Breech Baby and External Version

I am living proof that a baby can be born breach and do OK, but it's much more complicated of a delivery which is why most OB's won't take the risk anymore - part of why OB has one of the highest malpractice rates in medicine.

All I can say is not to be too concerned. Our daughter was breach until around that time frame and flipped on her own. I delivered on my due date. I was also concerned about having a c-section only because it's invasive surgery (even though it's much more routine these days).

Trust your OB and your midwife - they only have your best interests in mind, and hopefully that little baby will find a way to get themselves settled into the right position soon.

They tried it with my 1st one and it didn't work. They couldn't get her turned around and I went through all of it for nothing and ended up with a C-section anyway. BUT, they waited until I was 38 weeks to do it, so she was already pretty "set".
I wish you the best, regardless of what happens. Either way, you'll be holding your precious new baby soon and that's what matters. :)

Hey! My second baby was breech and my doc turned her around 37 weeks. We did it in the hospital and she used an ultrasound so they could make sure of the position and to make sure the cord wasn't getting wrapped around her. It took about 1 minute and was not too uncomfortable! I had asked about having it done and almost everyone told me to just get a csection but I am soooo glad I didn't! Good luck and I'll pray that everthing goes smoothly!

http://spinningbabies.com/
My daughter kept going sideways and at one time breech. In the end she went head down and was born vaginally, uncomplicated and unmedicated at the birth center. I used the above page to help me coax her where she needed to be. For several weeks she'd turn the right way then flip a couple days later again. There is still hope.

Would you consider acupucture? I know women who have had success turning their breech baby with acupucture/moxibustion. I think that it is a good option, because it is not forcing your baby to turn into a position, it is stimulating it to turn on it's own if it can. It is an easy option to try before going in for the version with the OB, but I think that most OBs want to do the version at 37wks.

Hi K.,

Will your midwife deliver a breech baby? Not sure where the concern is. Many times a breech will turn in labor on it's own or with a mother's pressure inbetween contractions and then holding baby in place during the contraction. There are many midwives who have a ton of experience delivering breech babies vaginally with no problems at all. I was expecting twins and baby b was breech and many of the moms I spoke to said delivering breech babies was easier than delivering a baby head first. This took away a lot of my fear and concerns and in the end, my baby did flip head down so it didn't matter. If you would like a referral to highly experienced midwives in breech delivery, let me know. They will spend as much time as you need with them and the consult is free! It doesn't hurt to check them out and see what they say after doing an exam.

I am a student midwife with independant midwives. I have attended 47 births and 21 of them were breech before labor, of those, 15 turned during labor and came out head first, 6 of were born feet first with a normal vaginal birth, only one was born by Csection and there were other reasons besides the baby's position. Read about normal vaginal breech birth, read about turning babies. If your baby turned so easily for your midwife, chances are your baby will turn sometime before your labor or during. I encourage you to do your own research in addition to what your doctors tell you.

I had it done with our daughter around 37 weeks. She was born at 39 weeks via normal drug free labor/delivery. She turned pretty easily (less than 2 minutes of manipulating) and stayed that way. She was 7 lbs 6 oz at birth two weeks later.

No problems. So very glad we had it done and had a wonderful outcome.
Ours was done in the hospital, just in case. But everything went perfectly, and after a couple of hours of monitoring afterwards (and a nice fruit salad dinner from the cafeteria) we we released to go home. Total hospital time... about 3 hours.

Oh wow..that is MY story....so many years ago! My 11 year old was in the exact same position and we tried the version with my midwife present(the md performed it) with the Ultrasound. His heart rate dropped each time they tried and determined it was not to be. I did have to have a scheduled c-section which was disappointing at the time but it was what it was. My first birth had been natural with the midwifes, he was a c-section and number 3 was a V-bac. Turned out his cord was wrapped a couple times around his neck which is why his heart rate dropped and the version didn't work..he was a big boy too and I guess there just wasn't the room!! It will all be perfect..good luck to you!!

I had a friend who kept trying to get the baby to turn, and eventually they had to do a c-section, which was good, because the cord was wrapped around her neck. I personally, would wait and not let them deliver early if possible, but a c-section, while sucky when what you want is a vaginal birth, is fairly safe these days.

