undiagnosed breech

[hauntyharry]

Did anyone out there have an undiagnosed breech? I had our baby 4 weeks and a day ago. This was my first baby and could be the last one too! ( I do have a beautiful step-daughter who is almost 11) I went into labour around 5pm and stayed at home for a while as I didn't believe i was in labour. It wasn't like what the midwives said it would be like! We went to my mums around 9pm as my parents live across the street from the hospital so it made sense. I went into hospital around 1:30am. I had an internal exam and was sent to delivery without them realising she was breech. I got to go in the birthing pool which is what I really wanted. The midwife did another internal and still didn't realise the baby was breech. My contractions got stronger and stronger and I was beginning to think something wasn't right but as I had never been in labour before I thought it was just me not coping. I couldn't figure out how to use the G and A so abandoned that early on, although my other half liked it! Then our midwife said she had to go get the senior midwife as she thought the baby had done a poo. That really confused me, but to cut a long story story short I was practically dragged out the water and put in a bed and then told that she was breech and I had to get her out as quickly as I could. She was born about 10 mins later at 4:15am and they had to get her breathing as she didn't start on her own. I did the whole birth with no pain killers only to have the placenta get stuck and I had to have a spinal to get that out manually. I am not exactly sure what that meant but I am in no rush to find out.
I was just wondering how common it is to have an undiagosed breech as my sister's manager also had one 3 weeks before me, but they discovered hers as soon as she went to hosp and she had an emergency c-section.

Karen

wow... They can usually feel a breech baby during midwife palpation. I'm sorry about your experience but you have a lovely baby out of it :)

If you feel the need to speak to the hosp about your birth there's usually a birth afterthoughts service...
xx

DD1 was breech but she was very diagnosed so we could plan for it - something I'm very grateful for. I did a lot of reading about breech babies before she was born but that was a few years back now so my memory may be faulty. However, IIRC something like 4% of babies will still present breech at term and of those, 1/2 will be un-diagnosed.

I'm sorry a birth that seemed to go so well for quite a while (deepest apologies if I've misinterpreted there) became traumatic at the end. If you do want to access your notes and/or go through them with a MW then PALS at the hospital would be the people to talk to.

Most of all though, congratulations on the birth of your daughter :)

My DS was breech all the way through until I had an ECV at 37 weeks and he stayed right way up after that.

A friend of mine had an undiagnosed breech - they didn't realise until his feet appeared! She ended up with an EMCS.

I had my first baby in Jan - was 12 days overdue when hosp induced me. I was contracting and dilating for a couple of hours before midwife realised ds was breech. This was confirmed with a scan then I was rushed to theatre for an emcs.

I'm almost certain he was breech throughout the pregnancy (very little movement and feet next to ears on scans). At first I was miffed as had seen a few midwives, but I guess they're only human.

Congrats on the birth of your daughter, sorry it didn't go completely to.plan but I don't think they often do.

I went to the MW for a sweep at 40+1 and they thought DD might be breech and sent me to the MAU. MAU did a a scan and confirmed it. I went in at 40+3 for an ECV which couldn't even be attempted when they did a more in-depth scan (not enough amniotic fluid and DD had the cord between her feet/legs). A breech delivery was discussed but had a high chance of cord prolapse due to it being next to her feet so was quickly dismissed. They decided I couldn't be allowed home because I'd had a show, was past term, and was having irregular contractions. An hour later I was in theatre having an EMCS. I found it a bit traumatic because it was all so fast and not at all what I wanted, the recovery has been the hardest bit, especially with a toddler in tow too but DD got here safely at least.

My community MW thought DD was breech at 37 weeks but didn't send me for a scan because the phone at MAU was engaged when she rang to book it. She had another feel of my bump a few days later and said DD was head down and fully engaged. Obviously it wasn't the case and in hindsight I should have badgered her about booking the scan and insisted she arrange it but it won't undo what happened and no one is infallible afterall.

If you have questions or concerns or even just curiosity about your daughter's birth then contact the hospital where you delivered, most of them have a birth reflections scheme where a midwife will sit with you one-to-one and go through all of it.

Congratulations on your baby :)

It's fairly unusual I would say to get to fully dilated without a breech presentation being noticed on palpation or VE, but that doesn't mean it was anyone's fault, it is unfortunately just one of those things.

I just wanted to say though, well done! You did so well getting through labour using just water to cope with the pain and then pushing your baby out so quickly. You say this might be your last baby and I take that to mean you are upset with how the labour went, I do not doubt it was very scary at the end, and having to go to theatre after all of that is such a shame. However you have proved how capable you are and how good your instincts are (you knew there was something different about your labour despite having never done it before!).

