If you had a breech baby in late pregnancy?

[Blue Moon]

Did you do anything to try to turn the baby on your own? Did it work? Or did your baby just turn on his/her own?

I'm so torn. I'm 34 weeks now, and my baby has been breech for the last month or so. My dr. said today there's about a 50% chance she will turn on her own in the next several weeks. They will check again in 2 weeks. If she is still breech, they gave me my options to discuss with MH.

#1) have a version done at the hospital. This is where a dr. manually tries to turn the baby from the outside, while extensively monitoring the baby the entire time. If the baby goes into distress at all, I'd need to deliver via c section right away. My dr. says he's never seen this actually happen. The procedure works about 75% of the time, but some babies might naturally flip back to breech anyway. There's no guarantee.

#2) schedule a c section for 39 weeks.

I know this is a decision only MH and I can make. I really, really don't want a csection and am struggling with this a lot. Does anyone have any experience with the version procedure?

[Deleted]

I think catbus had a version.

Option#3 is that you seek out a provider that will deliver breech vaginally. AmyRI did this (by accident).

[lilac05]

I don't have personal experience, so take this with a very large grain of salt...I have seen people recommend spinning babies dot com. Check it out for yourself & see if it might help/interest you.

[kdubs923]

Throughout my pregnancy, DS kept flipping. One appointment he was breech, then head down, then back again. When we got towards the end (37 weeks) he was back to breech so I did a few things that were suggested on spinning babies, I hung out upside down, swam, put cold things where his head was to move him away, etc. This worked and he flipped to head down.

Then he flipped back to breech by my next appointment. So then we went with the ECV. Didn't work for me, but I'm glad I tried. I think I would have looked back and wondered if it would have worked. Ultimately, I had a scheduled csection at 39w2d. I definitely had a preference for a vaginal birth and was disappointed to have to schedule a csection. I showed up to my section hoping the ultrasound would show he had flipped again, but he did not. The c-section turned out to not be a big deal and I had an easy recovery. That said, I do hope to have a vbac in the future.

Things you can try - spinning babies, webster chiropracter (AmyRI had success with this), or find a doctor who will deliver breech. Good luck!

ETA: My OB felt that I had good odds for a successful ECV. Because he had flipped within that week, it would seem both his size and my fluid levels would allow him to easily flip back again.

[tealblue]

I had a similar experience with my c/s as kdub did. DS was always breech and never turned. My OB and his partner did not recommend an ecv for me so I did not pursue it. I should have looked more for a chiro certified in Webster but I was stressed about adding more dr appts to my busy work schedule.

I was so sad to have a c/s before it happened. I had a great c/s recovery and have no complaints. I'm actually torn whether to attempt a vbac or a scheduled c/s just because I've already had a great c/s recovery.

[rbp]

Is a chiropractor an option? My NP gave me a referral to a chiropractor when my baby was breech, but he ended up turning on his own by 34 weeks.

[AmyRI]

This board is, in general, anti-version. I've read a lot on here about the huge risks of versions and no discussion on the risks of c-sections. So I encourage you to do your homework on all of the options and ask your provider a lot of questions and get real statistics when possible. 75% success rate is really high! And with no major complications, it sounds like your OB is well-trained in the procedure, which reduces risks considerably.

There are 2 other options your doctor is not giving you - Go into labor on your own, then have a c-section, or attempt a vaginal breech birth if the baby is frank breech.

Look at the exercises on spinningbabies.com. You'd have to know what her current position is to pick the best positions, though. Did they tell you more than just "breech?"

My DD was transverse at 32 weeks. I saw a Webster certified chiropractor and after my 2nd adjustment, she flipped to vertex during my 33rd week. She stayed that way until 40w5d, when she flipped to frank breech. (I did not know this at the time. She was vertex at my 40w appt, I felt what I thought was the start of labor at 40w5d, didn't go into labor until 40w6d and she was frank breech when I was checked at 7cm. In hindsight, the movements and pain was like her moving at 33 weeks, not like my labor had been with DS.)
Find a Webster certified chiro here: icpa4kids.org/Find-a-Chiropractor/

I've heard of several people having luck with accupuncture and moxibustion.

