So I’m 34 weeks and my baby is breech based on an ultrasound 3 weeks ago and an exam 2 weeks ago. Plus her head is under my right rib cage and I keep getting kicked in the bladder! I really don’t want a c-section and I know I have a little time still but even the external version doesn’t sound appealing if necessary either. Did anyone have experience with breech babies “behaving” and turning before they went into labor or with the ev? I really wanted an unmediated birth and know that anything can happen but I really don’t want to have a scheduled c-section for a lot of reasons.
Well, I was supposed to be breech but a week before my due date, I turned myself around, so it does happen. There are some different techniques you can use to try and get your baby to turn herself around. This website has a lot of techniques and was recommended to me by my midwife when I was pregnant: http://www.spinningbabies.com/
I did some of these while I was pregnant because my baby was too far over to one side and needed to be more in the center. After about two weeks my baby did move to center like she was supposed to, so I would recommend giving it a try.
Find a chiropractor that does [name]Webster[/name] technique and someone that does acupuncture and moxibustion. Between the 2 techniques, the rate of getting babies to flip is over 80%. Not guaranteed, of course, but definitely helps.
You can find a chiro at Find a Chiropractor. Good luck!
What does your doctor say?
Lots of babies present breech around this time and then turn. My sister’s baby remained breech and she had a vaginal birth.
I second the spinning babies website suggestion, from memory you will need a spotter (someone to help) to get into some of the suggested positions. I know some people have also found acupuncture to be helpful as well. You hopefully have a few weeks up your sleeve to do your best to get baby head down. I understand not wanting a scheduled c-section and am about to try for a vbac myself in the very near future!
Good [name]Luck[/name]!
I just had an unmedicated vaginal breech birth three weeks ago.
I was a breech baby, born by c-section. When I found out my son was breech at the 20 weeks ultrasound, I just had this feeling that he would remain that way and not turn. I was right - all my efforts to turn him were for naught. But I did end up having a natural birth, thanks to my doctor, who is experienced in vaginal breech birth.
Since you are at 34 weeks, there’s still a good chance that your baby will turn on his/her own. If your baby is still breech at term, then you have the option of an external version. The external version has about a 50-60% success rate. I had an unsuccessful external version at 37.5 weeks. I wouldn’t say it was painful, exactly - it felt like a lot of intense pressure, but it only lasted for one minute before the doctor stopped. Unfortunately, I think my baby’s bum was already settled in my pelvis, because they could not move him. If I have another breech baby, I would try it again though.
There is the website spinningbabies that recommends various natural methods to turn the baby. I tried the exercises, tilts, and standing upside-down in a swimming pool. It didn’t do anything but give me a backache. Everyone recommended chiropractic to me, but by then I already had my failed external version, and I thought that if two doctors pushing on my belly with all their might would not turn him, the chiropractor definitely could not. Plus, I was tired of being manipulated. If the baby was going to turn, he would do it on his own.
If you’re interested in chiropractic, you could try it, and you should probably start it as soon as possible. I didn’t try it because I just didn’t believe it would be effective. I have no idea where they get their “80%” or “90%” effectiveness rate, because there are no quality studies that show the effectiveness and safety of their procedure.
I also wanted to avoid a c-section. In the end, I was lucky to find a doctor who is experienced in vaginal breech birth. Unfortunately, these doctors are very rare (in the US) - most are either retired or nearly retired. The skills are really dying out. My doctor is the only one is the state who still delivers breech babies vaginally. [name]Even[/name] if vaginal breech birth is something you’d consider, you might not be able to find a doctor in your area who attends vaginal breech births.
I hope your baby turns, and wish you luck in whatever you choose.
External version isn’t really that painful, in my opinion. They gave me sublingual nitroglycerin both times (at 37 weeks and at 39 weeks) and I don’t remember it hurting so much as it being a strange experience. And it worked, so I was happy.
Give acupuncture a try, too. It definitely gets them moving around for some reason.
