check back and tell us where baby is, lol, and how you are doing.
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