turning a breech baby

[agalch]

I am 31 weeks atm and booked for a homebirth.Went to see mw last Thursday and baby is now breech.How can i turn this baby round? I really want my homebirth and would be terrified if i had to have a cs.My other 3 births have been normal deliveries.Has anyone managed to successfully turn a breech baby? Or has anyone delivered a breech vaginally?
Any help gratefully recieved x

I had ECV with dd2 (third pg) and it was fine. Obviously not up there with spending the morning at a Spa treatment, but not agony either. The overall success stats are 50%, but lower for first time pgs and higher if you've had babies before.

I did look into vaginal breech delivery before I had the ECV. The consultant was v. honest and said that because most breech babies are delivered by C-section, drs and midwives have become de-skilled at doing breech deliveries. In most units you only get to deliver breech vaginally when it's undiagnosed and you're most of the way there by the time they realise it's breech. Having said that, he did say I was a good candidate for vaginal breech delivery as I'd had uncomplicated births with my previous two, who were both big babies (9lb+). But it's worth knowing that many hospitals will have a policy of C-section for known breech babies and that many individual staff will not have previous experience of delivering a breech.

I think that if it had come to it (ie. the ECV hadn't worked) I would have gone ahead with the breech birth, but, (and a big but) I would have wanted to engage a private midwife who was experienced in breech deliveries to come into hospital with me. The UK expert on breech births is someone called Mary Cronk, who has written loads, much of it online. If you Google her on UK google you get loads of info and contact details.

hth

agalch. My ds was breech and I tried everything. Different positions, swimming, frozen peas, moxibustion, binding ginger to my little toes, torch on the bump and he still didn't shift. I was booked in for ECV but the consultant said that ds was stuck fast and that he didn't want to attempt it as ds was tangled up with one leg by his head and the other one tucked below. I had a CS that same day and it turns out that I have a heart shaped uterus and that the top of ds's head was stuck in it and there was no way he was ever going to turn!
What I would like to say is that my original "minimum intervention" birth plan went out the window and my worst fear (having a cs) came true. But you know what? It wasn't so bad after all and I had expected to feel disappointed and cheated of having a natural delivery, but I didn't. I can completely understand why you are so worried about it - I was a wreck - but you you may well surprise yourself at how well you deal with it if it happens. Good luck, and I do hope that baby turns for you.

Thanks frogs and mawbroon.If its safer for the baby and me then i would have the cs.I know it sounds daft but the thought of it just really scares me.Am doing the ball and bum up thingy so will keep doing it and if the baby turns will let you all know.
Thanks again ladies x

I had an ECV at 37 weeks - It hurt like hell!!! It didn't work but I'd try it again if I had to. Dd was eventually born by CS. I was gutted before hand but it went so smoothly and really made no difference to the final outcome - my beautiful daughter. At the end of the day, all that mattered was that my baby was safe and I definetly don't feel like I've missed out on anything by not giving birth naturally - I forgot all those feelings as soon as baby arrived. It sounds like everyones experiences are different so just do what you feel is right. :)

Hi Mate..try walking on your hands & feet - WORKED FOR ME! My baby turned a week b4 the due date. A nurse told me to do this & i went mad doing it for few days and went to have a scan & the doctors couldn't believe it. Also tey getting on the bed and touching the floor with both of your hand and stay there for at least 5-10 minutes.
HOPE this helps.

Hi
Can I just add that Moxibustion stinks like nothing else, but it is absolutely brilliant at turning bubba's! Personally I would go every route before opting for manipulation.

On the breech birth, my sister gave birth 5 weeks early to a perfectly healthy little boy after a speedy labour. The doc's and m/w on duty had never witnessed a breech birth and she had 7 in the room while she birthed him, bless her. They admitted if her labour wasn't so fast that they would've c-sectioned, 'to be on the safe side'. ?!? Thank God he came fast!

Just wanted to add that ds was breech and the c-section really wasn't as bad as I thought. Of course, just be really, really thankful that they know ahead of time that yours is breech. Ds was only diagnosed after 30 hours of labour . For this pregnancy I've already scheduled my elective section

Sorkycake,the moxtibustion? How does that work? Would i need someone to do it for me?Or where can i get it?
Am trying walking on hands and feet but my poor dd who is 2 in August is terrified when i do it lol.She must think i'm off my trolley.
Will let all you nice ladies with your great advice how i get on and whether baby turns.