So I talked to my doctor this week and if the baby doesn’t turn she gave me too options: 1) do an external version at 39 weeks but if it works stay and get induced but if doesn’t go right to a c-section. The other option is wait until I go into labor on my own and hope the baby turns by then and if not, still have to get the c-section. I’m glad I at least get the option to wait and see if she will move on her own but not very excited that either way I could end up with a c-section. Most likely I will just wait cause I didn’t want to be induced either but until then I guess I’ll do everything possible to get this baby to move since her head under my ribs is not comfortable either!
Birth issues have to be a personal decision, so I don’t want to sound at all like I’m pressuring you to resist your doctors, but I’ve been really fascinated by this blog: birthwithoutfearblog.com. There are a bunch of stories of natural, vaginal breech births!
This page specifically has some info: Breech Babies Are Another Variation of Normal
This page has more specific statistics, including that most breech babies [name]WILL[/name] turn eventually: Breech Birth Statistics
Personally, if my baby is breech (too early now to tell), at minimum I will wait until I go into labor naturally. I would absolutely refuse an early c-section (unless there were some other serious medical reason), to give the baby as much time as possible to turn. (Some babies even turn once labor starts!) Not sure if then I would chose c-section or actually try to vaginally birth; would have to do a lot more research on risks, hubby would have to be educated and onboard, and would have to have a supportive dr/midwife.
Forgot to ask: if you do an external version, why would you have to get induced right away if it works? Are they afraid the baby will turn breech again if you don’t give birth immediately?
My third baby was breech at 34 weeks and a midwife friend showed me some simple yoga techniques to do and when my water broke at 36 1/2 weeks, he had already turned on his own. I was concerned about it because my first son was breech and I had a scheduled c-section but I’ve done VBAC ever since. I’ve also had friends do acupuncture.
My sister-in-law had a vaginal frank breech birth (bum first) with her eldest. They tried everything to turn baby but she wouldn’t budge! The hosptial initially wouldn’t allow a vaginal breech brith but there were a midwife and doctor that had experiance with it so they were told as long as they were on duty and the baby was frank breech when she went into labor they would allow it. When the time came she ended up with a whole room full of midwifes and students who had never seen a vaginal breech birth!
Vaginal breech birth it not something I would consider persoanlly but if you feel strongly about it and your hosptial allows it, it is an option.
Yep and because they give you something to relax your uterus. Same reason why if it didn’t work she would go straight to a c section. This is why she wouldn’t even do it until 39 weeks.
There aren’t too many choices or options where I live to try and find a doctor to deliver a breech baby. I’m just hoping she flips and have been trying to do stretches to allow more room for her to do that.
Ugh, I just found out yesterday that this baby is head-up, too. But I’m only at 32 weeks now, and measuring small. Not going to start worrying yet. [name]Hope[/name] I don’t have to eat my words about ECV not being too painful if we get to that point this time.
[name]Hi[/name] there,
My baby was breech however it wasn’t picked up until they did an internal exam the day before I was due to see how far dilated I was. I had been saying for weeks that the constant pushing under my left rib had to be her head but they kept telling me she was engaged and it must have been her bum.
Since I was so late in finding out and they estimated my babies size to be over about 3.5 kilo they didn’t recommend attempting to turn her by EV since there wasn’t much room by then. They gave me the option of vaginal breech birth or c section.
For me personally i didn’t feel comfortable giving birth vaginally to a breech baby as the stats of something going wrong were much higher than a scheduled C section and there was still a chance that I would have to have an emergency c section if something went wrong.
I went with the c section the next day and in the end I was glad I did because my baby came out a huge 4.1 kilo and the doctors told me that it would have been impossible for me to deliver her vaginally at that size.
Obviously every case is different and you should do what feels right for you. You are lucky to have found out early so you have time to think and research the different options available to you. The only thing I would say is that from what I’ve heard they normally like to do the EV at around 36/38 weeks as the baby is still small enough to be easily turned and there is usually more fluid.
Good luck with everything!