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My baby is breech again. Starting to get a bit worried.

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well.

At my 28 week midwife appointment she said my baby was breech but I wasn't really too worried. Then I saw my doctor at 31+6 who was a bit cluelss but said he thinks baby is head down. I've just come back from midwife today and she says baby is definately breech. I'm now 33+4.

I'm sorry for posting another breech question on here but just wanted to know if anyone else has had a breech baby this late and if the baby turned in time.

I have another appointment in 2 weeks and if she is still breech the midwife said they'll scan me to make sure then discuss my options. She didn't say what my options were though. I really dont want them to try and turn her manually as it sounds so dangerous and i've heard some horror stories!

Thank you girls,

Amy

33 + 4 xxxxxx

Replies

  • My sisters baby was breech and they had the option to try and manually turn her or have a section, which she went for. My brother was breech and my mum chose to try and turn him manually, which worked but only lasted for 20 mins and he turned around again! But then he turned again before the birth. They don't know whether they will stay breech or not and after you reach a certain point will book you in for a section, which can always be cancelled if baby turns nonbreech. x
  • Thank you for your reply mummym.
    Your poor mum, having to go through having your brother turned only for him to turn back 20 mins later!!

    Do you know when they book you in for a section if baby is breech and at how many weeks when they actually perform it? xxx
  • I wouldn't worry yet - my mum said I was breech until 36 weeks and turned on my own, and my oh's mum said his brother was breech until 39 weeks and just turned on his own a few days before her planned caesarian.

    I've heard some bad things about having them turned manually...and I read that a section is a lot less risky than a natural breech birth so if my baby is breech I would go for the section. They tend to do elective sections at around 39 weeks, although someone who's had one can correct me if I'm wrong!

    I'm sure she will turn...have you tried going on all fours, walking or swimming? Thats supposed to help I think.
    Philippa, 24+1 x x x
  • Hello again, my sister went for a final consultation about 3 weeks before she was due and was booked in for a section 10 days before her due date, they didn't want to risk labour starting early. And walking is supposed to help but sometimes Im not sure what info is an old fishwives tale or not! x
  • Hi there,

    We went to mw couple of weeks ago and i was 34 weeks gone and she was breech but mw said she is not too worried as its early yet but after 36 weeks they will do a scan to see if the baby is still breech and if so they will then talk some other options so i was ok about that, and we went to see mw yesterday and madam is still breech so i have to go to hostpail tommorw at 2 for a scan to see if she is breech if so then they will talk some option for me as i am now 36 weeks + 1 day so am not looking forward to it but as long the baby gets delieved healthly am not too bothered!!

    Am due on 4th of feb but then again maybe end of this month eh?? i will let u all know tommorw after my appointment

    Feb baby try not to worry too much as its early days yet only start to worry after 36 weeks like i am now!! but then again am not too worried about it as its gives me a chance to meet the baby early eh? lol try not to worry too much

    Cheriste xxxxxxxxxx
  • I will happily share my breech experience with you. I am now 2 days overdue and waiting ...

    My baby was breech for ages, until I went for a routine appointment at 34 weeks, and a basic scan showed that the baby had turned head down, and was 1/5 engaged into my pelvis. I was chuffed to bits. But by my 35 week routine appointment, the baby had turned all the way round again, and was breech. I tried everything to get it to turn - homeopathic remedies, crawling on all fours etc!

    I was referred to the hospital for a scan by a sonographer, who confirmed that the baby was still breech. I then saw a doctor, who talked me through my options, which were:

    1. To be booked in for a c-section at 38 weeks; or
    2. To have a procedure called an ECV, which is a manual attempt to turn the baby in hospital; or
    3. To vaginally deliver the breech baby. However, this was never an option for me, as my local NHS Trust will as a matter of policy, not attempt to vaginally deliver a breech baby, due to the risks involved.

    So my choices were 1 or 2. I was really keen to be in a position where I could at least attempt a vaginal delivery, so I opted to have the ECV.

    I was booked in to have the ECV at the labour ward at hospital at 37 weeks. However this was cancelled, as there were no beds/staff. I was re-booked to have it at 38 weeks, which fell on Christmas Eve.