K.
Did you write in about this before? I sent the person who did the Pomo Indian remedy of changing sides of the bed with your husband. If you sleep alone sleep where your feet were and place your head there.
This is a successful method I have given to my clients for over 35 years. It works.
I have a few things to say beyond that. Doctors used to know how to deliver footling, breech, and twin babies. Today all they learn in medical school is how to cut. We have 35 percent of women delivering as if there is a zipper up their middle. How did all these millions of people get born into the world when there were no C sections when it was a desperate measure.
Medical doctors are technologists nor holy men and women. They no longer apprenctice with learned older doctors who know all the methods to bring a baby out.
Don't believe people did not know what to do before medical men presented themselves as gods.
You all need homeopaths, naturopaths, acupuncturists, chiropracters midwives and so on your medical team.
L.-Maggie

H iKristi,
I had a version done at the hospital and was given terbutaline. It was a very quick procedure and I experienced only slight discomfort. The terbutaline does make you feel like you've had several cups of strong coffee, but it's not too bad. My outcome was good, vaginal delivery, no complications! Good luck.

Craniosacral therapy helped me to not only get my 3rd child out of a transverse position, but also alleviated all the pain I was having and made it so that my insides encouraged her to be in a good position. I recommend it to all moms!

I had a version at 36 + a few and an easy, peasy wonderful vaginal delivery a week later. I am so happy I did it.
I had my done by an OB, because my midwife couldn't do it for insurance reasons, I was not given any drugs though.

Good luck!

http://pregnancychildbirth.suite101.com/article.cfm/turni...

Some of these just seem silly, but others make a lot of sense. A lot of people have had great success with turning their own baby. Try a combination of these before you go and see if you can avoid the risk.

Spend 15-20 minutes a day with your pelvis elevated in a tilt position, put an ice pack on the top of your belly, and music/headphones on the bottom of your uterus, massage clockwise, and meditate/envision the baby turning.

I am alittle worried hat your midwife referred you to have him turned when he still has time to turn on his own. I would wait. a week or two more if I were you. Use your mom judgement here.

I don't mean to scare you here but I want to share my experiance (thats what this place if for, right? :)).
My daughter was head down through week 35, then all of a sudden (we saw it happen but didnt know what it was really) she flipped over, complete breech! When we went in for a check up at 36 weeks the doctor told us what happened. He said that the most comfortable and safe position for baby was head down. The fact that she turned around made him believe that there was a reason (something wasnt right head down). He recommended that we did not do a version for this reason. We didnt and when she was born via C-section there was a knot in her cord! we believe that she did what she did to keep herself safe. Could be hocus pocus but thats what we believe. With your situation, the fact that baby turned back breech again makes me want to warn you that there is a reason for it and you should let nature take its course. I would rather have a scheduled C-section and know that baby is alright than do a version and end up with an emergancy c-section. Blessings to you and you soon coming arrival! :)

Updated

I don't mean to scare you here but I want to share my experiance (thats what this place if for, right? :)).
My daughter was head down through week 35, then all of a sudden (we saw it happen but didnt know what it was really) she flipped over, complete breech! When we went in for a check up at 36 weeks the doctor told us what happened. He said that the most comfortable and safe position for baby was head down. The fact that she turned around made him believe that there was a reason (something wasnt right head down). He recommended that we did not do a version for this reason. We didnt and when she was born via C-section there was a knot in her cord! we believe that she did what she did to keep herself safe. Could be hocus pocus but thats what we believe. With your situation, the fact that baby turned back breech again makes me want to warn you that there is a reason for it and you should let nature take its course. I would rather have a scheduled C-section and know that baby is alright than do a version and end up with an emergancy c-section. Blessings to you and you soon coming arrival! :)

Hi K.,

My daughter did the opposite. She was head down until the day my water broke and somwhere in the night, she had turned - breech!! We didn't know it until my labor was progressing and the doctor checked and then did an ultrasound to confirm it. This was all after delivering 2 boys naturally. I did end up having a c-section and although I was quite sore for a good month, it wasn't terrible. Good luck to you and enjoy that new baby - they grow up way too fast!

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