The midwife that was supposed to deliver my DD was not trained in breech births and cannot do c/s, so my care was transferred to the on-call OB. He, thankfully, was trained in breech births. Some women are good candidates to attempt a vaginal breech birth, and others are not, so this is a conversation to have with an OB that actually IS trained. I was an excellent candidate. DH and I decided together to attempt the vaginal birth. It went off without a hitch - DD had no issues, I pushed for 7 minutes and delivered a perfectly healthy 9# baby with only a tear over my tear from DS. While it is not the right choice for everyone, I would make the same decision again in a heartbeat, and I'd encourage you to look into it as one of your options.

re: c-section: if I were to choose the c-section, I would try to wait until labor started before having it. First, to make sure baby is good and ready to come, and second, to give baby every opportunity to flip head down. I've heard a couple stories of babies flipping during labor, so I'd still hold out hope for that. (I've read a lot of stories about breech births, though, so perhaps my view of how often this happens is skewed.)

[ladygrey]

I found out at my 38 week appointment that DD was breech. I didn't feel comfortable attempting a version right away, so I spent a week trying to get her to flip back using Spinning Babies techniques at home. At my next appointment, she still hadn't flipped so I scheduled a c/s for just shy of 40 weeks. I had a great experience and easy recovery - no regrets here. My OB commented after the c/s that DD was wedged far down in my pelvis and would not have flipped during a version.

However, catbus had a successful version and AmyRI delivered breech, so there are good outcomes for other scenarios too.

[carolinagirl831]

It was not discovered that DD was breech until I was 41 weeks, 2 days at that point Drs were not recommending a version as the chances were less than 5% with a 41 weeker. I had a c section the next day.

I would be willing to try things like spinning babies, but I honestly don't know if I would try a version. Most things I read are unfavorable and the pain is very intense. However, Catbus had a good experience with it, so I'd talk to her about it.

It sounds like AmyRI had a great breech birth experience. But speak with your DR because many are not willing or not trained to deliver breech and won't risk it. 

I honestly would not wait until labor starts and see what happens if a csection is more than likely. C section recovering is so much easier without having gone through labor first.  Many times breech babies end up that way for a reason due to your bodies anatomy. 

[kermit]

I did exercises from spinningbabies and went to a chiropractor. She did flip head down around 35 weeks but I ended up with a CS anyway for other reasons. I had decided against a version.

[tealblue]

Oh yes, my water broke before my scheduled c/s, DS was still breech so we went with the c/s. I felt like my body was ready for birth then and helped my recovery.

[Velar Fricative]

DD was breech until about 35 weeks. She turned sometime before my 36-week appointment and stayed head-down until my induction at 41w3d. I did not do anything to help flip her.

Both my OB and doula told me not to worry even at 35 weeks - they both advised me not to think about options until 37 weeks, and even after that babies still flip around so you really don't know what you're going to get!

I read about the ECV but decided against it; I would have scheduled a c-section if she was still breech after 37 weeks even though like you, I was really scared about getting a c-section. Ultimately, I did have a vaginal birth.

This is one of many things that you shouldn't worry about until you have to, even though it's easier said than done!

[kdubs923]

Jul 24, 2014 12:43:00 GMT -5 AmyRI said:

This board is, in general, anti-version. I've read a lot on here about the huge risks of versions and no discussion on the risks of c-sections. So I encourage you to do your homework on all of the options and ask your provider a lot of questions and get real statistics when possible. 75% success rate is really high! And with no major complications, it sounds like your OB is well-trained in the procedure, which reduces risks considerably.

Is it? I must have missed that discussion! Whatever... Let them judge me. Even though it didn't work, I'm glad I tried.

::Insert no regret chicken gif here:::

[AmyRI]

I'll add that the chiropractor I saw hated when women waited until 36+ weeks to seek him out. The Webster technique makes sure that your pelvis is all in alignment, and it often takes more than one adjustment a few days apart to get everything corrected and give baby room to flip. He preferred to see women at 34 weeks to get a jump on it, since if you wait until 38 weeks, there's less room for baby to flip and less time before the usual 39w deadline.

