Who else is still transverse/breech?

[meesh933]

I know it's a little early to worry, but I have bigger babies (both were 9 lbs), so I try to encourage them to turn sooner rather than later. This little guy is transverse. He occasionally moves around, but he seems to really like laying sideways. I have an anterior placenta, too, so I'm a little concerned about a posterior lie later on.

I think I'm going to start doing inversions a few times a day to encourage him to move. With DS1, I got him head down at 28 weeks and he was big enough to stay stuck. Anyone else doing anything to encourage good positioning yet?

[Abraisme]

My DD1 was transverse until 24w or so and then turned head down on her own.  This baby is somewhere between breech and transverse at 26w.  I'm not too worried yet, but I have been starting to think about it.  I suspect that she'll turn on her own soon.

[IwannaBanRN]

How can you tell if they are breech or head down?

[jbk21]

From what I can tell based on where I feel kicks (down in my pelvis or in my sides, NEVER toward the top of my uterus or ribcage) this baby is definitely breech and transverse at times.  I can sometimes feel movement on both sides of my abdomen, as if he is kicking and punching at the same time.  Otherwise I feel fluttery kicks down on my bladder.  I am glad you asked this question Meesh993 because I have honestly been getting worried about it.  I'm at almost 27 weeks and I know there's time but I also know that based on the 20wk u/s this baby is measuring larger- about a week and a half ahead based on their estimations.  My husband was a breech baby, and while I know that it isn't genetic I also get worried about it.  I WANT MY OUT-OF-HOSPITAL BIRTH!  haha!  I keep trying positions and sending baby vibes to move head-down 

I know I'm jumping the gun and baby will probably flip, but it's hard not to worry when a c-section would be devastating.  Absolutely devastating.  I mean, I know a section, if necessary, would yield a healthy baby and that's what matters but I think everyone here can understand that when I've been planning a beautiful out-of-hospital birth for this (my last) child, that a c-section would be the LAST thing I'd want.  Sigh.

Anyway, I've done pelvic rocks, I've been practicing good posture when sitting and standing, and I sleep in a position that is supposedly helpful for getting baby to turn (though I usually wake up on my back.  Bah.)

My DS1 was head down for as long as I could tell.  I hope this baby turns soon.... 

Originally Posted by IwannaBanRN 

How can you tell if they are breech or head down?

[Jaimee]

It's way too early... baby will have plenty of time to flip around.  But if you're worried toward the end, moxibustion has an excellent track record of flipping babies and keeping them there. 

[meesh933]

Originally Posted by IwannaBanRN 

How can you tell if they are breech or head down?

I feel kicks/punches mostly on my sides, never down low or up high. Also, if you lay flat on your back, you may be able to palpate the baby. My MW was able to get a pretty  good guess at my last appointment (25 wks) and confirmed what I'd been feeling, and my U/S showed him transverse, as well. I've gotten much better at determining what was where with each pregnancy.

If I didn't have babies that tend to be on the bigger side, I wouldn't worry for a few more weeks, at least. My son was stubbornly breech until I flipped him at 28 weeks, though, and for another couple of weeks I could feel him trying to shift back. And he was big enough by 30 weeks or so that it HURT. Since this baby measured on the big side, too, I'm probably going to start trying to encourage him to flip in the next couple of weeks just to be on the safe side.

[jbk21]

I'm really trying hard not to worry since most babies do flip between 28-32 weeks (and CAN flip during birth even, though I'm not about to put money on that, especially since my MW will risk me out before I even get that chance).  It's still hard not to worry when there is an out-of-hospital birth on the line.  Sooner would be better than later, that's all.  
 

Originally Posted by meesh933 

If I didn't have babies that tend to be on the bigger side, I wouldn't worry for a few more weeks, at least. My son was stubbornly breech until I flipped him at 28 weeks, though, and for another couple of weeks I could feel him trying to shift back. And he was big enough by 30 weeks or so that it HURT. Since this baby measured on the big side, too, I'm probably going to start trying to encourage him to flip in the next couple of weeks just to be on the safe side.

[meesh933]

Yeah, exactly. Transverse is worse than breech, too. Harder to turn, and absolutely no way of having a vaginal birth. A c-section because of a transverse baby, and an anterior placenta at that, is not the way I want my last birth to go!
 

Originally Posted by jbk21 

I'm really trying hard not to worry since most babies do flip between 28-32 weeks (and CAN flip during birth even, though I'm not about to put money on that, especially since my MW will risk me out before I even get that chance).  It's still hard not to worry when there is an out-of-hospital birth on the line.  Sooner would be better than later, that's all.  
 

