breech at 34 weeks

[ladycarlotta]

I'm 34+4 and at my appointment yesterday the midwife told me that my baby was breech. I'd hoped for a water birth at the MLU which won't be possible if she remains breech - their policy is not to accept head-down babies. My placenta is anterior so I don't hold out a lot of hope for an ECV.

I'm having a look at the Spinning Babies website, and will be swimming and getting on the birthing ball to try to get the baby to flip by my 36 week appointment, but I've been surprised at how upset this news has made me. My pregnancy has been pretty straightforward, I have no other risk factors, and I'd got my head around a straightforward labour in the MLU. I'm frightened by the idea of a vaginal breech birth and think it has too many components that could potentially be quite traumatic. I'd be OK with an ELCS, which I know can be a lovely experience, but worry about its implications for future births.

I'm really frightened for the first time in this pregnancy - I feel out of my depth and ill-equipped. Maybe this would happen anyway as the reality of labour approaches, but I hate not being able to predict or plan how it's all going to go. Does this make sense to anyone else? I know the most important thing is to get baby out safely, but I want to safeguard my own physical and mental health as far as possible too, and I don't know how right now.

Heya! First congratulations on your pregnancy!

I can somewhat relate to your position having a breech baby myself and a C-section planned for early next month but I've been in shared care throughout my pregnancy so knew fairly early on that he was breech.

Lots of people recommend the spinning babies website and I have tried some of the exercises on there, unfortunately there are other factors which I think have worked against us. Our boy is measuring large, anterior placenta and there isn't a lot of amniotic fluid left either at this point (37 weeks today). Plus he appears to be a bit stubborn, he's been in the same 'groove' as it were throughout most of the pregnancy! 😂

We had a failed ECV but I'm glad we tried it. I don't know if you have thought about whether you actually want an ECV or not but for me once I got to that stage and the doctor explained that we would need to book a C-section for me that was the end of my mental struggle about 'what is the safest for our boy'. Now it's more of trying to get my head around the practicalities of recovering from the op and caring for our baby.

Also, it's worth bearing in mind that an ELCS can be less traumatic than a vaginal delivery, and some traumatic vaginal births lead women to having C-sections for future births. You never know what kind of birth you will have (if your baby is head down in the end) so it could well be straight forward or not.

I am glad I tried what I could to turn our little one but in the end the conclusion is that I will be birthing our boy in the way that is safest for him. If you feel strongly about turning your little one then do what you can in the time that is left but don't fret too much or beat yourself up about it.

Sorry for the essay! And I really hope everything turns out how you would like it to!

@Bee4S thank you for replying! And thank you for being so supportive. Everything you say makes sense, I would 100% opt for an ELCS over a vaginal delivery for SO many reasons - what I fear is a long, painful, very medicated and monitored labour where I don't have a lot of autonomy, where there are risks to me and the baby and no guarantee I won't end up needing an EMCS anyway. The only things that puts me off ELCS are recovery time, and the implications for attempting VBAC down the line. But you're so right, even if baby turned and I got my MLU birth this time round, there's no guarantee that it will go smoothly and have no traumatic after-effects.

I guess I need to get zen about just not knowing right now. If I knew that she was going to be breech at term, I'd opt for ELCS and very easily make peace with it; if I knew she was going to be head-down I'd keep hold of my MLU waterbirth dream. But feeling that there's this uncertainty in our future and I can't necessarily do anything about it is scary.

I guess my position is informed by the fact that two of my friends had babies in the last yar; one RAVES about her ELCS (which she was initially unhappy about but turned out to be a wonderful experience) and another had the most traumatic extended hospital labour that really fucked her up mentally and physically for ages. I know which I'd rather. I was reconciled with labour being tough, but I guess not with it being unpredictable or risky, if that makes sense. Naive, I know.

@ladycarlotta I don't think it's naïve, with first time pregnancies there is so much information to absorb and everyone seeks reassurance from people they know who have had various experiences. Natural labour and delivery are discussed much more during appointments that caesareans are. And all the while we are having to contend with the wonderful distraction that is actually 'growing' the baby.

I agree with the concerns about recovery times but from speaking with others who have had both EMCS and ELCS in the majority they have had a better recovery from the ELCS. I guess because with an emergency the body is already strained and exhausted after a natural labour and then struggles with healing a bit more.

Either way in your case if there are no other pregnancy related worries or issues and it's just a case of turning baby or having a planned caesarean there is still some time left in which to encourage your little girl to turn. Personally I wouldn't attempt a breech delivery but again that decision is more informed by the fact that our boy is measuring on the larger size. Although I would say that my thoughts on that probably would not change even if he wasn't big.

Fingers crossed that the spinning babies exercises works for you though and you get to have your water birth dream!