I agree with not stressing yourself about this too much yet, as baby can flip at any point. Just consider being proactive with chiropractic treatment if it interests you.

[nonsenseabound]

I did moxibustion. They basically burn little cones on your pinky toes. It cost me a whopping $10 for the lesson and a week's worth of cones. My DS was completely breech when we started. He started to turn on his own and broke his water about 4/5 days after I started moxibustion. I ended up with a Csection since he was transverse breech. But I would definitely try moxibustion again.

[MamaMaui24]

If baby is not under stress, you could still deliver vaginally but same day.

My friend had a successful version (baby flipped), was not under stress, but it did break her water. She was induced and delivered vaginally.

[AmyRI]

Jul 24, 2014 13:00:41 GMT -5 kdubs923 said:

Jul 24, 2014 12:43:00 GMT -5 AmyRI said:

This board is, in general, anti-version. I've read a lot on here about the huge risks of versions and no discussion on the risks of c-sections. So I encourage you to do your homework on all of the options and ask your provider a lot of questions and get real statistics when possible. 75% success rate is really high! And with no major complications, it sounds like your OB is well-trained in the procedure, which reduces risks considerably.

Is it? I must have missed that discussion! Whatever... Let them judge me. Even though it didn't work, I'm glad I tried.

::Insert no regret chicken gif here:::

I would have tried, too! I was hoping I'd be given the option even though I was in active labor, but then the OB arrived and was all, "You've got a great pelvis. Vaginal birth is a low risk option for you." So I just KOKO and had a baby an hour later, lol.

And I hope you (and OP and everyone else) knows I don't think vaginal breech births are for everyone in every circumstance and there's nothing wrong with a c-section for a breech baby. I just like to add in my two cents since it's often not even discussed as an option.

[Deleted]

Jul 24, 2014 13:02:29 GMT -5 AmyRI said:

I'll add that the chiropractor I saw hated when women waited until 36+ weeks to seek him out. The Webster technique makes sure that your pelvis is all in alignment, and it often takes more than one adjustment a few days apart to get everything corrected and give baby room to flip. He preferred to see women at 34 weeks to get a jump on it, since if you wait until 38 weeks, there's less room for baby to flip and less time before the usual 39w deadline.

I agree with not stressing yourself about this too much yet, as baby can flip at any point. Just consider being proactive with chiropractic treatment if it interests you.

The only problem with this, in my case, is how can I tell my baby is breech or not? Can the chiropractor tell if I don't know? I haven't had an U/S since 20w and won't have one until 36w (currently 34w). From the link, there is a chiropractor who is certified in the Webster technique like .5 mi from my office and I'd be happy to seek her out as a precaution but already see a non-Webster chiropractor regularly too and don't want to spend a whole lot of $$$ unnecessarily.

[mrslisa]

DD1 was breech from about 30 weeks on and never flipped. There was a doctor at the hospital who did breech vaginal births but I chickened out and went with a c/s. I had a very easy recovery and was happy with my choice. With DS I was given the option of a VBAC but he was also breech so I had another c/s. DD2 and DD3 also ended up breech. During my c/s with DD3 she was so high up and the cord was around her neck three times that they had to vacuum her out during the c/s. My c/s with DD3 was harder but I didn't have a choice.

[jena]

I had Webster done with my 2nd and it worked. I was having a vbac and was not a candidate for an external version. I could feel the baby turn and my belly looked like an alien was going to pop out when he turned. But the adjustment itself didn't hurt or anything, and was worth it to me.

My chiro is not listed on that Webster site posted earlier. He told me that basically you pay for the training, but then you have to pay yearly to keep your name on the site. He didn't do that, but he had the certification. So it might be worth asking your current chiro if he is certified.

[h]

My baby was breech at 35.5 weeks and flipped on his own by 37 weeks. I did nothing to get him to flip besides silently willing him to do so, hanging upside down off my bed for a few minutes a day, and bitching about it on here. I thought about acupuncture but never got around to it.

Had he not flipped, my plan was to schedule a c-section for as late as my OB would go for under the circumstances (probably right at 40 weeks) and hope the baby turned at the 11th hour. My OB would have done an ultrasound right before the c-section to check. Had I gone into labor before a scheduled c-section with a breech baby, I would have headed straight to the hospital.

