September 2012 Due Date Club

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Breech?
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post #1 of 15
7/14/12 at 7:22am
Thread Starter 

I am 33 weeks today and my baby has been breech now for 6 weeks solid!

 

My midwife is not as concerned as I am.  My concern is that he/she is obviously comfy this way.  And I worry that as each week passes it is getting bigger and thus harder to turn.

 

I am having acupuncture (as usual) on Monday so will ask for some treatment for this (even though last time I spoke to him he said I could wait until 36 weeks if it had not turned without help).  However I really feel the need to move this baby now, or at least try.

 

This is my fourth baby (and hopefully second home vbac, but maybe not if it stays breech!) have never had a baby in this position before (the placenta is posterior so no reasons as to why there).  

 

It is also really very uncomfortable!  At night I sometimes cannot breathe because the head is squashing my lungs, and the kicks practically burst through my cervix (it feels).  ha.    The hiccups (cute as they are) totally rock my whole upper abdomen and you can so tell the baby is breech by those alone.  It feels pretty crazy to be honest.  

 

I am hooked on the Spinning Babies website and try the positions every single day, but no turning happening from them yet.

 

Would you be concerned at this stage?

 

Any good breech stories out there?  :)

 

thanks,

 

Claire 

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post #2 of 15
7/14/12 at 8:55am

Babies can certainly flip breech (or flip head down!) later in the game.  My DD2 flipped into the breech position between 38-39 weeks.  She settled her butt down in my pelvis right away and got comfy- I had an external version done the day she was born (39+6) and she was just not moving.  At all.  When I had my c/s, midwife said she was extremely wedged in there.  I'd be doing spinning babies if I were you.. even just leaning over a birth ball on all   fours and walking is good.  Going swimming is supposed to help too.  When I was trying to flip DD I'd go into the pool and do underwater handstands.. didn't work for me since she was so huge, but def. worth a try!

post #3 of 15
7/14/12 at 9:23am

I think it's too early to worry much too, but I totally get why you would want to get baby turned. From what I've read 7 to 11% of babies are breech at 32 weeks and only 1 to 3% at term, so there's still a really good chance your baby will turn by his or her self.

 

Have you looked into the Webster Technique at all? I know of a number of people who have had good luck with an experienced chiro getting their baby to turn.

 

I think in your situation, I'd also be talking to my midwife about what happens if baby doesn't turn, just so you know what your options are. Is your midwife comfortable and experienced delivering breech? If not, is there another midwife in the area who is, who would come and assist? Is she OK with breech delivery at home? And for that matter are you? If you don have to go into the hospital, what are their policies on breech delivery? As far as I understand it, there's absolutely no reason from a safety perspective that an uncomplicated breech position needs to result in a c-section, especially if your care provider is competent and you have a 'proven pelvis.' Unfortunately, very few care providers are comfortable with breech anymore. We are lucky to have a few midwives and a couple OBs in the area who still know how to deliver breech, but I know that's not the case everywhere.

 

Oh, and good breech stories! I personally know 3 people who have had breech babies at home with peaceful, uncomplicated births (2 midwife assisted, 1 UC.) All three have healthy, happy babies, or toddlers now who were born without any issues whatsoever.

 

http://www.breechbirth.ca/Welcome.html This is a Canadian organization, but it might have some helpful information and good birth stories.


Edited by Carlin - 7/14/12 at 9:33am
post #4 of 15
7/14/12 at 9:29am

#3 was breech for me. He turned from vertex around 33w and was pretty much an unstable lie from there till 40w when he finally decided his head was better off down.  Chiropractic and massage are what turned him--repeatedly. And he was over 9lbs and 22.5" long, so not a small baby. I did have a ton of fluid, though, so he had plenty of room for his acrobatics!  

 

My doula and another CPM both told me that unstable lie is really common in women who closely space their pregnancies because things are roomier in there.  #3 was my 3rd baby in 4 years ;) 

 

One silly thing that may help:  my MW friend recommended nothing tight on my lower abdomen. So looser undies, no under the belly pants, dresses when you can. I guess some babies don't like the restriction they feel when tight clothes press on their heads.

 

Sounds like you and I have similar "issues" with our pregnancies :) And I'm working toward my 2nd VBAC too!

post #5 of 15
7/14/12 at 10:28am

I agree about the tight clothes . . . just today I was wearing some maternity jeans that were really digging into my lower belly while I was helping DH fix our sink (at the front where the soft material meets the denim and the fake zipper is), and the baby kind of shifted up so that his head was above where the jeans were digging.  I only know that because suddenly my upper abdomen was huge, tight, and completely stuffed full to the point where I was feeling kind of breathless and had zero stomach space, it was pretty uncomfortable and stayed like that for an hour or so until I eventually realized the problem and changed into a comfy skirt, then it was back to normal within ten minutes. 