Breech babies are often a bit stunned from delivery and need some support to initiate regular breathing, but then so are babies whose mother's have opiates, and those born by caesarean- its more likely for a breech baby to need some resusitation at a caesarean as well, and those born very quickly, and those delivered by forceps, and even those where the birth is text book perfect!

I agree it might be worth going through your notes with someone. No-one is going to be able to tell you why your baby's presentation wasn't detected earlier, but they should be able to explain why things happened the way they did once it was, and what sort of things they were thinking about.

My mws didn't believe me when I said ds was breech. To be fair they both had a good feel and couldn't decide whether they were feeling head or bottom. I kept asking for them to book me in for a scan to confirm it. It wasn't until I was 38 weeks that they agreed. Of course he was breech. We attempted ECV but it failed, had el cs two days later - luckily he wasn't early, he was a footling breech - the worst kind apparently.

congratulations on your new baby!!

I had an undiagnosed breech too (DS1) . I did think he was breech the whole time, but the midwife convinced me his head was his bum so I had to believe her. No-one at the hospital noticed he was breech either (we had to rush in because I passed meconium) - not until I did a big old involuntary push, and the student midwife examined me and found a foot. The labour was super quick (less than 3 hrs) - we were advised that pushing him back up the birth canal for a c-section would be more risky for me so we chose to do it naturally. Unfortunately he got stuck for a while and was not in a good way when he turned up. To cut a long story short though - the boy we were told might not make it through the week and if he did would likely be brain damaged due to oxygen starvation just started school - so we lucked out there!

I am upset that no-one took me seriously, but then I didnt push the issue during the pregnancy because I didnt think I could be right, and also I was examined by 3 different midwifes during the last trimester - the last time about 10 minutes before his foot came out - so he was obviously very difficult to judge. I was upset by some of the followup comments - one of the visiting nurses said he must have turned at the last minute when I dared to suggest he'd been breech from the start, and was quite snippy with me even though I was in a bit of a fragile state (he was still unconcious in SCBU at this point - ventilated and wired/drugged up to the eyeballs) Right after the birth I was in quite a lot of pain (having an assisted breech delivery is no walk in the park for your nether regions, especially when they've taken your gas and air away) and the next morning asked if I could have a wheelchair to get over to SCBU. The response was a very relucant 'well - oookaaay but normally new mothers manage to walk around the ward fine'. Lovely, great, but I'm not a brave soldier and I feel like I've done 10 rounds and my baby is dying so please just humour me. Anyway, its all long past.

DS2s birth was completely normal in comparison (slightly longer at just under 4 hours) and I had a late scan with him to check his positioning (not breech!)

I've got one which is almost impossible to judge. I'm currently 40+4 and had a scan at 36 weeks because nobody was quite sure which way up it was. It confirmed that the baby was head down.

Since then 3 midwives and a GP have all palpated the baby with increasing degrees of uncertainty. When I saw the midwife today (who was fab by the way) she wasn't sure if it was well engaged and could feel shoulders low down and a really boney bum at the top or whether it is breach. I'm going for another scan tomorrow to check. If its breach it'll probably be a section since its probably too late to turn it...

I also had a friend with an undiagnosed breach so its not that rare. She was in labour and ended up being transferred for an EMCS to the local county hospital.

My sis had an undiagnosed breech, they wouldn't believe baby hadn't turned until he passed meconium. The midwives then said she would have to have a CS but she was already pushing so told them 'too late for that!'
DN was born folded in half with his feet over his shoulders
We won't talk about the stitches...

My DD was an undiagnosed breech. Like lynniep I was sure she was breech throughout the pregnancy but the midwives I saw were all undecided. At 36 weeks I had an antenatal appointment where they told me they'd decide whether to send me for a scan. 2 midwives checked me and were convinced DD was not breech so I didn't get a scan.

When I went into labour 2 weeks later, it was slow and as she was my first I didn't know any different, then hours later we had meconium and then DD became distressed so the consultant was called and he tried to do a procedure where they take some blood from the baby's head to test oxygen levels.

Needless to say after 3 bloody excruiating painful attempts, it hadn't worked and I was taken for an emcs with a paed team on standby. When they opened me up in theatre everyone gasped that DD was breech and the poor little thing had pinpricks all over her bum!

I can understand how you feel as it took me and DP months to get our heads round it and get over the birth. I was advised to use the birth afterthoughts service but didn't as gradually I started to feel better about it all. It's still early days, give it time and congratulations on the birth of your daughter!

Wow thanks for all your kind words. I have been so busy with baby it's been ages since I have had a chance to come on here. She is now almost 5 months and is lovelier every day. Hope all your babies are doing well.