The Little Bugger is Breech

[kerikadi]

Hi all,
We had a scarry day today and ended up at the hospital - the last place I want to be. However, I had some bleeding that got quite heavy and we thought it was a good idea to check things out.
Long story short they did an ultrasound to check for previa. The good news is no previa, I just have a fryable and 'gushy' cervix but baby is breech. Now I am only 24 weeks and know that I have time. However, knowing that this baby will definitely be born at home I have 2 questions - At what point should I encourage baby to turn? And, how exactly do I do that? Any help would be appreciated.
TIA
Keri
edd 6/14/02

[clewal]

From my understanding, most babies will turn during the last two months. Don't worry about the baby being breech at 24 weeks, there still is time to turn.

[dandelion]

There's a good chance your baby will turn on his or her own. If not, I'm sure eyou'll get lots of advice on turning him/her from other moms. But have you considered a breech birth just in case..?

My second baby was breech and although I was scared, my midwives assured me that 1) many babies are breech for a reason and turning is not necessarily the best idea and 2) breech babies usually come out easier than head-down babies. I didn't really believe them until my baby came out very easily without any tearing or anything and we found out she was breech because the cord was barely attached to the placenta and she wouldn't have been able to breathe if she turned head-down.

Have you asked your midwives if they know how to assist at breech births in case the baby doesn't turn or are you going unassisted?

[jordmoder]

Hey

I'm 32 weeks and this babe has been consistently breech for a while. However, I'm not going to fret about a thing unless kiddo doesn't go head down by 36 weeks. Then we'll talk about things with each other!

But seriously, before 36 weeks the baby could be sideways and not a problem.

Most turn by themselves, and only about 3% would be breech if left to their own devices!

Barbara

[lunarmomma]

This site has many links and much information for you regarding breech babies.
Good luck!
http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/breech.html

[mmace]

Hi Keri - I've been lurking and posting ocassionally over here, on your recomendation.

I'm so glad that you and baby are okay, and will keep my fingers crossed that baby turns for you. Even if he/she doesn't, I know everything will work out fine - you're super mom!

Hugs,
Marissa

[kerikadi]

Thanks for the responses

I have decided that breech or not this babe will be born at home!
One of the questions that I asked my MW before choosing her was if she would deliver breech and she will. This is my third so even if we are breech at birth I believe everything will be fine. I would just rather have as little drama as possible if you know what I mean. I certainly don't want another u/s and I don't think MW will ask for one. She is very confident that she will always know what position the baby is in and deal with it accordingly. I don't feel that version is an option for me personally but I will use whatever more 'natural' methods that are available. I'm certainly not above standing on my head!

P.S. Good to see you over her Marissa!

Keri

[motherdownunder]

The best time to encourage the baby to turn, if it hasn't already, is at about 34-35 weeks. Any earlier and it may just turn back, later and it might be too big. My baby was transverse until 34 weeks (how uncomfortable!!!) and then I started playing music low down on my tummy for several hours when I went to sleep. I used tiny portably speakers, but the friend that recommended it (who it also worked for) just used headphones. I also massaged my tummy firmly in the direction I wanted it to turn, and my midwife used to hold her hands firmly on it, but not quite pushing, in the same direction.

Spending lots of time on your hands and knees, chest down bum up is also supposed to work. If all else fails I would try acuncputure (after all it hleped me get pregnant, and brought on the baby on the due date).

By the way, a friend of mine just gave birth to a breach baby at home without a midwife. She only had a skilled doula, who arrived when the bottom was out, because her lay midwife had been banned from practicing a few weeks earlier. She had no problems, but then the baby was only 5 lbs because it was 3 weeks early.

Good luck.

[erika]

my 2nd baby was breech until 37 weeks on the nose. i had been doing the butt-up-in-the-air positions to encourage turning - don't know whether it helped or whether she would have turned anyway. my midwife showed up at my house to do an external version and she had turned herself already!! (if she wasn't turned the OB wanted to see me the next day to do the version in the hospital)

actualy, she flipped down around 32 weeks but then flipped back up a week or so later - fortunately the last time she got stuck head-down!

[Ari'smum]

Electric Razor?

My last doula told me about a study that she read published by Johns Hopkins or some other big medical school regarding getting the breech baby to turn. Placing an electric razor on the top of your tummy (or where ever the babe's head is) and sitting with it on for 20 minutes a day encouraged something like 85% of babies to turn head down on their own within a week or two. Apparently that noise is irritating to young and old alike. I don't know the details of when to do it but it was a shockingly low tech solution for doctors to come up with . . .

[CrunchyGranolaMom]

Wow--that's neat about the electric razor! My mw told me to use an ironing board put up to the second step on the staircase in my house and lie on that. Fortunately, by the time I went to actually buy the ironing board (we are an anti-ironing family!), the little darling had flipped. So maybe you need to just BUY the board and not actually use it, kerikadi?!

Dandelion, that is incredible about your baby. How wise our children are! I never considered the "other side" (baby's POV) re. breech birth. Thanks for writing in.

[yahlena]

My #3 was breech until 38 weeks. My midwife said "you better talk to that baby" So I did. I also used moxa (moxibustion) on the outside of my pinkie toe. Well something worked and we had a sweet homebirth. But as previous post have mentioned before, those littlins know whats goin on. I think telling the babe the situation and then allowing her/him to decide if head first is right for them.