[Paigekitten]

I'll be 29 weeks tomorrow and baby is still everywhere and flipping herself around.  I've started paying attention more though, and paying more attention to my posture but I'm not too worried about it yet. I got the most painful kick in my cervix the other day though!

[jbk21]

Seriously, sometimes I tell baby to PLEASE get his FOOT out of my CERVIX.  Yeee-ouch!

Originally Posted by Paigekitten 

I'll be 29 weeks tomorrow and baby is still everywhere and flipping herself around.  I've started paying attention more though, and paying more attention to my posture but I'm not too worried about it yet. I got the most painful kick in my cervix the other day though!

[jbk21]

Well I'm sure all of our babies will turn!  Let's hope for that!  I mean, the odds are in our favor right?!  Only 3-4% are breech at full term (7% at 38 weeks) and transverse is even less likely (1 in 2500).  

Turn, babies, turn :-)  In the meantime, I am kind of enjoying the extra stomach room- baby is low, low, low and loves sitting on my bladder.  Ha!

Originally Posted by meesh933 

Yeah, exactly. Transverse is worse than breech, too. Harder to turn, and absolutely no way of having a vaginal birth. A c-section because of a transverse baby, and an anterior placenta at that, is not the way I want my last birth to go!
 

[dashley111]

The foot in the cervix comment I can sympathize with!  This baby turns and turns- loves to be transverse or breech, but I prefer her to be head down just because of the cervix and bladder kicking!  I can always tell what position she is in by palpation.

She is a big girl, measuring almost 3 weeks ahead.  Im starting to get concerned about how much she LOVES to be breech but I know she can flip around easily still.  My last daughter turned at 32 weeks, and it hurt! 

I have no qualms with trying to vaginally deliver breech.

[AprilGlynn]

http://spinningbabies.com/ This website is great for determining fetal position and turning our babies. My babe is transverse and I'm doing a couple inversions a day and seeing my chiro because my uterus and pelvis are shifted to the right which doesn't make for optimal fetal positioning.

[jbk21]

I'd definitely try to find a care provider (MW, hopefully) who would deliver a breech baby, too.  I think I'd want to be in a hospital though with CNM attendant, just in case.  Is that overkill?  I honestly don't know much about it, other than that breeches are usually unnecesareans.  

Originally Posted by dashley111 

I have no qualms with trying to vaginally deliver breech.

[meesh933]

All other things being normal, I don't think I would have an issue with birthing a breech at home. The hospital birth climate around here is pretty awful, though, and the birth centers operate under some strict guidelines thanks to their malpractice insurance, so finding a provider willing to attend a breech birth anywhere but home would be nearly impossible.

[IwannaBanRN]

With all these babies that flip over all the time, it's no wonder alot of them end up with the cord around the neck at birth. lol

[SoCaliMommy]

i can't figure out what the heck i'm feeling besides feeling body parts all over my stomach lol.   I know at 18wks he was transverse and later that night turned because i felt a huge movement and it was painful.    

[LiLStar]

theres still a load of  room in there! I have big babies too. 8lbs 14oz and 10lbs 2 oz. Both settled head down at 28 weeks. Its not really reasonable to expect them to stay put before then. This little one has been flipping back and forth daily, if not multiple times a day. Last check earlier today was head down. Yesterday was mostly breech/transverse. A couple nights ago I was curious to see how easy it would be to convince baby to move. I put an ice pack on my belly where baby's head was, and I didn't even feel hardly any movement at all, but VERY quickly I was able to locate the head at my side. So I followed the head with the ice pack, and then before long the head was by my hip. This was in less than 5 minutes. A few minutes later, back up in my ribs. And this is all without feeling significant movement! So its roomy enough in my uterus for a baby to do a somersault without me hardly even noticing :) The way I feel is to palpate until I find a head. Its a nice round mound, and if I wiggle it, its kinda.. bobbly! If I get hold of the butt and wiggle that, it moves the whole body. Sometimes if I grab a butt by my ribs and try and move it, I can feel the movement in my pelvis. Not so with a head! 

[Lula's Mom]

We start with locating the heartbeat with a fetoscope, and once you know that, it's pretty easy to discern what the lumps and kicking/punching parts are. 

[Viriditas]

I have an extremely active little girl in here.  I am feeling kicks all over the place.  Up high one morning, down on my bladder and cervix the same evening, then a swoop all the way down one side.  She's doing gymnastics in there!  She was transverse this morning at my midwife appointment, but I'm not worried at all.  We couldn't find her heartbeat with the fetoscope because she was wiggling around so much, and my midwife had to reposition the doppler 4 times because she kept moving.

It's way too early to worry about positioning, imo.  I'm doing yoga and pilates regularly and I'm confident she will end up in a great position when she starts to settle down a little.  For the time being, let her squirm and flip around to her heart's content. :)