 

I hope the spinning babies techniques work, sending vertex thoughts your way :)
 

post #6 of 15
7/14/12 at 4:40pm

 I think w/ this as your third, if it comes to it, a external version is very likely to work.

post #7 of 15
7/16/12 at 6:14pm
My DD2 (third full-term pregnancy) was persistently breech from the time they started checking until 37 weeks. I have never, in all my pregnancies been more uncomfortable. Baby's do not fit that way!!! My belly looked all funny and misshapen! My midwives weren't worried until that last week or so, they kept telling me she had lots of time and room to turn. I was worried. I did chiro care, swimming, heat down low, cold up top, spinning babies, homeopathics... In the last two weeks I did inversions using a big ramp that the midwives have for that reason (it's a, umm, specialized product for OTHER purposes, LOL!).

I booked a consult with their back up OB for 37 weeks. She was willing to do a version, although they usually do them and then induce, so they required you to wait until 39+ weeks. My due date fell on Labor Day weekend, so the soonest they would book me was for 39w4d. I was SURE I wouldn't make that date and really worried about her being footling breech and us being an hour away! My other hospital option was a c-section, again, booked for the Wednesday after Labor Day at the soonest. My midwives were willing to consider lettting me birth breech, if we thought she was frank breech, because I had a history of uncomplicated vaginal births. They also had a contact for another midwife with many more breeches under her belt, and they said I could contact her if I wanted to transfer to her care.

Anyway, all of my fretting and planning ended up being a moot point, because the night before my consult she turned!! The movement woke me up, it was huge and totally bizarre. She settled in head down and stayed that way until birth about 9 days later.

This baby is VERY active. I'm due late in the month, so I'm about 30 weeks now. At my appointment two weeks ago, my midwife said the baby was probably an octopus!! She certainly has not settled in head down, but she's not persistently breech either. I'm not (really this time) worried about it this time around. I figure in good time, the baby will sort this out and settle in head down.

As far as other stories, a good friend's baby just turned at 39 weeks! It was her second. She has a medical condition that means she can't have any anesthesia besides general, and her OB wanted to book her for a c-section at 38 weeks to prevent an emergency c-section. She refused, got specialized acupuncture for breech positioning. The baby turned! And she had her just a few days later. Another friend had her baby flip between her 40 and 41 week appointments. Unfortunately, he flipped to breech and snugged himself down in there. It was her first, and she ended up having a c-section, but had a great unmedicated VBAC two years later.

You've got time! Hang in there!
post #8 of 15
7/16/12 at 7:51pm
Hi mamas! Joining in from the Oct. Ddc. I've had several babies turn last minute, thankfully. I think getting serious about "good" posture was key for me helping babes get turned around. Babes generally don't like and get uncomfy when mom sports a straight back, so my midwives have said. If we had a breech babe come labor, I abs. would have surgery and do not aplogize for that in any way. My first concern is my babe's safety, and there are greater risks with breech deliveries. Versions run some risk as well, but from my research it could also be the drugs, particularly a certain drug that increases risk. Anyways, my encouragement would be to fully research and decide for yourself. Recently a mama posted on the loss board and another mama responded who also lost breech babies at home.again, not a risk i'd be willing to take. http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1355080/lost-a-baby-during-a-home-birth
Edited by JENinOR - 7/16/12 at 8:21pm
post #9 of 15
7/16/12 at 8:01pm
Oops, just the mama who responded to the op list a breech baby. Sorry for the downer. Just wanted to add to the discussion another view point that may or may not be helpful.
post #10 of 15
7/16/12 at 8:34pm
Ha,my little galaxy tablet is acting up so I can't edit to add this that but he http://www.safermidwiferyMI.org/ re is that breech babe's story,Magnus, as well as another's, if you're intetested.
post #11 of 15
7/16/12 at 8:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JENinOR View Post

Ha,my little galaxy tablet is acting up so I can't edit to add this that but he http://www.safermidwiferyMI.org/ re is that breech babe's story,Magnus, as well as another's, if you're intetested.