[AmyRI]

Jul 24, 2014 13:18:57 GMT -5 @mrsspunky said:

Jul 24, 2014 13:02:29 GMT -5 AmyRI said:

I'll add that the chiropractor I saw hated when women waited until 36+ weeks to seek him out. The Webster technique makes sure that your pelvis is all in alignment, and it often takes more than one adjustment a few days apart to get everything corrected and give baby room to flip. He preferred to see women at 34 weeks to get a jump on it, since if you wait until 38 weeks, there's less room for baby to flip and less time before the usual 39w deadline.

I agree with not stressing yourself about this too much yet, as baby can flip at any point. Just consider being proactive with chiropractic treatment if it interests you.

The only problem with this, in my case, is how can I tell my baby is breech or not? Can the chiropractor tell if I don't know? I haven't had an U/S since 20w and won't have one until 36w (currently 34w). From the link, there is a chiropractor who is certified in the Webster technique like .5 mi from my office and I'd be happy to seek her out as a precaution but already see a non-Webster chiropractor regularly too and don't want to spend a whole lot of $$$ unnecessarily.

Your OB/MW should be able to tell you by palpating your belly and/or by a cervical check. At my 32 week appointment, it was easy to feel the head on one side and the bum on the other side of my belly. We discovered she was breech when I was in labor when the midwife checked me and felt a squishy bum instead of a hard skull. Ultrasounds are usually just used to confirm what the doctor already suspects or gathering more specific information if you're trying to make a decision on a vaginal breech birth. (It was obvious that DD was coming out bum first, but what was not known without an ultrasound is if she had her chin tucked down and her hands out of the way of her head. Getting a better look and knowing that she was in the optimal position reduced risk associated with the vaginal birth.)

[h]

Jul 24, 2014 13:00:41 GMT -5 kdubs923 said:

Jul 24, 2014 12:43:00 GMT -5 AmyRI said:

This board is, in general, anti-version. I've read a lot on here about the huge risks of versions and no discussion on the risks of c-sections. So I encourage you to do your homework on all of the options and ask your provider a lot of questions and get real statistics when possible. 75% success rate is really high! And with no major complications, it sounds like your OB is well-trained in the procedure, which reduces risks considerably.

Is it? I must have missed that discussion! Whatever... Let them judge me. Even though it didn't work, I'm glad I tried.

::Insert no regret chicken gif here:::

My biggest issue with the version was the my OB wanted to induce immediately after if it was successful, and I wasn't comfortable with signing on to have a baby at 36/37 weeks if not medically necessary. I would have sought out someone who didn't have that policy re: versions, but I was 36 weeks pregnant and otherwise loved my OB. I am not opposed to versions generally.

[Blue Moon]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. My baby is completely breech right now- not frank breech. I go to a large OB group and they will not deliver breech babies vaginally for a first time mother. I'm not comfortable switching OB practices at this point. They are very supportive of VBAC though, so I was glad to hear that.

I've never been to a chiropractor, but I've contacted a few to see if they could help me. (Thanks for the link AmyRI.).

I'm mostly scared for a csection because I had a rough recovery from a lap surgery a little less than a year ago. I was allergic to something they used to close my incisions and before we could figure that out it spiraled into a mess. My H isn't able to take a lot of time off work, so I'm concerned about managing on my own too.

[Blue Moon]

Jul 24, 2014 13:18:57 GMT -5 @mrsspunky said:

Jul 24, 2014 13:02:29 GMT -5 AmyRI said:

I'll add that the chiropractor I saw hated when women waited until 36+ weeks to seek him out. The Webster technique makes sure that your pelvis is all in alignment, and it often takes more than one adjustment a few days apart to get everything corrected and give baby room to flip. He preferred to see women at 34 weeks to get a jump on it, since if you wait until 38 weeks, there's less room for baby to flip and less time before the usual 39w deadline.

I agree with not stressing yourself about this too much yet, as baby can flip at any point. Just consider being proactive with chiropractic treatment if it interests you.

