Head down baby after breech possible?

[Izzymay]

Hi mums/mums to be

I’m 30 weeks with baby 2. Baby 1 was breech, I discovered a little too late and it was impossible to turn her. I would love to try having this baby Vbac, and I guess it starts with baby facing head down.

Baby is still moving around a lot but I’m keen to do what I can to encourage the head down position.

Are there any mums here who’ve gone on to have a head down baby after a breech? I’m really worried baby will be breech again :(

Are there any exercises you swear by?

At the moment I’m trying to walk lots, and doing forward tilt ( knees on sofa arms on floor). I have a lot of pain on my right hip and I wonder if there might be a muscular/skeletal issue that could get in the way too.

Any help would be highly appreciated.

Has your obstetrician suggested an ECV? I was offered one but declined. I think that’s the most successful way to turn baby.

@Suzi888 I was offered ECV for first baby, but didn’t work, I suspect because it was too late - I think it was done around 37 weeks, and she was quite a large baby.

I’ve posted about it here before. I wouldn’t repeat that experience. It was absolutely horrible.

ECV wasn’t for me either, all the nurses and the sonographer told me to avoid it. I almost tried moxibustion but decided c sec was for me! Hopefully someone whose had a successful turn will come along soon. Good luck with the birth whatever happens

Yes I'v had head down, breech, head down. I'll be honest I did nothing differently, it was just how it went.

I had one breech, one head down and currently 34 weeks with another head down. I try and not slouch on the sofa every night and sit on ball instead but I think it’s prob just luck!

I had a breech baby first, born at 37 weeks via csection. He was breech my entire pregnancy as confirmed by monthly scans (for unrelated reasons).

I then had my second son 23 months later and he was head down from 32ish weeks. He was born via VBAC and was a textbook labour according to the midwife and with no complications. Recovery was much better than c section.

I behaved no differently in either pregnancy so don’t know what influenced position!

@Isit2021yetplease, @luccyloo, @HiScore

Thank you for sharing your experiences, you’re giving me hope that having 1 baby breech doesn’t mean all subsequent babies will be breech.

May I ask by what week your babies stayed head down? As I mentioned I’m 30 weeks now and baby is moving in various positions - I am guesstimating. Sometimes I can feel a hard ball right under my ribs and I assume that’s the head, other times the head is transverse, other times it’s lower down.

@Suzi888
Thank you for your kind wishes

Not me personally but mil had dh via c section as he was breech but his younger sister was a normal head down natural birth.
Both of mine were sections but dc1 was transverse when delivered at 33 weeks and dc2 was head right down from 28 weeks and didn't move until he was born at 36 weeks.

Of course it is possible, a baby can turn even when you think there is no way there is enough room to do so.

We had 3 singletons all head down from 20wk and good vb's. Then our twins, twin 2 was transverse the whole time. Twin 1 was head down from 20wk to my 32wk scan, at my 36wk scan she'd turned breech. The consultant was amazed she'd managed it as they were both big babies, they wouldn't even attempt an ecv so I had elcs at 38wk. This baby I can see being breech too, 26wk atm and most kicks are low down. Will see what they say at my checkup in a couple of weeks. I will be opting for elcs if she is breech at 36wk, not up for an ecv.

DC1 was always head down. DC2 was flipping between breech and head down right until 38 weeks, then stayed breech. DC3 was breech at 28 weeks and was head down by I think the 34 week scan.

From memory they won't attempt an ECV if you've had a previous section so you don't have to worry about doing that again.

My first was breech, vb as wasn't identified until I was in labour and I was too far gone for emergency section.

My second was head down, can't remember exactly when from but could tell a distinct difference between him and my first iyswim.

Currently expecting third and they are also head down, for the time being, having favoured the transverse position for quite some time.

@Izzymay I have to admit I have absolutely no idea how long this one (or my previous) has been head down! I'm always amazed when people can tell which way up the baby is! I booked myself a private scan again at 32 weeks this time to check as I really had no idea and I don't get any more on the NHS since 20 weeks and so it was really important for me to know for sure.

