'BREECH WATCH' !!

[Hopeitwontbebig]

So who's breech at the moment and how many weeks are you?

I'm 33+1 and I don't reckon this LO will turn!

Will keep you updated

Hi all, haven't been on here for ages. I'm still fairly sure LO is breech. Hard lump under my ribs which doesn't move much, just occasionally side to side or pushes up, I reckon that's his head (unless I'm waaaay off!) Still getting low kicks and movements otherwise. I'm seeing mw today at 2.30 and I'm not going to leave her office until I'm satisfied she's confident either way or I'm booked in for a scan

Hi have been very busy latley sorry i haven't posted lately.
Well Little pip is still breech so we had to make our minds up yesterday to turn or opt for c-sect. we mulled over it all weekend spoke to lots of people and had long chat with mw and we've decided to go for c-sect. Got to the osp to see the doc and he really wanted us to give the ecv a try so spoke to mw again and decided to stick with c-sect.
Due on 13 th sept c-sect on 11th a little bit scared that it is all to close but they had no other dates available before then.
So two weeks today we will be mummies at last
Yippee

Hi all, an update from my mw appt... the mystery continues!! The mw did a thorough examination and could find something like a head in my pelvis but she said it was too squashy and wide to be a head, we then had a listen to the heartbeat which was a bit too high, just above my tummy button, so that could indicate a breech (we could also hear it lower too, but she said if he was definitely cephalic there was no way we'd hear it so high up). She then called another mw in for an opinion and she though he was ceph, but then what she thought was the head was too wide for her liking. However, neither of them could find the head. She did say my stomach muscles were very good so that could be preventing them get a proper feel. So the upshot is, scan tomorrow at 10am. Then there's no doubt! Crikey this is all so complicated!

That's so annoying ... but at least the scan will be able to show you for sure! Sounds like you've got great tummy muscles though! Best of luck with the scan. x

Hopefully, it's what I think they should have done in the first place but I guess they need to go through the motions. I was so surprised when she said my tummy muscles were good, I never do sit ups or anything! I think the only thing it could be was all the pilates and physio I do for my bad back (did, don't do it now I'm pg.... naughty me!!) It did make me chuckle though, when not pg I don't exactly have a washboard tummy!

Hi there lovely ladies.

Just thought I'd drop in before my parentcraft class.all the chat about the natural births and stuff though make me a tiny bit envious !!

Thanks Holly and Dal for adding me to the list. Dal it sounds like you and I were going out together in sympathy- i just could not sleep last night !!

Mrs Mar, the same thing happens every time I get a palpation too, I seem to be the only one who is convinced it's LO's head not their bum until they put the doppler on to check the heart rate. I tell you if it was his/ her bum- it'd be pretty big !!

Chat soon, keep the positive vibes flowing !!

Hello all - Mrs M - good luck for the scan tomorrow.

I just have to sit tight now for a week or so before I know anything more definite. Am trying not to think about it too much.

Anyone else with any appts coming up?

Hi breech watchers!

My scan this morning showed that LO is indeed still breech. The incredibly uncomfortable kicks I was getting in my cervix yesterday are in fact two feet that are trying to escape it seems! I do have this awful premonition that a foot will suddenly appear between my legs , could you imagine the faces of my children! They've written on my notes that the baby is engaged, so I guess that makes it even more difficult for her to turn. Also she is big! I turned down the option of an ECV and I've been booked for a caesarean on the 19th.

Good luck tomorrow MrsMar on your scan.

soontobeamummy, glad you've got your csection date. Ooh, we are going to be soooooooooo nervous/excited the night before aren't we!

Holly, your court case sounds very intriguing, don't suppose you can 'dish' can you?

Sorry to intrude on this thread - I had a scan last week which showed baby had turned head down at 35+4 wks, but although the scan showed the baby to very big, he's been moving loads (very uncomfortably) and later on this afternoon i've been feeling what you've completely described - kicks in my cervix - it really feels like something is trying to get out down there! Do you think it's possible he's turned around again, or does anyone have any other idea of what these kick-like feelings might be. Having found out that little one's head circumference is way over teh 99% centile in size, I really don't fancy trying to give birth naturally, if he has gone back breech. Suppose I'm worrying pointlessly - should really wait until my next MW appointment.

