How close to giving birth...

[KentishMaid1977]

...was I when a consultant examined me and could see DD's foot?

She was a footling breech and I'd had an unsuccessful ECV on the Wednesday. Afterwards the midwife said that she could see regular peaks on the monitor and asked if I could feel contractions as she didn't want to let me go home if I was in labour. I couldn't feel anything, so went home.

The following day I started to feel a few twinges in the early evening, which started coming more regularly, but stayed mild. My waters broke at midnight, at which point DH and I hot-footed it to hospital.

The consultant needed to check I was actually in labour before carrying out the c-section and (sorry if TMI), inserted a speculum and had a look. I don't think I was meant to hear this, but he told his assistant that he could see a foot. I was then v. quickly prepared for theatre - so quickly that when I asked if they could wait until the cannula was inserted before putting on the surgical stockings I was told by the midwife there was "no time".

DD was delivered safe and sound, but I have wondered just how close I was to giving birth and how many centimetres dilated I was if a foot could be seen? Makes me shudder to think I might have given birth naturally to a footling breech if we'd left getting to hospital much later!

From what I understand you can get a foot through at v few cm dilated. It's not that you might have been imminently about to give birth but that there's a chance (13 or 14x greater with footling breech) that you could have a cord prolapse.

If part of the baby descends into the birth canal then I believe it's far harder to do a safe section.

Currently pg with my 2nd footling. First one successfully turned with ecv but I'm not sure I could face that again. So I might well be having a section this time!

How old is your baby? I'd like to say congratulations but if you then say she's 4 I'll look like a numpty!

Hello buttonmoon. Great name BTW!

Ahh, that does make sense re: cord prolapse. I had been told when my breech baby was detected that at the first sign of labour I should get to hospital asap, so I think I was a bit naughty to ignore the twinges, but I honestly thought they were nothing!

My daughter is 16 weeks old today. When is your baby due? Have you been given a reason as to why you've got another footling? I'm sure breech babies are much more common than the 3% I think I've read. Or it might just be that I take more interest in breech births/pregnancies because I've had one myself.

Hello Buttonmoon,

Have you tried hypnotherapy or moxibustion for turning your baby - if you want to, that is? (You may simply be more confident with c-section as I presume you had before...?) Anyway, both are totally non-intrusive, and without pain (unlike ECV). HypnoBirthers in your area will all have a fab script for turning your baby - it has @ 83% success rate. Sometimes it works first time, sometimes it takes more sessions. My first baby turned for me like that. Moxibustion is also very successful, but don't have any figures to-hand for that.

All the best.

Kentish that's recent enough to offer congratulations!

This one due 29/7, so 31wks. It's #4 and first two weren't breech, but last two have been. I've also had terrible spd with these last two so have been wearing a constrictive support belt which pulls your pelvis really tight so I think (and it's been corroborated by physio) that the belts don't help when positioning baby. As to why it's footling - I've no idea! Breech can run in families according to some sources, but I was full flexed breech. DH's family have all been head down goody two shoes

Calm I'm not sure what to do yet. I'm waiting to see what happens tbh. ECV was excruciating due to the spd which also rules out a lot of the postural turning exercises. Basically, anything which opens up my pelvis to help baby turn is a non starter for me. Last time the ecv worked but what I didn't know then is that it has a higher risk of malpositioned presentations. DS was back to back and again, I'm not sure I can face a repeat performance!

I also have to factor in that I have a back condition which was there, but only surfaced after delivery with ds. This was helped along by his back to back labour. So I'm really not sure I want to take the risk.

Basically, I'm spending all my time glued to the net, wringing my hands and trying to avoid any sort of decision at all!