Do you feel a breech baby turn?

[Annie75]

Am 33 weeks and my baby is currently breech. V much want a natural birth and understand that this isn't necessarily a pre-cursor to a c-section.

Am doing the recommended things - watching telly piled on cushions with my head lower, walking lots, trying all-fours yoga positions. Anything else I should try that anyone swears by?

And will I feel it when/if it does move round?

My baby was breech at 33 weeks and I spent 3 evenings on my hands and knees reading the paper from cover to cover then laying on my right side on the sofa. On the third night he turned and boy did I feel it!!
Dont panic to much , your little one has a few weeks to make up its mind, although I did talk to an independant midwife who suggested as a last resort moxibustion sticks used by an accupuncturist which have apparently a really high success rate.

Ooh, what does it feel like when they turn? Does it hurt?

Thanks for the tips - is lying on your right side recommended then?

No absolutely does not hurt but there is remember a rather large small person doing somersaults inside you..........uncomfortable and enough to make me go WHOA!!!

OOOPS, sorry I meant left side, please blame pregnant brain
lying on your LEFT side is meant to be best as puts everything in the right place, sorry again for confusion.

My baby was breech all the way I'm afraid. Did try to turn at 36 weeks, and hospital thought I was in labour - regular contractions - it wasn't painful though, just a bit uncomfortable! I ended up with a section that time.

Have read that acupuncture can work. Also you can try having it turned at about 38 weeks - I think they do it that late because it can bring on labour (I missed my appointment for that, as he'd already arrived the night before...!!!).

I do know several people who've delivered breech babies vaginally, but from what I understand it is more difficult as you deliver largest part last and the baby has increased risk of getting in trouble. and of course doctors and midwives just don't have the training anymore to deal so well with breech deliveries. I decided that was too much of a risk for me.

Good luck!

I have just copied more infor (below) that the midwife sent me - some a bit strange but worth a go to get the birth you want!!

Suggestions for turning the baby include:

Moxibustion - I spoke to my acupuncturist and also another experienced midwife. The conclusion is that it is okay to try moxibustion. Perhaps when the baby is particularly active, "burn" moxibustion close to the nail of your little toe, and circle in a clockwise motion, but for only about a minute.

Swimming Pool - somersault or handstand!

Be tired. Have a lovely relaxing bath with a few drops of lavender oil, go onto your bed in a knee-chest position. Knees wide apart, legs apart, head on bed, bum in the air, relax and go to sleep if you can!

Another version of this is to lie on your back on bed, pillows under your bottom, tipping baby backwards out of your pelvis.

Cranio-sacral therapy - this may work on relaxing your pelvis and making extra room to allow the baby to turn.

Reflexology.

Bag of frozen peas on baby's head - a bit cruel! Trying to make the baby move away from the cold!

Shining a torch from the head, guiding the baby downwards.

Okay, I know that some are weird, but worth a go!

That's massively useful, thanks Might try the swimming and frozen peas tonight! Will let you know if the baby can be persuaded...

Annie, dd1 was breech up until 38 weeks. She turned the night before I was booked in for a section and I never felt her turn (however, all the nursing staff and consultants were amazed that I didn't feel anything). Can only conclude I must have been very deeply asleep at the time!

DD was breech up to 38+5 when she turned & I didn't actually feel her turn, was just aware the kicks were in a different place (up under my ribs!) - she wasn't small either 8lb8.5oz when born 6 days later!

At 33 weeks you might not feel it. DS was somersaulting all over the place at that stage - mostly transverse but used to go headdown whenever I crawled around on hands and knees for a bit. And then I'd wake up next day and he'd be breech. I was very good at telling where he was (not much fluid to cushion him). But his movements didn't hurt.

And a really wierd suggestion that worked for me - talk to your baby, and explain what you want him to do.

Both of mine were breech until 33 weeks and I was aware that they had turned as I couldn't feel the head at the top anymore, but I couldn't tell you exactly when it happened. I had been doing lots of crawling around on my hands and knees and trying to watch tv with my bum in the air!

Reassuring to know they can still turn late. I tried lying on my back last night, with my body and legs up along a propped up ironing board in the hope it would tip the baby out of the pelvis. Felt the blood rush to my head and a lot of baby movement, but think it's still in same position as I can feel the head under my ribs. But will persist and try all the other things mentioned - including moxibustion (which sounds crazy, but apparently has a good success rate!). Thanks for all the advice

Just don't leave the moxibustion too late - I'm 39 weeks now and still breech. Booked for c-sec next week. Called an acupuncturist at 37 weeks and he said that was the final limit for getting a successful turn, so he didn't want to take my money and have it not work. Disappointed we couldn't do it, but his success rate to date had been four out of four. Good luck!

I had moxibustion at just turned 38 weeks. In retrospect I did feel ds turn but I didn't know that was what he was doing and I had no idea at any point in the pregnancy where his head was- I am impresssed that some women can tell.

I just has some weird pains that felt more like pressure than anything else. I definitely felt something happen but I'd be hard pushed to explain it exactly.

My DS was breech for a while, and one night i woke up with a really painful stabbing pain low down, but instantly went. I was worried and went to the GP the next morning... he confirmed that he had turned

Lazycow - do you think it was moxibustion that helped turn your baby? am wondering if i should give it a go sooner rather than later, reading Cakehead's advice (Cakehead, sorry baby didn't turn - reading last night in the Sheila K book that they can still turn at 38/39 weeks, so maybe worth checking every few days with your midwife).

Meant to add that external cephalic version at 39 weeks (where a skilled consultant manipulates the baby so it moves around). Has a 60-70% success rate these days, apparently.

Falling off a chair backwards(cleaning windows) turned ds3 at 36 weeks.I didn't feel him turn,so I don't know if he turned before,during or after the fall.I don't recommend it though.

Annie - I've no idea if the moxibustion worked or not - there is no way to tell. I can only tell you what happened.

Ds was breech throughout my pregnancy (first one) and I had quite a few scans to monitor the rate of his growth as they were concerned that he was on the small side. My last routine scan at just turned 37 weeks showed he was healthy but still breech.

The obstetrician said that as it was my first pregnancy there would be less room to move and it would be less likely (though of course still possible) that ds would turn at this point than for someone who was pregnant for a second or more time.

We discussed my options, natural birth vs cesarian (on which he was very open to my preferences) etc and he offered me an ECV which I accepted. This was on Monday. I made an appointment for the ECV on the following Monday at 10am (earliest they could do) but in the meantime I booked an appointment with an accupuncturist for the next Friday.

She did one treatment and gave me the stuff to do another 1 or 2 treatments myself at home over the weekend.

On Monday morning I woke up very early with weird pains that I was a bit worried about and I remember being down on all fours in my bedroom and feeling an awful lot of pressure and movement in my groin and cervix area.

I was a bit worried but as I was going to the hospital at 10am anyway so I made my way there and by the time I got there I was feeling a lot better. As a first step to the ECV they do a scan anyway and they told me ds had turned round so there was no need for an ECV. I went home and later (at 42 weeks) had an normal (though induced) vaginal birth.

So in summary within 48 hours after having the accupuncture treatment ds turned round. He may have done so anyway but I'm glad I had the treatment. It cost £30 at the time and since the rest was done at home by me I think it was money well spent.