Moxibustion involves burning herbal sticks over certain points in your toes for turning a baby. It's a chinese medicine thing, and I think the idea is that it frees up energy channels or something. I tried it, (and accupuncture) and did find it made the baby lunge about an awful lot, but unfortunately she didn't manage the full somersault! I can see that it might work though especially as you're only 31 weeks. You'd get it at an accupuncturist or chinese herbal shop.

You go to an acupuncturist or chinese herbalist and they will give you some twiggy looking things and stinky herbs. Last person I knew tried it was 8 weeks ago (baby born 6 weeks ago) and she had to put them in between her toes and under her feet, her dh did this due to the size of her bump, and burn them. It stank so much she did it in the garden in a deckchair lol. Baby turned the next day and stayed the right way up.
hth

just to warn you - moxibustion didn't work for me at all - v expensive, time-consuming (and smelly as others have said)!

Hi Agalch,
Have you had your MW appt yet?

Has baby turned yet?

I'm also due in July. I went to see the MW yesterday who tells me that my baby is now breech. So I've been reading this thread with interest.
I'm very much like you. Don't want to have a CS.

Hoping that your baby has turned.
Keep us posted.
Suni

Hi Sunita
Read your post in our July thread.I'd love to say my lo has turned but i havn't a clue.Getting jabs under my ribs now but it could be elbows or hands i suppose.I am seeing my mw today so wll let you know how it goes.I am getting really worried.The longer it is breech i feel not only will i have no chance of a homebirth but i may end up with a cs.
Keeping everything crossed for you and hope your lo turns too xxx

Good Luck!
Suni

Hi Suni

Apt today with mw and baby still breech .
Mw says not to panic as theres still lots of time for lo to turn so i am trying to feel really positive and am making a huge effort to do all the positioning stuff and thinking good thoughts lol.
Let me know how you go? When do you see mw again?

Take care xx

Hi

Sorry to hear that your baby is still breech. As you say there is still time for LO to turn.

I've been trying to do the positions aswell. The one where you kneel down, elbows on the ground and bum in the air.

But how often should you do these for - so far I've been doing them twice a day. (morning and night)

Should I be trying them at various intervals during the day?

BTW - My next appt is 13/06. It is a scan at the hospital where I have to see the Consultant - Low lying placenta.

Hi Suni

She told me to do positions several times a day.She said not to sit on the sofa etc,to sit hanging over a dining room chair or lean over a beanbag or birthing ball.She also said to kneel on sofa and put hands on floor(make sense ) but only for a short period of time.

Are they saying you maybe have to have a c/s because of the placenta too?

Hi,
Will def try these other positions.
My last scan was done at 20 Wks, so there's a good chance that the placenta has moved. Had the same with my DS, it had moved out of the way by Due Date. So I'm hoping that it's moved out of the way this time. If it hasn't I'm stuffed!!!{sad]

Hi,
Will def try these other positions.
My last scan was done at 20 Wks, so there's a good chance that the placenta has moved. Had the same with my DS, it had moved out of the way by Due Date. So I'm hoping that it's moved out of the way this time. If it hasn't I'm stuffed!!!

Hi Suni

Good luck with your scan.Keep me posted and i will do the same.My next mw appt is the 15th June so hopefully i will have good news by then.

Take care xx

I never ever believed in reflexology but it worked for me when my baby was breach. Best 30 quid I ever spent. The baby turned about an hour after I was treated (really weird sensation, took a couple of hours as I recall). Could be a co-incidence of course but worth going through all the options before manipulation/cs. If you search th einternet under breech & reflex there's lots of info available.

Whiffy you little angel xxxxxxxxx

My baby is still breech and im now 34+3.I am having a reflexology session with a view to relaxing me and hopefully turning the baby.

I wasn't convinced about it tbh but thats great to hear it has actually worked for somebody.

Can't wait for it now.

Suni,did your baby turn on his/her own?
Glad you can forget about a planned c/s,hope i'm the same soon

Good luck. Hope it works for you

Morning Aglach

LO has turned but TBH I think it had something to do with the positions I was trying. (Bum in the air - as my DS says).

Good luck with the reflexology. Hope it works for you.

Your MW appt should be today. Let us know how it goes. Good luck with that too!

Thinking of you
Suni