    I called an hour before my slot to check that there was still a bed, and there was, so in we went. The baby's heartbeat and movements were monitored until the actual procedure was done. You need to be monitored for 20 minutes before the procedure, but as the consultant who would be doing the procedure was so in demand, I was monitored for 3 hours before he was available. I had a square sticker on my uterus, wihch was a muscle relaxant, and that needed to be in place for 30 minutes before the procedure.

    The procedure itself was not pleasant. I won't pretend that it didn't hurt. It did, but it was pain I could cope with. I have since heard that some women request gas and air for the procedure, which I didn't know could be made available for itk so if this is something you want, then do ask for it! It really would help, I think. I almost broke my OH's fingers, I was squeezing so much. The actual procedure only took about 5 minutes, and the consultant moved the baby in four separate movements round so that it was head down. The baby's heartbeat and movements were then monitored for an hour before I was allowed to leave.

    Four days afterwards, I went to my ante natal clinic for a scan, and that confirmed that the baby had stayed head down, but it wasn't engaged. When I went the following week for my routine weekly appointment, the baby was still head down, and it was 1/5 into my pelvis.

    Hurrah! I hope it has stayed that way...

    Good luck with your decisions.
  • Oh Rhian2,

    Thank you so much for your reply!

    I'm so pleased that your baby has stayed head down and 1/5 engaged!!

    Its great to hear you had a sucessful ECV but it still sounds awful!! You did really well, you must have been in there nearly all day.

    So now I guess its just the waiting game for you! Do you think you are close? Is this your first?

    They sound like they are very good about monitoring the baby. Is it true that they do it in the theatre place incase something goes wrong and you need an emergency c-section?

    I'm not sure where I stand with my hospital with a breech birth but that sounds pretty horrific! I'm such a wimp when it comes to normal births, let alone a breech one!! Although i'm petrified about a c-section I think i'd rather have that than attempt a vaginal breech birth.

    Oh there is so much to think about!!

    I have started doing the excercises where you get on all fours and lift up your hips! I actually found it quite comfortable as it took all pressure off me! I don't think its done anything yet though. Did you feel anything much when your baby turned around?

    Oh and do you know what you're having??!

    Amy xxxxxxxx
  • Hiya Amy,

    The consultant (and it would have been a consultant or a registrar doing the procedure for me, never a midwife), did the ECV in a private room. But the reason they did it in the labour/delivery suite area of the hospital is so that if your waters break, or there are problems with the placenta or the baby is in distress afterwards, they can whisk you into theatre for an emergency c-section. I took my hospital bag with me, just in case! I was also not to eat or drink anything for 9 hours before I arrived at the hospital. The risks (and they are fairly low, in my opinion) of that happening were all explained to me beforehand. And the consultant stressed that if I changed my mind about having the ECV at any time, he would just stop, and that would be that. I really felt it was, on balance, worth giving it a go, as I would give a lot to avoid a c-section! I just want to do all I can to avoid being restricted in my movement and ability after the birth.

    I didn't feel the baby turn when it went down naturally at 35 weeks, and I didn't feel it naturally turn back either. That said, my baby has always been very, very active, and kicks and shifts all the time (even now!), so I'm not surprised by that.

    When the baby was turned during the ECV, all I felt was the manipulation and the consultant's hands. It is a strange procedure - it doesn't feel at all medical/scientific, just manual. It is quite old-fashioned and traditonal, if you think about it! If you really do want to avoid a c-section, I would recommend the ECV. As I said, for me, it was painful, but it worked, and so I felt that I got what I went for. Other people say that for them, it was simply uncomfortable. I think it may depend on the size of your baby - when I had the scan with the sonographer, it indicated that the baby was 6 and a half pounds (and that was at 36 weeks), and that my liquor level (the amount of fluid surrounding the baby) was normal. And I'm glad I tried it. Apparently, the best time to have it is at 37 weeks, and if you can get a pain relief option other than the muscle relaxant patch which I had, I would definitely go for that.

    Yes, this is my first, and I don't know what I'm having. Being 2 days overdue is not too bad - I am getting things done round the house, and feel that the baby will just come whenever it is ready. I have a feeling that it is a girl, but I don't have anything to base that on. Everything we have is neutral in colour, and we will be delighted if the baby is healthy, that's all we want.

    I hope your baby turns naturally, but if it doesn't, there are options. Good luck!
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