If your baby is/was extended/frank breech ...

[piccalily]

what does/did it feel like? I have an inkling my ds is frank breech. I have a scan booked for Thursday so will know for definite then but I'm just curious about other peoples experiences of this. Thanks x

[RuthChan]

My DS was frank breech.
It didn't feel any different on the inside from when he was complete breech (which he also was later) or from my DD who was standard position.
The only thing I was aware of was that I could feel his head just below my ribs. It was hard and round and I could feel it with my hands from the outside.

[piccalily]

thanks RuthChan for your reply.

Did your ds move his head literally from side to side of your bump across your belly button?

I'm so confused. I think ds head is on the left (because it is hard and round like you said), I have legs/feet on the right and sometimes the odd kick/punch really low down.

[Tangle]

DD1 was breech. She used to move her head around allover the shop - the most bizarre was when she pushed it out... She was frank breech from 28 weeks through to about 41 weeks. Something then changed so had another scan at 41+2, which showed her as full breech. Went into labour that evening and she was born as a breech baby at home with IMs in the early hours of the morning.

One of our IMs said the way she looks for a breech baby (in which she has a LOT of experience) was whether the suspected head was "ballotable" - ie able to swing freely like the basket of a hot air balloon. To test put your hands flat on your tummy, one either side of the suspected head. Push down (gently) on alternate sides. If the baby is breech then the motion should be restricted to the head. If the baby is cephalic then the 'swing' should be visible all down the baby's body.

[RuthChan]

I was never aware of DS's head moving from side to side. I never tried to move it myself.
I know he moved a bit between scans because the doctors kept finding him in different positions, but I wasn't aware of it myself.
He had started breech as they all do, turned head down for a bit and then went breech again.
He had been frank breech and was then born complete breech. He came out feet first in the foetal position.