How exciting, Ihopeitwon'tbe - you've now got an exact due date! hope it all goes well.

xxx

That's good that you've now got a definite answer and at least you can get your head around things a bit now.

I reckon wait til you see the m/w Fettle and mini fettle, are you getting a scan too ? It may be that your LO turns up and down quite regularly.

I have the river dance going on in my cervix and a head butting me in the ribs tonight.

scanning thro active threads with a glass of wine and felt all nostalgic reading this one and had to post. my now 14 month old toddling around ds wasn't diagnosed as breech til i had a scan at 11 days overdue. bless him his ankles were round his ears.
to anyone facing the c section - i was gutted and all up for a natural birth but have to say it all worked out fine , the recovery period wasn't nearly as bad as i thought, the scar was smaller and yes the first night was hard but you are up and about the next day.it wasn't the birth i wanted but hey...good luck xx

Haven't posted for a few days as I was waiting for my latest midwife appointment to confirm my instinct. They think that the baby is still breech, though like you MrsMars they aren't completely sure.

I'm due on the 1st of October so in theory there is still time for things to change but I'm getting very impatient!

Ah well, back to the frozen peas and bum in the air antics....

Thanks for the reassurance nojopo.

Any news from MrsM yet after her scan?

Fettle - i think we all just need to wait til our appts. These LO's are obviously determined to keep us guessing!!

Hello everyone, well as I thought, scan confirmed LO is breech. His bottom is well and truly in my pelvis. Now I've got to decide whether to go for ecv. I'm feeling pretty reluctant to be honest. I don't know if I'm being a coward but the risk to my baby, no matter how tiny scares me. I know there are risks associated with cs births too, but I gather they're more to do with the mother, post op recovery etc, and call me an over protective mother but I'd rather I faced any risk than my baby.

I've got to decide by tomorrow morning, I feel that I'm taking the easy option (though my cousin has just reassured me a cs is never the easy option) but I just have a bad feeling about ecv.

Another factor is that just like you fettle, my baby has a really big head, off the charts (it's slightly over the 100th percentile from what I can tell from my scan results) it already measures 12cm diameter, so that scares me too. The idea of having a difficult labour followed by an emergency cs sounds much worse to me than an elective cs, not for me but for the baby really.

As for the "kicks" in my cervix, they're actually his bottom, as he's in an flexed breech, with his head tucked under my right ribs, his spine down my right side facing backwards (back to back) and his feet curled up in front of his tummy (hence kicks in the bikini line area). It's wierd cos I was sure those kicks in my cervix were from his feet, they do feel like jabs, but the sonograper said the cervix is pretty sensitive so being bumped by a bottom would feel pretty sharp. To me it feels a bit like a smear test, that moment when they take the swab, but on the inside iyswim!

Thanks so much nojopo for posting a positive story of cs. I'm a little scared of facing it, but I'm sure it's the right decision and it doesn't have to be the trauma we've been led to believe!

Hmmmm looking at the website dal posted a while back, looks like it could be the feet kicking my cervix after all! It also says that flexed breech is the best kind for attempting a turn, I'm still so not keen on the idea. I know he's been in this position for at least six weeks, so I'm thinking that he might be reluctant to turn and it could all turn rather distressing for him

MrsMar, your LO is in exactly the same position as mine. And yes, I'm sure it is feet that we're feeling jabbing away down there. Your description is perfect, it does feel like you're having a smear test. I HATE having smear tests, it always really hurts me . Sympathy to you and me ((((hugs))))

Mrs M - my bub is flexed breech too. I dont really know what to advise on the ECV front as I have the exact same thoughts and concerns on the ECV front as you. I cant help but feel that there is a reason this baby is breech (and if next week is still breech) - there must be a good reason.