(I'm also very suspicious of the midwives being able to feel it and tell you - as my first was all quite dramatic as despite me having had a private scan at 35 weeks to check because I was so uncomfortable, I needed to know what was under my ribs - his head - the midwife at my 36 week appointment felt my tummy and point blank refused to believe me that the baby was breech, and told me she'd been doing it for years, and knew what she was doing. Even though I told her just days ago I'd had a scan and nothing had changed in terms of where I felt movements etc! It was my first baby and I was so upset and patronised by her but she refused to send me for an NHS scan and told me it was head down and that was that. I ended up going to get another private scan to confirm he was breech still and then just going straight to the hospital and missing her out to get it sorted - by which time I was 38 weeks. Hence I have a real distrust now of anything other than a proper scan!)

I asked my midwife about this today and she said there are so many factors that can cause a baby to be breech that there's no way of guessing if the next will be. The one thing she said might is if the uterus is funny shaped. My DD was breech but successfully turned by ECV at 37 weeks. Only 24 weeks at the moment and baby is transverse or was at my last scan anyway.

@KHR1

Yes I’ve had midwives tell me the same. It
Makes sense.

Regarding the uterus, when I had my c section for last baby I believe they also inspected my anatomy. There were no abnormalities in terms uterus shape, or torsion.

I’m mostly worried whether or not there’s a genetic aspect to this. 3 of my sisters 4 children were breech, which seems like big odds of breech. She’s a lot older than me so maybe they didn’t have such good ultrasounds or medical investigations to identify the issue back then ( early 90s).
But no one else in my family has ever had a breech baby and I do have a large family.

@Isit2021yetplease

Oh wow, I really don’t know what goes on in some peoples head. How hard would it be to just check with an ultra sound. But good on you for sticking to your guns. It’s so annoying when as pregnant women we are treated like we are idiots who cannot understand what’s going on with our bodies and babies.

I was told rather late they baby 1 was breech. A midwife told me at 34 weeks but she made it seem it like it was nothing and baby had time and space to move. I was a FTM and very naïve/overly trusting and optimistic about everything so I didn’t do anything to try and flip baby. It was picked up purely by accident at 37 weeks. But by then props too late.

It’s hard for me now to figure out where baby is facing most of the time. But I do remember with first baby her head felt like a hard ball under my rib and her kicks were always deep down. So now I’ve been feeling for the ball shape - and I feel it all over the place but often transverse.

What makes me really worried is my sister had 3/4 of her babies breech. So I was worried there is a genetic component. Even when her babies have been head down at 32-35 weeks they somehow flip at the last moment.

@Isit2021yetplease

Oh wow, I really don’t know what goes on in some peoples head. How hard would it be to just check with an ultra sound. But good on you for sticking to your guns. It’s so annoying when as pregnant women we are treated like we are idiots who cannot understand what’s going on with our bodies and babies.

I was told rather late they baby 1 was breech. A midwife told me at 34 weeks but she made it seem it like it was nothing and baby had time and space to move. I was a FTM and very naïve/overly trusting and optimistic about everything so I didn’t do anything to try and flip baby. It was picked up purely by accident at 37 weeks. But by then props too late.

It’s hard for me now to figure out where baby is facing most of the time. But I do remember with first baby her head felt like a hard ball under my rib and her kicks were always deep down. So now I’ve been feeling for the ball shape - and I feel it all over the place but often transverse.

What makes me really worried is my sister had 3/4 of her babies breech. So I was worried there is a genetic component. Even when her babies have been head down at 32-35 weeks they somehow flip at the last moment.

I had undiagnosed breech with my first. The first I knew was when a foot kicked through my cervix (that smarted somewhat) and I got rushed for an EMCS.

Second was diagnosed as a breech at 36 weeks, CS booked for 38 weeks. She turned and I had an easy VBAC at 37+5.

I'm due this weekend and each time I am checked the baby has moved. Its been breach then engaged then back to breach again. I'm still hopeful it will turn in time! I've been told to lean forward when sitting, bounce on my birthing ball and try Rebozo sifting. the sifting technique is great for positioning babies correctly and safely at home and for pain in labour... we shall see if it helps!

My middle baby was breech.

Absolutely a subsequent baby can be head down & you can have a VBAC.

I really wouldn't focus on baby's position. It's great that they are head down atm. In reality, there's very little you can do to influence position, despite despite people say.

My middle baby was breech.

Absolutely a subsequent baby can be head down & you can have a VBAC.

I really wouldn't focus on baby's position. It's great that they are head down atm. In reality, there's very little you can do to influence position, despite despite people say.

Sorry for the double-post (said it hadn't posted) & for typo - should have said 'despite what people say'