Breech baby

[FrillyMilly]

I'm 32 weeks and baby is breech. I've been told there is still plenty of time for him to turn head down but I want to know what happens if he doesn't. I need to be mentally prepared for all possible outcomes!! All I know is if still breech at 36 weeks I get referred for a scan. What is the scan for? Would they try and turn the baby then because having heard stories about people having attempts at their baby turned I'm not sure I want it. Are ceasareans booked for a set amount of time before your due date? What happens if you go in to labour with a breech baby? This is my second and had a vaginal delivery with my first.

Also is there anything I can do to encourage him to turn? I have SPD so lots of walking is out of the question.

Hi Frilly Milly, I'm 32 weeks as well with a breech baby, but this is my first. As far as I know they will send you for a scan at 36 weeks to ascertain whether it is still in a breech position and to find out whether it's standard breech, footling breech etc and also to establish whether turning is an option. I'm desperate to avoid a C-Section so am going to go for the turning if I can and if it's still breech.

C-Sections are usually booked in for week 38.

You can have a natural birth with a breech baby if you have an experienced mid wife, but there are obviously risks with this. I'd assume that if it's going to be tricky to deliver then you will have an emergency C-Section, but an emergency C-Section isn't as scary as it sounds. They will be monitoring you from word go and will have it all safely planned out.

I've been doing lots of things to help my baby to turn, swimming is supposed to be great as is the cat pose in yoga. I've also been bouncing on a birthing ball at work and in the evenings. There's a website called Spinning Babies that also lists a lot of exercises you can do to encourage your little one to turn. My baby was transverse and I am sure all these things got it to turn, just unfortunate it has a dire sense of direction and turned the wrong way!!

I'm also planning to book in for a treatment called Moxibustion at 34 weeks if baby is still breech, it's a treatment based on Chinese medicine which my mid wife has highly recommended as she's seen a really good success rate with it with her mums.

Hope this all helps, if you're anything like me I know how stressed you'll be feeling!

xx

I asked this as this one is currently breech (or was last week when I was checked) and I am 35 weeks. This is no. 4 for me. My Ob said that given I have had 3 natural deliveries it is highly likely that the baby will turn before labour. Normally mine have been head down by this stage.

She said normally sections are carried out at 38 weeks ish but if getting one because baby is breech they scan you just before the op to check the position of the baby and often they have turned last minute and you can go home again and wait on nature.

I have had one friend who had a manual turn and within 24 hours baby had turned back to breech. I am not keen to go for a manual turn.

There is also a point on your feet that a reflexologist can work on to encourage baby to turn but I know no more about that.

My Ob said just to crawl about on all four's as that gives the baby the most room to turn round at this stage, so DS (nearly 2) and I have been playing a lot of cars on the floor!

It is in the back of my mind but I am really trying not to think too much about it till after my next appointment.......

Hi frilly I am 33 weeks today with DC2 and this one is breech too! My midwife hasn't seem concerned, says most turn and they don't worry until 37 weeks. However I read through my hospitals info leaflets about breech and they said they will try the ECV (external cephalic version) any time after 36 weeks and that the scan and ECV are the same day.

Like you I'd rather be prepared and know what will happen, had vaginal delivery with DS at 40+4 so all very straightforwards. 38 weeks for me is 23rd December, so I'll miss Christmas, boooo!

Hi ladies,

I'm 40+5 and my baby was breech at 36 weeks (but turned at 37 and is now engaged so C-section is not the inevitable conclusion for you). They scan to doublecheck which way the baby is lying before performing an ECV - they can do more than one of these too. If the ECV is (or ECVS are) unsuccessful they'd book you in for a C-section (but rescan you before the op to see if your baby was still breech).

I spent a lot of time in the yoga position child's pose, bouncing on the ball and walking and that did the trick but you can also try accupuncture with a preg-qualified professional (I know a couple of people that this was very successful for).

Hope your babies spin soon!

With dd she was head down but didn't engage until labour due to facing sideways. Maybe my pelvis isn't very comfy?? I'm not worried about a c section. Would prefer to avoid it but not sure I'm willing to go through an ECV. The people I know who have had them it didn't work for them and they said they would not do it again given the option. If you go in for c section and baby is no longer breech can you go ahead still? Not sure if I would but just intrigued.

My DC1 was breech too and turned head down at 38-39 weeks so it really can happen at the last moment and I didn't even feel her turn!. I had a scan at 36 weeks was referred for an ECV at 37 weeks (where they try to manually turn the baby). I read lots of horror stories about this but really it was fine and not at all painful. They really won't force it if the baby is not in the right position. In the end the doc gave up because she was so firmly wedged and I was booked in for a C-section at 39 weeks. On the day of the c-section it was discovered that she had turned and I was sent home on the bus! DD1 arrived naturally two weeks later. I don't know what turned her but I did do lots of walking on all fours, leaning forwards on a birthing ball while watching TV and tried moxibustion a couple of times, so who knows? It's still very early days.