Oh No! My Baby is BREECH at 34 wks...

[MrsJewelsRae]

This is baby #3 and my first 2 were head down by 6 months pg and stayed that way. Midwife had thought up till now that babe was head down, but I have an anterior placenta so it is not as easy to tell. I had an u/s today to check on baby's size as I am measuring quite a bit ahead by fundal height. Baby is breech, bottom first I assume, head up top. I'm nearly 34 weeks and baby measured about a week ahead. Haven't seen my midwife yet about this.

I am looking into practices I can use to encourage baby to turn head down. So far I have come up with Webster technique (will have to call chiros tomorrow to see who does this), moxibustion, knee-chest position with bottom high in the air, and laying on back with feet on wall and bottom/hips lifted higher than shoulders.

Are there any other things I can do to get to turn?? We have been planning on another homebirth but if the baby is breech (even bum first) my midwives will have to transfer primary care to an OB (which is silly since midwives are usually better at handling vaginal breech births). If the babe is footling breech when labor starts I will opt for a c/s, I am going to do some research to see if I am comfortable with attempting a vaginal butt breech birth with an OB. I just feel sick about this.

Any tips? I've already been to spinningbabies.com and didn't find it very helpful, THB. What about frozen corn at the top of my belly with music down low while laying on my back with hips raised and feet on the wall?

What are the chances my baby will turn?

So is it safe to begin these things immediately and do all of them??

Also, I don't think I can do a version as my placenta is in front, I would think that would make it more risky for abruption.

What positions should I avoid? I always sleep on my left side with a pillow between my knees and a wedge between my tummy and the bed. If I sit in hard chairs (homeschooling ds at the kitchen table, church, etc) I usually use a little footstool to keep my ankle swelling down. Is it okay to exercise? I've been doing 10+ minutes a day of light jogging on my mini trampoline and 10+ minutes of stationary bike- will this affect the baby's position negatively?? I am getting out my birth ball to sit on as much as possible, hopefully that will help... What about laying in a reclining chair watching TV or reading/surfing the net? Is this a bad position!!?? I want to do everything I can to get my homebirth, I can't stand the thought of having to have another hospital birth- let alone with an OB who is going to fight me every step to just schedule a c/s!!! :

Thanks for reading my muddled thoughts, I was just so surprised when the nurse told me baby's position today, I was not expecting that at all. I think the midwives must have guessed baby's position wrong all along due to the anterior placenta, I really think I would have noticed if my baby had turned all the way from head down last week to heads up this week, he/she is pretty squished in there at this point.

Off to research the safety of butt breech vaginal birth with an OB in the hospital, and see if it is still safe to refuse all/most of the "routine procedures" etc....

[rockportmama]

Oh, how stressful!!!

Go to icpa4kids.com to find a Pediatric D.C. certified in Webster. On the left is a link "Find a Doctor".

My limited understanding of the Webster Technique is that it works like 98% of the time. Of course, 34 weeks is still early, and LO still has plenty of time.

Did the US show any reason why the baby couldn't turn, like a short cord or something? Outside of those types of things, the Webster is probably your best bet. You may need to have it done more than once, but it *usually* works.

Sorry you're going through such a rough situation! Hoping all goes well -- keep us up to date.:Sending turning vibes!!

[Gnatty]

Keep sitting on that birth ball! I am trying to remember at what point we were freaking out last pregnancy about baby being breech, and I can't...

I used a slant board, and I found it effective. I propped my ironing board up, one end on the floor, the other on the couch, and lay there for ten minutes at a time several times a day with my head on a pillow.

Don't give up hope- for baby flipping, or a natural birth, if not. You've still got some time, and if you already have an OB lined up and willing to do a breech birth, be very very thankful! We had major stress trying to figure out a backup plan, since my (then) underground homebirth midwife obviously couldn't exactly refer me to an OB as a back up!

[MommyofHero]

Don't forget to tell your baby to turn. I'm at 34 weeks now and my baby just turned last week after me and my DH took turns telling her to turn and rubbing my belly clockwise. Also, put a picture of a baby in the vertex position on your fridge or somewhere you look numerous times a day. I really believe that helped me too.
Anyway, the suggestions on this site might help you:
http://pregnancychildbirth.suite101...._a_breech_baby
Good luck!!

[Beeblebrox]

My DD2 was breech at that time also and until 35 weeks. She did end up flipping all on her own. If she hadn't by midwife was going to have me start taking pulsitilla. Have you looked into that?

[cappuccinosmom]

My 3rd was still moving around so much and had so much room that they did an u/s at the hospital to make sure he was vertex. And he was 42 weeks+ and 10 lb 8 oz and for the last 4 weeks had been all over the place, including showing up transverse on an u/s at 39 weeks (talk about PANIC on the part of the caregivers! )

I believe lying down/reclining gives the baby more room to flip, so once he does turn vertex, don't do much of that. I was told that when the baby was head down I should be doing a lot of squatting and to never "sit like a lady", but instead sit with my legs spread apart and my belly hanging down.

[logcabinmomma]

Webster DOES work. You can find a directory online with providers who are trained in it... can't remember the site, but it's out there.

The other thing that really does work is making yourself a nest on your belly- use a couple of pillows under your chest and head, a couple under your thighs and whatever you need just under your hips- not under your belly. Let your belly kind of hang (supported gently by the bed underneath) in the hole. Take a nap that way. I woke up with a head down baby. It really stretched out the uterine ligaments and gave baby plenty of room to move.

-Kristi

[hikingmommy]

Moxibustion has a good success rate. I've read that swimming (on your stomach) can help turn the baby. DD was transverse for a long time. I couldn't handle being in an inverted position due to heartburn and a vestibular problem. Seeing a chiropractor worked for a short time, then she flipped back for a couple hours. That afternoon I went for a massage. She went back head down during the massage and stayed that way. I tried heat at the bottom and cold up top and annoying music up high, then soft music down low, but it didn't work for me.

[library lady]

#3 was breech around 36 weeks. I read a bunch of stuff and tried a bunch of different techniques. I don't remember all of them off hand but some of the ones I remember were pretty easy and I did them pretty much whenever I got the chance. We all took turns talking to the baby and told her to turn. When we talked to her, we tried to make sure that everybody was talking to the bottom of my belly so she would be inclined to move toward the voices. We did lots of belly rubbing for encouragement. Whenever I sat at the computer, I would turn on some music and put the headphones at the bottom of my belly. I know it all sounds silly but something worked because she was in the correct position when she was born.

[MrsJewelsRae]

Thank you for your help, I am getting started on all these suggestions and I have a chiro appointment on monday to get the Webster technique done. :

[TzippityDoulah]

try going to a chiro - it your hips or pelvios are misalligned it will throw off everything and make impossible for baby to move. I HIGHLY recommend this. I personally think it's the number one reason for breech...

that said sometimes babies have reason for being breech... they are smart little people in there you know! they are only going to move if they feel like it feels right to them.

[moderngal]

it took me 5 chiro appointments for the Webster technique, 5 days in a row of moxibustion, lots of pulsatilla, lots of time on the tilt board, lots of prayer, and lots of begging my baby to turn. DD finally turned and stayed down when I was 37 weeks.

lots of good info at http://www.spinningbabies.com

Good luck!!

[cathicog]

Breech is normal at 34 weeks. Breech is still normal up to 38 weeks! And after that, it is a Variation of Normal....Especially with subsequent children, there is no need to worry about breech until 38 or later. Many babies have plenty of room to turn around and a few will turn just before labor starts. I wouldn't even think of trying to turn the baby now...