any hints on 'turning' a breech baby?

[fionagib]

My friend (who's not online) is expecting her third child, is 30 wks pg, v concerned that the baby is breech, and will try anything (within reason!) to persuade baby to turn. She was hoping for a home birth.

Any experiences, hints etc gratefully received - with many thanks xx

I put a very cold nectarine (out of the fridge) on my twin 1's head 2 weeks ago!!! And she turned almost immediately...

It was because I had heard about putting frozen peas on them!

Acupuncture and chiropractic can work, particularly before about 35 weeks pg. The acupuncture doesn't involve needles, but burning a stick of smelly herbs on your little toe. Bizarrely, studies have shown it to be quite effective.

There are also positions that involve putting your bum higher than your head, but all v. uncomfortable in late pg.

Failing that (and it didn't work for me, prob. bcos I was over 35 wks), hospitals may offer something called an ECV (external cephalic version), which involves giving a drug to relax the muscles of the uterus, and a Dr. (or two) manually turning the baby. There are a lot of horror stories and myths surrounding this procedure, which should not be listened to.

It's most likely to be effective if it's not your first child (it was my 3rd too). The actual procedure is quite quick (a few mins), tho' you spend an hour or two on the drip beforehand, and if done by an experienced team, the incidence of complications is v. low. It was uncomfortable, but certainly not agony.

hth

At 30 weeks there is NO POINT in worrying because baby can still somersault so if it get heads down it can still turn again.... I would start acting after 36 weeks.
Accupuncture works, hoemopathy (pulsatilla 200) works.
ECV have a 50% success rate b ut even these - which are done at 37 weeks - can still ahve babies somersault!

At 30 weeks it is common to have a breech. As I said, no point in worrying.... there have been studies that showed that women who are particularely emotionnally vilnerable have more breech.... so worrying isn't going to help IYSWIM

That's really helpful, my own twins were breech all the way through, wish I'd known about the nectarine trick! Not sure my friend would want to go down the medical intervention route even if it's not too painful or risky... think she'd rather try any natural approaches...

and like you say pupuce the baby can still somersault at this stage...

Copying from the ECV info sheet I was given by my (London Teaching) hospital:

ECV has a fifty percent overall success rate, but the success rate is significantly lower with first pregnancies and correspondingly higher with subsequent ones.

The incidence of babies turning back after a successful ECV at 37 weeks is approximately 1%.

They also told me that they carry out one or two of these a week, and the last time they had to do an emergency caesarean because of complications was about 4 years ago.

Sorry to bang on, but I was given a lot of incorrect info about ECV from people who didn't really have up to date details, which made me unnecessarily fearful about it. Sure, I would go down the alternative routes beforehand, but if that fails, as it did for me, then having an ECV in a centre with experience of doing the procedure has got to be worth considering before going for a vaginal breech delivery or even a caesarean.

A lady I know was advised to spend some time on all fours every day (!). I think it's supposed to give them a bit more room/encouragement to turn, it worked for her.

Will email you some stuff I wrote on the acupuncture/moxa stuff.

fiona i had a breech baby at 28 wks (late scan) and got in a panic - normally i would not have known, and of course he turned!
Try googling Optimal Foetal Positioning and you'll find a whole load of helpful info... good in terms of posture even if you don't have a breech babe.

reflexology and acupressure can help too, but again, you have to wait until about 37 - 38 weeks.

So does anyone know at what stage should you start worrying about the position of the baby (says she thinking ahead at 20 weeks!)

Think I may have just answered my own question with a quick google - around 34 weeks for a first baby, or 37 weeks for a subsequent pregnancy.

Pidge - There's no point worrying about it. Any problems with the position will be picked up in your antenatal appointments. I was told all 3 of mine were breach and got sent for scans - all were fine. They must have had very round bottoms!

yoyo - my thoughts were more about posterior presentation babies, which my dd was. It wasn't picked up before the labour, in fact I think she might have turned, and I had a 3 day labour with her, which I'd like to avoid if there's anything I can do about it this time round!

hello

i was breech at 36 weeks

every evening i put some cusions on the ground and leanded forward on them on all fours but kept my bum in the air whilst watching tv. (even better on all fours lean on a birth ball)

on all fours rock backwards and forwards

on all fours walk across the room and then backwards. (if anyone looked in my window, they must of thought i was a right nutter)

when ever she is sitting down at her desk or couch always sit on the age of the chair with legs wide open and bump hanging down but keep back straight.

put a cushion in a bucket (the whole end) so when you sit on it your bum sinks in slightly. keep your legs wide open and lean forward resting your elbows on legs, this is surprisingly comfy and great for swinging that baby round to the right postion.

plus all the above are great labour positions.

good luck to her

oh forgot to say that she turned after a couple of weeks - before i had been sitting back in the couch etc but i think those movements id help

I keep posting the same info on this. A first labour with a posterioe (OP or back to back) baby is long and painful. A 2nd or any subsequent labour with the same problem usually is NOT worse than a "regular" labour as the contractions are more efficient at turning a baby around during the labour.
BTW - I had an OP baby the 1st time around too so I do know how really long and painful it can be.

As far as i was aware a baby can turn prtty much right up to the last minute????

Anyway re trying to encourage baby round into the 'ideal' position - we were shown to get onto all fours and rock a bit, sort of creating a hammock effect for baby.

Also sit on low seeting, knees apart so baby can hang down, iykwim?

pupuce - that is the best news I've heard in ages. You are a star! I have been trying not to think about it too much, but the last one was a classic marathon in which I ended up running on the spot rather than towards the finishing line .

Hope the breech baby does a suitable somersault fionagib.

Thanks so much for all your responses,it does seem very hopeful that baby will somersault or persuaded to do so! Also thank you for site info & your emailed stuff motherinf... xxx

When I was 37 weeks + with my third I woke up one night because the baby was moving so much and at my next check up the midwife informed me that she thought he was now breech - had been head down until this point. I was scanned the same day to confirm and had an ECV done the following day.

I would definitely recommend an ECV - I didn't have to have a drip, just a few puffs from an inhaler beforehand - and the procedure itself was very quick, only a minute or two, so the discomfort didn't last long. There was a lot of hanging about though at the hospital so I would recommend bringing a book or magazine.

With two older children I was desperate to avoid a caesarean, mainly due to not being able to drive afterwards. I did plenty of the optimal foetal positioning stuff for the following few weeks to deter him from turning again, plus ate like a pig in the hopes he would get too big to turn again!

thanks for that pabla... glad it worked for you. Like many of you have said she does have a way to go and the baby still has time to switch positions... your advice is v helpful, thankyou