How much did they tell you today about the people conducting the ECV? What is their success rate? How long have they been doing the procedure for?
My obs is the one who is in charge of the ECV and he says for the women who do attempt ECV's (many are ruled out due to size of baby/ cord around neck/ blood flows/ concern over fetal health) their success rate is 60%. The fact that someone I know and trust will be the one carrying out the procedure may make me more prone to giving it a go.

Either way - dont feel pressured into anything. It is your choice and you are not by any means taking the easy option. I am a great believer in following gut instinct, and if you dont feel happy giving it a go, then dont feel obliged too!

Sorry for long post, hope some of it helps.

Hi all,

had mw appt this morning, I am 35+4 and just been told that she thinks lo is breech, after him being head down all the way through to date. Thought I better pop over and check out this thread. Right off to read it, be back in a bit

Updated with stats, not sure if i have everyones?

ejt1764 - 2nd October

dal21 - EDD, 28th Sept (next scan - 4th Sept, CSection booked 20th Sept if it is needed. Whether ECV will be attempted is TBC over next few weeks)

Nettee - EDD 17th Sept ( Unstable lie, next appointment 28th August 37+1)

toadstool EDD 21st September

bex44 EDD 11th Sept, C section booked 6th Sept 39+2

soontobeamummy Ess201 EDD 12/09/07 C Section booked 11/09/07

Alfie72: next scan 6/9/07 (36+4) EDD 30th sept

Hopeitwontbebig EDD 23rd Sept, section booked 19th Sept

Holly29 EDD 27 September, next scan 4th Sept (will be 36 + 5)

TinaLC EDD 29 Sep, next scan 10th Sep and ECV booked 11th Sep at 37+2

RoastChicken - EDD 25th Sept

MrsM - deciding on ECV

And how about our other fellow watchers:

betsycoe
horace
diddle
orangecat
Fettleandminifettle
MrsF

Just added my details

Updated with stats, not sure if i have everyones?

ejt1764 - 2nd October

dal21 - EDD, 28th Sept (next scan - 4th Sept, CSection booked 20th Sept if it is needed. Whether ECV will be attempted is TBC over next few weeks)

Nettee - EDD 17th Sept ( Unstable lie, next appointment 28th August 37+1)

toadstool EDD 21st September

bex44 EDD 11th Sept, C section booked 6th Sept 39+2

soontobeamummy Ess201 EDD 12/09/07 C Section booked 11/09/07

Alfie72: next scan 6/9/07 (36+4) EDD 30th sept

Hopeitwontbebig EDD 23rd Sept, section booked 19th Sept

Holly29 EDD 27 September, next scan 4th Sept (will be 36 + 5)

TinaLC EDD 29 Sep, next scan 10th Sep and ECV booked 11th Sep at 37+2

RoastChicken - EDD 25th Sept

MrsM - deciding on ECV

Betsycoe - 1st October - Moxibustion booked for next week!

And how about our other fellow watchers:

horace
diddle
orangecat
Fettleandminifettle
MrsF

Updated with stats, not sure if i have everyones?

Mrs Fish - EDD 30th Sept or 1st Oct depending on whose dates you go by. They won't scan me until mw sees me next which is not till I am 37+4, so not sure what is going to happen yet.

ejt1764 - 2nd October

dal21 - EDD, 28th Sept (next scan - 4th Sept, CSection booked 20th Sept if it is needed. Whether ECV will be attempted is TBC over next few weeks)

Nettee - EDD 17th Sept ( Unstable lie, next appointment 28th August 37+1)

toadstool EDD 21st September

bex44 EDD 11th Sept, C section booked 6th Sept 39+2

soontobeamummy Ess201 EDD 12/09/07 C Section booked 11/09/07

Alfie72: next scan 6/9/07 (36+4) EDD 30th sept

Hopeitwontbebig EDD 23rd Sept, section booked 19th Sept

Holly29 EDD 27 September, next scan 4th Sept (will be 36 + 5)

TinaLC EDD 29 Sep, next scan 10th Sep and ECV booked 11th Sep at 37+2

RoastChicken - EDD 25th Sept

MrsM - deciding on ECV

And how about our other fellow watchers:

betsycoe
horace
diddle
orangecat
Fettleandminifettle

Good afternoon ladies. As you know, my lo is also a persistent long term breech of 10+ weeks. Even if i was more keen on NVD i think i would share your concerns about causing distress if attempting ECV, which i politely declined.

