If your baby was breech, could you tell?

[rach6122]

I have bad lower back ache and a sharp stabbing pain at the top of the bump for about a month, and sharp shooting pains in my pelvis, could be baby burrowing head down. Feels like it's trying to push its way out. I went to hospital with these problems last week where they confirmed baby is head down but I am getting paranoid maybe they hit it wrong. Do any if these symptoms sound familiar to those who had breech babies? Many thanks

I could. DC 1 had very obvious head just under my ribs. Hard and round, couldn't have been anything else. DC2 was head down and felt very different.

Also movements were very different. With breech baby less strong as legs are down into your pelvis so you only get arms really. The massive leg movements with DC2 were much stronger and more visible

How far along are you though? Babies can change position a lot until the last few weeks.
Think it's only when you hit 35 or so that they worry.
I had an ecv by the way which worked.

I'm 40+3! So maybe I'm just going crazy and have too much time on my hands to think. My bump is hard at the top and sticks out more at the top I'd say, though no obvious head. Movements not massive apart from lots of pressure at the bottom which I presume us baby burrowing its head... I hope. Don't know what to think tbh!

I would've thought if you were head down at nearly 40 weeks then you would stay that way.

Is it 1st baby? If so, baby's head will engage before labour starts which can make your pelvis feel heavy. Aches and twinges are par for course IME.
However, if you have worries see your midwife. They should be keeping a close eye after 40 weeks and can tell position and engagement by feeling. So give them a ring if you are worried, they won't mind.

At 40+4 my dd turned breech after being head down for 5 weeks. The pain of her turning was excruciating. I got a very wide bump as she was horizontal part way through. I also felt very nauseous. I hadn't realised what was happening (1st pregnancy) but luckily had midwife appt already booked next morning who suspected what had happened and sent me off to hospital who did ultrasound to confirm and booked me in for elective caesarean. I had previously had a very firm bum under my ribs sticking out and this became the head after she had turned. Hurt both ways!

I had burrowing like the head was grinding at my pelvis. Then one day there was lots and lots of movement. I think he turned that say bout 39 weeks. They still kept telling me he was head down though. After turning, bottom of bump was softer and movement wasn't as noticeable as legs were downwards and kicks not as strong

I'm just wondering if they made a mistake rather than baby having turned, definitely no big turn gas happened that I've noticed. The bottom of my bump feels empty whereas lots up top! Think I will try and get checked, thank you. Maybe I'm just going crazy! Second baby though.

at babies turning the wrong way at 40 weeks!
Knowing how painful the ecv was, the thought of a baby doing that randomly is appalling! I'm PG with DC3 and you've given me a whole new thing to worry about :o

Any baby that does that will go on to be headstrong I predict!

Call your MW she will put your mind at rest and good luck with the birth.

Yes ds was breech until 38+2, I could feel the top and side of his skull very clearly. He was turned by ECV and I couldn't believe how much more comfortable it was carrying a head down baby! I had 1.5 weeks of comfy sleep before he arrived at 39+5.

My 3rd DC was head down until 35 weeks when she decided to spin upside down - my waters had already broken and lost most very early on and this finished them off! Worryingly I thought I had food poisoning as the pain of her turning was so bad and two midwives plus a doctor stayed she was head down and engaged until a consultant happened to check and realise she was in fact breech - was in theatre for EMCS within 23mins

My DS was found to be breech at the 40+10 scan. I'd had no idea and neither did the midwives. CS thenext day

Ds1 was breech but it wasn't confirmed until 40+9. I felt it all along as I didn't ever feel a kick above my belly button. Also very hard bump at the top and I couldn't eat much ever without terrible heartburn!

Ds2 normal and much more pain in lower back/pelvis (he was back to back). When he dropped I had that 'bowling ball' feeling between my legs. Didn't ever have that with ds1.

Internet diagnosis is that it's normal way up

I couldn't tell first time but looking back, I never had big kicks at top of bump, and movements generally were quite muted. I had bad heartburn and a round head at top of bump that I thought was a bum. My mum is an ex midwife and says if you press on the head it will 'bob' back whereas a bum won't.

In this pregnancy baby has spent a lot of time breech as I've had a little head bobbing around at the top but think baby is actually diagonally head down now as I don't get any 'bounce back' when I push top of bump gently. Not sure if diagonal is much better though, think the head might be in my left hip but 34+4 so still time to drop!

Yes, I could easily tell. If I pressed his head at the front and the side, it would bob around, which a bum would not do.

He tried to turn many times between 34 weeks and term. OMG I knew about it when he was trying to go head down, but he was completely stuck. He had one foot up by his ear and the other below and stayed that way until my CS.

Turns out that I have a bicornuate (heart shaped) uterus and he was stuck fast, not moving anywhere.

DS2 was head down, but my bump was a really weird shape a lot of the time, kind of with a hollow in the middle as he lay across the widest bit.