Birthing breech baby naturally

[muppetisacat]

Am 32 weeks pregnant and just had scan to check placenta had moved up - which it has - so far so good.

However, baby has always been breech as far as mw has ever felt and this was confirmed on scan today. Clearly there is still time for him to turn - however - it was predicted he could make 9lbs or so - would that put you off attempting natural breech delivery?

Both my other babies were only 7lbs so I am sceptical that these estimations are accurate for a start - but what if they're right?

Advice greatly appreciated if you've gone through it...

Thanks for that Pamina - looks as though it was extended breech today - feet up by ears which is less likely to turn apparantly - so - will be sticking my backside in the air every 2 hours and coming down the stairs backwards on hands and knees!

Now... where did i put those peas...

I did a footling breech naturaly, which is where feet come first and it is the most dangerous and unusual position for a baby to be in. He wasn't due for a couple of weeks and thay insisted he would turn but didn't and by the time I got to the hospital it was to late for a c section. The consultant who delivered him told me the biggest risk with breech is a broken collar bone which may puncture the lung but he said it is easily avoided if the consultant knows what to do. In my case the other problem was that his feet came out and then the umbilical cord which was then prolapsed and had to be cut so he was delivered very quickly and with forcepts and to be honest I have never really recovered from the severe cut I had.
After his birth he had bruises on his leg and nothing else different to my first and third.

To be honest it was no more painful than the other two and certainly quicker than them. I had asked about an inversion before it happened but was told it was a teqnique that they didn't do at my local hospital and I would have been a c section otherwise. I am glad it happened the way it did.

Crikey slalomsuki - sounds a bit hairy scary to me... it's tales such as yours which has me worrying because with my previous births if something could go rubbishly - it usually did - don't fancy the sound of the broken collar bone thing either!

Now even more determined to turn it - thanks for the sofa technique advice too pamina! Are there any types of chocolate you would recommend above others?

the problem with breech births is that mws and consultants don't do them much at all any more (and it's like that with twin vaginal deliveries more and more).

There is no reason why a breech baby can't be delivered naturally and there are risks with every delivery no matter how "straighforward" they are supposed to be.

I tried for weeks to be able to get him to turn, bum on sofa, chinese massage on little toe, ice packs etc but it didn't work for me.

In my case the consultant was great, very calming, knew his stuff and talked to me. He had only done 3 footling breeches in his whole career and he was head of obs and gyne

What I didn't tell you was the 14 student doctors and midwives in the "abnormal delivery room" with me who got their log book signed off as watching a difficult and unusual birth

useful link here!

This is a thread about someone who gave birth to their first baby at home, in breech position:

here

excellent website with pics and links to vaginal breech birth

Great links belgo and lulumama - thank you both very much.

Sadly - none of them mention chocolate.....

hang on.....sure that i read a book that definitely said that eating chocolate is a must.....do it anyway, just in case !

Oh absolutely eat chocolate - and no excuse is needed!

Hooray