My sister had ECV for her second child and it was successful at the second attempt, but she then had a lot of pain and ended up being kept in hospital for about 2 weeks until she went into labour.

Regarding elective CS, i think its not as bad as its made out to be. The current thread about how terrible they are has me particularly incensed. I've held back from posting there, as i'm clearly a maladjusted individual, as if lo wasn't breech I would have requested CS.

Every option has risks, the heirarchy being 1.NVD, 2. Elective CS, 3. Assisted delivery, 4.Emergency CS.

I'm going into my elective CS knowing what I'm doing and importantly with a positive outlook. I accept my recovery time will be longer, I accept I may have problems starting breastfeeding, I understand the complications of surgery and I appreciate the risks in future pregnancies.
I'm going to make sure I'm up and around as soon as possible and take as many drugs as i need to achieve that.

Most importantly, you have to do what you feel comfortable with yourself, and people should respect that.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest! Sorry for long post

Just been reading that link Dal... thanks... it says..

LINK: 36 to 37 weeks is now regarded as the optimum time to perform an ECV. The reasons for this are:

The baby is given the most time to turn on their own.
The baby is not too big, and is unlikely to be deeply engaged in the pelvis.
The amniotic fluid is only just starting to decrease. (Amniotic fluid volume starts to naturally decrease from 37 weeks), and
The baby is old enough to be born if complications arise.

But I will be practically 38 weeks before I even see the mw again, then I have to wait for an appt for a scan etc, surely this will be too late to do anything then???

I've been to the midwife today and have been told that the baby is still breech ( I had a scan 3 weeks ago and was told the baby was breech then . I have an appointment at the hospital in 2 weeks and the midwife said that the consultant will talk to me about trying to turn the baby round but that as the baby has been breech for the last few weeks it may just be a baby that likes to sit on its bottom and either wont turn round or will turn back to the position it is in now. She said that the consultant will discuss a c section with me. I didn't ask all the questions I should have done though and thought someone on her could help. My first was 6 weeks early, will they book me in for a c section before 40 weeks or will they wait untill I start in labour and then see what position the baby is in? How likely is the baby to turn on its own? How late in the pregnancy will they decide I need a c section?
If they try and turn the baby could this cause labour to begin and would they avoid this becasue of my first?

HI Dal, I didn't speak to anyone else at the hospital apart from the sonographer. She didn't tell me about who exactly would be doing it, apart from being a consultant trained in ecv. I haven't seen any consultants, and to be honest, because I've got to make my mind up by tomorrow lunchtime I feel a bit railroaded in to ecv and hence more reluctant to try it.

If they do try it I will be 38 weeks + as they won't attempt before. As MrsF has said, I heard it's not so good after 37 weeks because of the fluid levels, but there was no one around to discuss how my fluid levels stood, together with the baby's size etc to give me a closer idea of my chances of success.

Bex, thanks for your very positive post. I think in the circumstances an elective cs is much safer for my baby if your hierarchy of safe deliveries is right.

Ale - I think what happens to you will depend on your hospital's policy. Our hospital advise against nvd of breech babies, and if you don't want to try ecv they book you in after 39 weeks but before your edd, so I guess 39.5 weeks.

On a lighter note HIWBB, when I told my sister that I was getting kicks/bumps on my cervix that felt like a smear she totally poo-pooed it, she said how could I possibly feel where he was kicking !! This is someone who's had two babies!! I guess some people just know their bodies better I hope your little bubba stops his/her riverdance on your cervix soon!