Unexpected breech birth

[Metukah]

Did anyone out there have an undiagnosed breech? I had our baby 11 months ago. This was my first baby and could be the last one too! I went into labour around 11am, after an internal exam midwife told me the baby was head down! Nobody, GP or MW, realized I was expecting a breech baby. Before dinner my contractions got stronger and longer and we called the hospital, MW told me to relax stay at home and have a warm bath and two paracetamol after dinner. As I had never been in labour before I couldn't figure out that infact speeds the labour...To cut a long story story short, after the bath water broke, I felt an urge to push and a foot came out. We went immediatly to the hospital where she was born about half an hour later helped by doctors and they had to get her breathing as she didn't start on her own. I did the whole birth with no pain killers and no interventions.

wow, sounds amazing.

A footling birth ! So glad you and your baby were ok. That must have been really scary .

Wow what a story! Well Done you!

Congratulations OP :D

Genuinely - I don't think, with all the will in the world - that you can be sure your baby is head down without scanning you, I know when I was in labour with dd1 the MW examined me and said "I think I can feel a bottom" and went an got a portable scanning machine to check.

Hi Trumpton. Yes it was an incomplete breech delivery. Looking back I feel so naive or maybe I was just helped by my birthing hormones. It was indeed frightening for my husband: he saw the baby's foot hanging out!

Hi Worriedwretch. I know I should have done a scan before due date to detect breech position. Did you have a breech delivery at the end? I hope you and your dd1 are doing well.

Well done! If it was known prelabour you would have been advised to have a c-section, and now you would have a scar on your uterus which would affect any delivery choices you might make in the future. Breeches in first time mums can be difficult to spot. A firm little bottom can feel like a head. Because I do home births I quite often ask for scans at 38 weeks to double check position because we will be away from hospital in labour. This is not routine practice however.

I had an undiagnosed breech birth too! My DS2 was born just over 12 months ago. Hr had been transverse for weeks, but my MW was convinced he would turn, palpated me at 38 weeks and decided that he had. Had a sweep at 40+3 and felt to be cephalic and engaged, 40+5 my waters went, palpatedby tgree separate MW's who all said cephalic and engaged, irregular contractions but no real progress, went in following morning to be induced, stomach palpated again twice. Induced at 10.30am, contractions went from every 15 minutes to every 7 within 30 mins, feeling a lot of pressure like I needed to poo by 1pm, told its prostin pains etc. Suddenly I passed a huge chunk of meconium (looked solid and whole like an actual poo TMI) so was admitted to delivery suite at 3.00pm. Internal exam done and MW claims she's only just qualified and scuttles out of the room. Obstetrician comes in with portable scanner which shows DS2's head just under my ribs! Start getting prepped for EMCS and told not to push when suddenly I start roaring that I can't stop myself from pushing. Was very quickly deemed easier for me to deliver him breech than trying to do crash section and get him out of my pelvis. Three pushes, no pain relief and DS2 was born at 3.25pm without so much as a graze . It all happened so fast they hadn't even written my name on my notes. And after all that the cord snapped and I ended up in theatre having spinal block procedure for a retained placenta.

, well done you! You're the first person I've spoken to who has also had an undiagnosed breech birth

Well done both of you! It must be pretty scary realising the baby is the wrong way up!

I had a scan at 38 weeks because the baby had been transverse, and then the midwife couldn't figure out if the grapefruit-sized lump on my bump was a head or a bum. It turns out it was neither! It was his feet crossed at the ankle, pushing hard against the wall.

Yes, DD was undiagnosed breech (she's 17 months old now). I was in for a planned cs (unrelated to breech) so thankfully didn't endure a breech birth, but the paediatrician is supposed to be present even at cs births with breech babies. DH was shocked when a foot shot out of my abdomen!

Im a tad scared now.... due on Friday, MW thinks head down but at 38 week appt couldnt find heart beat with doppler where she thought it should be, it was at the "top" of my abdomen....

Im booked for a HB, an hour from hospital

MW reckoned I was breech at last appt at 30 weeks, got apt tomorrow with GP and will ask them if they reckon still breech. I think baby still is but could probably talk myself into it tbh - tummy feels hard in all sorts of places!

I agree that it seems only definitive way to check is a scan, mw said she would do that at 36 weeks if she still thought breech but even if she thinks otherwise I might get positioning scan to check, wasn't aware of these so thanks to poster who mentioned it.

Worriedwretch - hope you manage to get a scan to confirm position. I know it only tells you current position but at least if it breech now you can start planning your options.

I had a birthpool in my mind, but in those circumstances even though I am horrified by the tought of being cut up, it's something I rather going through it if my baby's life is at risk.
Late scan is not NHS routine but I agree now a scan package is something everyone should consider to do to check the position healthier lower risk pregnancies included.

Everything happened so quickly and no-one is going to be able to tell us why our 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. Upsetting after delivery when they said "she must have turned at the last minute" because for them it's very difficult to judge the baby's position.

However undiagnosed, we have proved how capable we are and how good our instinct it...Most of all though congratulations on the birth of your babies!!!