The only problem with this, in my case, is how can I tell my baby is breech or not? Can the chiropractor tell if I don't know? I haven't had an U/S since 20w and won't have one until 36w (currently 34w). From the link, there is a chiropractor who is certified in the Webster technique like .5 mi from my office and I'd be happy to seek her out as a precaution but already see a non-Webster chiropractor regularly too and don't want to spend a whole lot of $$$ unnecessarily.

My doctor has been manually pushing on my stomach since 28 weeks to feel baby's position.  She was head down at 28 weeks, but breech at 32 and 34.  Today he felt the head at the top left of my ute and had me put my fingers on either side so I could feel it myself.  He said sometimes heads can be mistaken for bums, so he did a quickie u/s to confirm it was the head.  

[Deleted]

Jul 24, 2014 13:41:32 GMT -5 Blue Moon said:

Jul 24, 2014 13:18:57 GMT -5 @mrsspunky said:

The only problem with this, in my case, is how can I tell my baby is breech or not? Can the chiropractor tell if I don't know? I haven't had an U/S since 20w and won't have one until 36w (currently 34w). From the link, there is a chiropractor who is certified in the Webster technique like .5 mi from my office and I'd be happy to seek her out as a precaution but already see a non-Webster chiropractor regularly too and don't want to spend a whole lot of $$$ unnecessarily.

My doctor has been manually pushing on my stomach since 28 weeks to feel baby's position.  She was head down at 28 weeks, but breech at 32 and 34.  Today he felt the head at the top left of my ute and had me put my fingers on either side so I could feel it myself.  He said sometimes heads can be mistaken for bums, so he did a quickie u/s to confirm it was the head.  

My exams have not been that thorough. Yesterday, the doctor (who is not my regular OB, admittedly) didn't even measure my fundal height. The nurse weighed me, took my BP and left, then when the doctor came in, she listened to the heartbeat and that was it.

[minzy]

DD2 was breech from at least 32 weeks on.  I did try to get her to flip with some of the common things, like cold peas, being upside down off the couch, swimming, etc.  No go.  I discussed an ECV with the only practitioner of my group that did them, and he had never had an issue with needing to get the baby out immediately.  I found it interesting that when his wife (also an ob) was pregnant and their baby was breech, she went with the c-section.  I decided against even trying the ECV in large part because DD always measured a week ahead of where I thought her to be based on charting (which I was pretty anal about).  So based on when they would schedule me for the ECV, if, for whatever reason, she had to come out immediately, she would have been 37.5 weeks by their count, but only 36.5 weeks by mine.  Despite the low likelihood of that, I wanted the extra time for lung development, etc., should it have been an issue, so I took what I felt was the more certain thing with the c-section at 39 weeks, 4 days (38 weeks 4 days by my count).  

Although I definitely understand the benefits of a vaginal birth (#1 was), I was not wedded to the idea and have had no disappointment about it.  The c-section was actually very easy all around (in fact, as they wheeled me out of the OR, I joked with the anesthesiologist that being sliced open was almost enjoyable).  My recovery was a bit quicker than with my vaginal birth.  Other factors at the time for me: 1) she is our second and likely last child, so I was not as concerned re. a VBAC as I might have been if she were my first and 2) I'm not going to lie, scheduling issues with my husband's work travel and in-laws watching the older child made a scheduled birth pretty desirable. 

Good luck!  I know it's a little nerve wracking when you're in those final few weeks.

[shellbear09]

My dd was breech at 32w and then turned by 35w. My ob said that was normal and to wait until 36 weeks to even worry about it. I didn't do anything to turn.
I would not have wanted to schedule a c/s at 39w unless there were other reasons to do so.

[mellimel19]

Discovered DD was frank breech at 35 weeks, but she had been in that position for at least a month before that. I wasn't comfortable with the risks involved with ECV, so I went to a webster certified chiropractor and also tried acupuncture/moxibustion. None of that worked for me, so I had a scheduled c-section, and have no regrets. Baby was born healthy and I had an easy recovery.

[chickens987]

I did some spinning babies exercises and Webster starting at 35 weeks. Nothing worked, but my ob let me have my csection at 40w1d. I felt like 39 weeks was too early, I wanted to go to 40 to give her as much time as possible to turn. She never did.