Potential ELCS with transverse baby - positive thoughts please!

[trilottie]

I'm now 35+2 and baby's been transverse for, well, ever. I'm doing all the different turning baby stuff plus moxibustion but nothing so far. People keep saying 'oh plenty of time yet' but then they said that a month ago which is really starting to annoy me. No there isn't that much time if ELCS is booked in for 39 weeks!
So today I had a mw appt and because bump's transverse I'm measuring small for dates and because I'm measuring small for dates i have to go in and 'see someone' and also have a growth scan. Then they start talking about C sections :(
I'm just feeling really worried as this is just what I didn't want - I'd booked in for a home birth as I hate hospitals/medicalised stuff and everything's gone fine up to now, no problems at all, except for this one major thing! Well I guess its not that major as long as bump is healthy.
I had thought of a trial of labour but i'm not sure if that would be possible and even if it is and it didn't work, wouldn't that mean I'd have to have an EMCS instead, which isn't as preferable to an ELCS?
So i'm trying to think of positive thoughts re ELCS if it comes to it - can someone reassure me that an ELCS isn't all that bad really if you had your hopes set on a lovely home birth?

I'm in a similar position, 36+3 with dc2. had scan yesterday and baby was transverse. He has never really been head down for long, flips around frequently and is now classed as an unstable lie. I have been booked for another scan in a week to check position again, if still not head down they may admit me due to increased chance of cord prolapse. they would then keep me in until he turns head down or until elcs at 39 weeks.

My first birth was planned as a home birth as i felt the same as you, after 24 hours in labour i was transferred in, over the next 19 hours i had every intervention - drip,epidural then fetal distress, episiotomy, forceps and to top it all off a major bleed and a blood transfusion.

To be honest i'm hoping baby doesn't turn head down as i am kinda looking forward to a nice short predictable birth. My main focus this time is not the birth experience but a safe outcome for me and bubs.

I had an ELCS with a transverse baby. Added complication that she was sharing a uterus with a breech baby... She was stuck under my ribs, so even if DT1 had been head down, she wouldn't have turned after DD1 had been born (IYSWIM) so no option really. Once I'd got my head round it all, it was fine. Very civilised. All went smoothly and recovery time was quicker than I'd anticipated.

I think trial of labour with a transverse lie is very dangerous.

DD2 was transverse until the DAY I WENT IN FOR ELCS!

We discovered she had moved to a head down position after I had my special socks on and was being scanned before heading in to surgery :o

So there really is time :)

I've had two ELCSs (but no VBs, so can't compare) and it's a nice, peaceful way to have your baby come into the world.

It's not what I would have chosen, but it has certain advantages.

hello, sorry things are going awry, my limited experience is they always bloody do

I have no experience of CS, but I had a lovely HB booked, then got PE and had to spend ages on antenatal and be induced - not at all what I wanted. I will spare you the details but my stubbornness nearly made things very hairy and I was lucky to get away with it. I look back now and in all honesty I think 'what a twat'!

I honestly would try to accept the CS and work towards making that as good as possible. My independent midwife told me she had done plenty of fabulous CS births, yes it is not what you want but we can't control things and health has to be top priority.

If your baby turns - then you are good to go for a VB - but transverse is not something to muck about with really.

Thanks all for your advice. Yes you are all right - really it doesn't matter how she comes out as long as there's a healthy baby at the end of it. I'm thinking of lots of positive things about an ELCS - one of which is you can put some makeup on before going into theatre for the pic afterwards!
It's the feeling of being in limbo - if it was one or the other I could get down to reading the relevant books/planning/buying birth pool etc.

If it helps, I bought a birth pool and got a refund when I got PE - ever practical, me!

Thats such a different reaction by your midwives to my transverse baby. Dd was transverse from 26w & was told nothing would be done about it until 38w as almost all turn by then. As it was she turned at 38w3d (felt it!) although rather unhelpfully she turned to back to back & refused to change position from there until 7 hrs into labour! Having had lots of friends with elcs I can certainly say its a better option than labour for hrs then emcs. Maybe you'll be lucky though & baby will turn!