Baby breech at 33 weeks- does anyone have any experience of this?

[basgetti]

Hi all, I'm 33+1 and had a growth scan a few days ago (due to ongoing HG) where they found the baby to be breech. I'm getting very anxious about this as the idea of both having baby manually turned and a c section fill me with dread. I've had an awful pregnancy and I'm not coping too well so I'm probably making this a bigger deal in my head than it needs to be, but I was just wondering if anyone had any experience of similar and if the baby managed to turn, or if not how their treatment went? Thanks.

Dd was breech with reduced fluid so attempting to turn her was out of the question. I was booked in for elective section and all was fine. To be honest if I manage to get pregnant again I will be asking for a second section.

I've had three breech babies at that stage:
One turned by himself and was delivered naturally at 40 weeks
One was footling, tried and failed an ECV and I had an ELCS
One was extended breech with reduced fluid and I ended up with an EMCS.

Of all three births I would pick the second in terms of I had by far the easiest recovery and bonding experience. I did try everything to turn my babies but they are were stubborn!

Thanks both. At what stage were your elective sections done? There had been talk of possibly offering me slightly early induction and I do want this pregnancy over as soon as safely possible (trying to look at positives!)

My elective was at 38 weeks, the emergency at 39. They wanted to do that before but I needed to get to the end of school term. Both babies were fine, apgars of 9 and 10 and were feeding before I left recovery. I fed the middle one whilst being stitched back up! Good luck

My frank breech baby turned at 37 weeks, the same day I was given a date and time for a c-section. Nothing like leaving it until the last minute!

Mine was breech at 32 week scan but had turned by 36 week scan.

I spent a lot of time installing skirting board and painting it, I also slept exclusively on my left hand side (not comfy), and did the inversion stuff from the spinning babies website. Not sure if any of that worked, or if she'd have gone round on her own anyway, but I wanted to avoid a C-section and ECV too.

That gives me hope lemon! I'm attending the consultant clinic next week so hopefully they will go through the options then. They just didn't really explain anything when I was in hospital and I was too woozy from the meds to care. I've just come home and started panicking!

Thanks ohthegoats, I'll take a look at that website. I can definitely try sleeping on my left, but anything else that requires too much movement or exertion makes me sick.

Dd was breech quite late on but turned around. I remember when she.did - I had to get on all fours to give her space, weirdest feeling ever!

She was fine.

I tried an ECV which failed & compromised the baby's heart rate & resulted in a Category 1 EMCS. It happened so fast I didn't have time to be worried but in hindsight I regret the ECV and wish I had just gone for an ELCS - it would have been a much more relaxed experience. At the time I was so focussed on my wished-for birth plan (water birth) that an ELCS seemed far too interventional - well, not nearly as much so as a crash EMCS!

End result is what matters: healthy, safe baby. Recovery from a section was tricky for a week or so but I healed well & was getting out for daily walks early on.

I'm 35 weeks tomorrow with my first, and the baby has been wedged in the same breech position since 20 weeks, I'm not holding out much hope of him or her flipping now. I've made it clear throughout that I don't want an ECV, so unless something changes before next week will be having an ELCS around 39 weeks.

Because of my age and GD they wouldn't have let me go over 39 weeks even if the baby wasn't breech and I'm petrified of being induced and ending up with an instrumental delivery or EMCS, so a breech baby delivered by ELCS seems by far the best option for me personally.

Yes, baby turned at 37 weeks.
And stayed turned.

Hope all goes well for you. Elective birth isn't bad btw, better than crash birth ime.

Hope all goes well for everyone!

I'm 37+5 weeks and my baby is transverse, I had a ECV on Friday which failed so am booked in for a section next Wednesday which will make me 39 weeks unless she decides to turn in the next 9 days!

Thanks everyone for sharing their experiences, I will still hope the baby turns but I will try not to panic about the possibility of an ELCS, it certainly seems preferable to having an ECV or ending up with an emergency procedure. Good luck to everyone else due soon! x

Hey, mine was breech at 36 week growth scan. Decided we didn't want ECV as wasn't happy with risk of early labour and I hate my bump being touched at the best of times, so we had another appt to book in for ELCS. At that appt (37 weeks) they scanned me again and he'd turned! I hadn't felt the big turning, but I'd started to get movements in different places. Only things I'd done that week were sleep on the left, and go on all fours on the bed when he was having an active moment. I'm now 40 weeks tomorrow and waiting for him to make an appearance!
One of my NCT pals was also breech - they had three unsuccessful ECV attempts and she was very bruised from the procedure. They didn't even go through the risks with her! Anyway, she had an ELCS last Monday at 39 weeks and she said it was a lovely experience, all went very calmly and she's recovering well.
So either way, don't worry too much!

OP I know nothing about this but...... A little while back there was a thread about a baby who was very badly hurt following an ECV procedure.

I am not trying to scaremonger but you might want to put ECV through the MN search engine and see if you can find it. Based on having read that thread, I would never ever have one.

Thanks both. Good luck Nessalina, I hope you don't have to wait to long! Yes I've heard unpleasant things about ECV, although I've not seen that thread. But I also hate my bump being touched, whenever I get examined it makes me retch! I will definitely refuse that procedure if offered. I think I'm just a bit upset but after my last HG pregnancy I had a lovely induced birth that was complication free, and was hoping for the same thing this time after being so ill. And now it's all up in the air! I don't feel as scared about the thought of a section now though so I'm sure I'll cope whatever happens!

OP this is the thread

About 10 posts in the op links to another thread where she describes the effects on her baby daughter.

I've thought twice about posting this as it is VERY upsetting and like I say, it is one story and not peer reviewed research.

But, I know it can be difficult if you are put under pressure by a consultant or dr to have a procedure, so if you think you may be asked to go through with ECV you might want to risk reading this first.....

Thank you for posting that, it is very upsetting but I'm glad to read it and it has strengthened my resolve to refuse that procedure if offered. I've read things before about it being unsafe, including that it is banned in some countries so this has just confirmed that ELCS will be the way to go if she doesn't turn before then. Thanks again.

DS1 was breech and nothing would shift him. I tried all the tricks - frozen peas on the bump, on all fours, moxibustion etc etc and none of it made a blind bit of difference because he was stuck fast.

Turns out my uterus is heart shaped and his head was stuck in one of the lobes.

DS2 fared better though. Although he was lying all sorts of funny ways, he was much smaller and managed to flip head down and I got my VBAC.

DD was frank breech from the first scan we had. I tried every turning method I could find out about but nothing turned her. I refused the ECV and went for an ELCS at 39+2. My experience is that the ELCS was actually a far more pleasant experience than I was expecting and I just wish I hadn't spent the last two weeks of my pregnancy being so tearful and anxious about it.

I forgot to add that DD stayed head down, and shot out like a rocket in a two hour labour at 41+4. The things I tried to get her to turn were being on all fours, lots of walking, and some of the turning techniques mentioned on the website above. I was very anti the Medical turning; my next step had she not turned would have been acupuncture.

OP

Yes it made me cry buckets, that thread but my baby has been feet down for quite a lot of the pg, I think (only 27 w so still plenty of time) but that made me resolve that if he stays like this he is coming out through the sunroof!!

Mine turned from transverse/breech in the middle of the night at 35 weeks. It was a touch uncomfortable! Delivered normally (and very quickly) at 37.