Potential trigger (infant loss mentioned):

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This story is a big news in Michigan right now. The birth center she lost her baby at is the very same one where I had my beautiful water birth with DD2. The midwives in attendance (CNM's) were also at my birth. My DD, who was breech until 37 weeks. I had the "breech conversation" with them. They laid out all of my options, as I shared above before I knew this story would be brought into this conversation. It was *MY* choice. In fact, when I hesitated and said I wasn't sure if I would consider a breech birth, they quickly said no then. I needed to be 100% sure that was what I wanted to do. We had several long conversations about the options- breech with them, breech with a more experienced home birth midwife, version at the hospital, c-section. I went and met with their back-up OB and further discussed my options. In the end, I decided I would do a version, and then a c-section but wasn't comfortable with a breech home/free standing birth center birth. My heart breaks for that Mama, it's so very sad. But I am confident in saying it was HER choice, a choice I very nearly made. I can't fathom the birth center assuring her there were no risks and it was fine. She is suing the midwives and the birth center. My heart breaks for her, but closing down this amazing facility and bankrupting the midwives will not bring her baby back or change the choice she made to have the baby there with them. This Mama's campaign to impact birthing options in Michigan could have very negative consequences for those of us wishing to have options beyond the hospital.
post #12 of 15
7/17/12 at 6:16am
That story is heartbreaking. I am so sorry for the family

Babygirl is flipping around quite a bit and i feel her head and butt on either side or down (dont know though if it's her butt or head down). I will have another ultrasound for positioning later in pregnancy again and if she still has her legs up by her head (which i doubt with all the knee kicks i'm getting) or should be breech, then i will opt fir a repeat c/s. We will see.
post #13 of 15
7/17/12 at 5:05pm

That story is very sad. I'm sure there are also very sad stories about people who had c-sections for a breach baby. As mothers there will always be doubt about choices, especially when the outcome is incredibly unfortunate. It's a risk we take every time we make a choice. None of us can see the future and that can be frightening when we hear about stuff like this.

I advocate for looking at each person's exact situation and making a choice based on what evidence shows is safest for that circumstance -as well as the instincts of the person(s) involved. While I realize that being privy to one scary outcome can change how safe something feels, and one's objectivity about it, I think fear mongering does not help in making the safest choices. I'm very protective of my exposure during pregnancy, as well as that of those I am supporting. I am dubious of horror stories as ever being helpful or healthy for birth preparation. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, as good as your intentions might be, the "dead baby card" is something I resent no matter who it comes from and scary stories are not helpful for making logical, objective choices about childbirth.

I don't mean to make anyone feel attacked. I'm sorry if my view has been hurtful. This topic is one I feel strongly about. I'm here for support and have chosen this forum for it's supportive, non-fear based attitude. So, I guess I'm feeling protective. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from having their own viewpoints, but I do feel a need to point out when the assertion of certain viewpoints might be hurtful.

post #14 of 15
7/17/12 at 10:28pm

Thank you Yeeska. I have been thinking the same thing but couldn't quite figure out how to say it in a non-hurtful manner.

 

I fully support everyone's right to make the choices they are comfortable with. I do understand that our own experiences and the experiences of those we know will inform those choices and our comfort level with any given option whether or not the evidence and our experiences align. But, honestly, I can find tragic stories about homebirth, hospital birth, elective c-sections, vaginal birth, anything, but none of them actually help me to make decisions I am comfortable with.

 

As far as breech birth goes, in Canada, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, which is about as mainstream a medical organization as you can get, is no longer recommending c-sections in all cases. http://www.sogc.org/media/advisories-20090617a_e.asp

 

I think anyone approaching this choice needs to look at the evidence for breech and elective c-section, talk to their care provider, then follow their gut and do what feels right for them.

 

Regarless of the different choices we make regarding all aspects of birth and parenting, I hope we can continue to be a supportive, positive community for each other.

post #15 of 15
7/18/12 at 6:47am

Having been faced with a large breech baby at term, this decision is something with which I am quite familiar. It is frustrating to have bad outcomes thrust in your face when you already are weighing options that each have their own risks--both risks to your unborn and risks to you.  The frustration is further compounded when you realize that you may not HAVE options. Or those options may be limited or difficult to find. In my case, if I wanted to attempt a vaginal breech delivery, I would have had to transfer care--hopefully facilitated by my OB--to an unknown practice and hope that the appropriate care provider with vaginal breech experience would be on call when I arrived in labor. But the likelihood of that even being an option since I was a VBAC mama gone post-dates with a baby estimated in the 90%+ was slim. Being forced into a "choice" is an awful way to feel.

 

That being said, TO ME the critical to take-aways from this discussion are: 1) there are factors (as published by SCOG) that should be weighed in making the decision as they improve outcomes and 2) having a provider who is experienced in vaginal breech deliveries is important for both success and safety.