I totally understand that it's the not knowing that's the hardest thing to deal with.

I always recommend seeing an osteopath during the last trimester, even if baby's not breech (but particularly if they are); they can be great at gently optimising the alignment of your body with your baby's, and setting everything up as well as possible in advance. If you're in London I can recommend mine, whom I saw when my baby was breech (and three days later she wasn't any more - though no reputable osteopath will declare/advertise that they can turn breech babies... ). You can find him at danielstuttard.com.

I'm the exact same @ladycarlotta

Found out at 34 weeks Baby was breech, tried everything on that spinning baby website I could, went to my 36 week appointment and still breech! (38+1 now)

I went last week for a presentation scan and it confirmed baby was breech and actually had a foot up at its head!!

I am going into my hospital this afternoon for my pre c section talk ahead of my op next week!!

I have however felt comfort that they scan you when you arrive in hospital to make sure Baby is still breech and if the wee rascal decides to eventually turn they will send you home to wait until Baby is ready for a vaginal birth!!

Our hospital doesn't see the point in operating if not required xx

I can relate to this a little OP. My baby was still breech at 33+4 weeks (confirmed by scan at consultant appointment) and I felt very similar, a sense of dispair at the birth I imagined (second baby so I do know that things don't go to plan, my first didn't).

I don't know when it happened, but my baby did turn and was head down at 36 weeks (again confirmed via scan), so there is still hope yours could turn too! I did the spinning babies exercises, sat on a birth ball as much as possible (rather than slouching on sofa, etc) and I have no idea if these things made a difference, but to my mind there was no harm in trying.

I obviously didn't get to the position of seriously discussing options, but did some research and would probably have opted for the ECV and I was open to the idea of considering a breech vaginal birth, if considered suitable. I had some advice from a obsetric consultant friend who had nothing but praise for my local hospital, in terms of their set up for managing breech delivery, which was encouraging. BUT I am terrified of the idea of a section, so that may have swayed me in that particular direction, obviously many women choose a planned section and I can 100% appreciate why! It's not a nice decision to have to make really.

I really hope your situation is similar to mine, in that your baby does turn for you in time! I thought of little else between 33 and 36 weeks, it wasn't a nice feeling being in limbo.

Should also add I have no idea at what point baby actually turned! I thought I would feel it, but I walked into 36 week scan feeling sure they hadn't turned, and was obviously pleasantly surprised!

My DD who is 5 months now was breech for the last 3/4 months of pregnancy. I was offered an ECV which I didn’t really like the idea of and watched a few on YouTube and said no for definite after that. I was then booked in for an ELCS and it went perfectly! When c section was first mentioned I too was quite upset but by time I got my head around it all and went back for the last scan to see if baby had turned I was actually more worried she had and would have to have a vaginal birth.
Also, I healed fine after ELCS, really quick but just made sure I took it super easy the first and second week, then just easy the other four weeks. I’ll definitely be going for an ELCS with my next pregnancy too.
Hope that’s gave you some reassurance

It's definitely best to prepare for all eventualities but my bubba was breech at around that point and has now turned and has been fully head engaged for the last week! So just to give you a bit of hope that things can change!!

Thank you guys! So much useful advice and experiences, I really appreciate it. I've been doing the Spinning Babies techniques and about 20 minutes after doing one, baby had a huge wriggle and my bump went a pretty mad shape for a few minutes. She definitely turned at least partly round, but either gave up or returned to breech later as I've still been able to feel her head up by my ribs. Little bugger. But at least she does have a bit of room to manoeuvre in there, so perhaps if I keep doing it she'll find her way to head down eventually.

My next midwife appt is in a week, so I'm just going to wait and see what she says then. I'm nervous about an ECV - and it looks like the success rate isn't good with an anterior placenta - but if I can get the chance for a MLU birth that's still what I really want. I'm at peace with an EMCS too, but we are so unprepared right now (house is a building site) that I kind of want her to keep cooking for as long as possible...

Just a brief update: attempted an ECV the other day but it didn't work. Two people tried to turn her, first forwards then backwards, and she did not budge. The consultant felt that baby was just too wedged in my pelvis and it really wasn't going to happen. In case anybody's wondering about an ECV, I'm glad I attempted it, just to know I'd tried, but it was a pretty unpleasant experience although baby was not distressed and all the staff were truly kind and lovely. It's fortunate my partner could come, as it would have been really horrible to go alone.

I'm now booked in for a c-section, and although I'm disappointed and worried, I think I'm getting my head around it. The anaesthetist and the obstetrician came to talk to me after the ECV failed, and both were incredibly encouraging about making the process as pleasant and non-clinical as possible. I feel very supported in having a birth that feels right and positive, even though it wasn't what I wanted.