Did your breech baby turn post 37 weeks?

[TheBirdintheCave]

I'm currently 36+4 with my second baby. With my first, he turned head down relatively early on, engaged quickly and I had a smooth labour and vaginal delivery (bar an episiotomy and 3B tear).

This baby is stubborn and has been frank breech since 28 weeks 😂I have an appointment with the breech clinic for an ECV next Wednesday at 37+2 but am very much hoping that he/she turns by themselves before then.

Am I clutching at straws here? I don't fancy a breech vaginal birth after my previous tear but also really don't want a c-section.

My gut tells me baby won't turn on their own as he/she basically never changes position. They've always got their head facing left, with their feet and hands up near their face and their back arching down my right hand side. I'm worried they're stuck due to the placenta position or by being tangled in the cord.

If you had a breech baby did they turn by themselves post 37 weeks?
If you had an ECV, how was it?

Caveat: Yes, I have tried Spinning Babies 😅 I've also scrubbed the floors, bounced around every Thursday at Zumba and taken loads of walks but nothing has made baby turn sadly :(

Yes my baby turned at 37 weeks
after reflexology!
also try for a water birth if you can as this can shift them whilst your labouring and get them in a better position

@rubyslippers I really want a water birth! I missed out the first time round as by the time the hospital let us come in I was 10cm and pushing 🙄

I think I'd be too scared to leave it until I was in labour though. Breech team aren't concerned about me having a breech vaginal birth but the stats suggest I'm at greater risk of an EMC or episiotomy that way.

I looked into reflexology but can't afford any extra therapies this month. I do need to get my bouncy ball thing down from the loft and give that a go though.

Yes: my baby was breech at 35/36 weeks and I had a failed ECV. On the morning of my elective section, they checked and she had turned herself head down so they sent me away to go into labour myself!

@CancelledCheque Ah brilliant! Good to know they can turn even at the last second! That must have been such a relief :D

Nope! My baby was breech all the way till I went into spontaneous labour at 38 weeks. They checked and was still bottom first so had a semi - elective/emergency caesarean. I found the caesarean absolutely fine! Left the hospital 24hrs after, and was back walking the dog 2 days later! Would absolutely not recommend an ECV - didn't work and hurt like hell!

Not quite 37 weeks, but my second turned the evening of 36+5! I didn't feel it happen, but he was breech when I'd been checked earlier that afternoon, and cephalic when scanned the next morning.

My friend's first baby turned sometimes between 36 weeks, and the day of her C-section.

Everything crossed for you.

Mine turned on her own at some point after 36 weeks. I didn't notice a thing, only found out two days before my scheduled c section at 39 weeks. Ended up having a lovely vaginal birth. Just wanted to give you some hope!!

Yes! She is currently 2weeks old so this is very recent for me 🤣 Between 28w and 36w, she was breech, tranverse, cephalic, oblique and back to breech. I declined an ECV in favour of a planned c-section at 39+5. During a visit to triage at 39+1, the midwives thought she was still breech. I went into spontaneous labour at 39+3 on arrival at the delivery suite, she had turned head down at some point in those last 48hrs! So i had a vaginal delivery in the end. I cant say i specifically felt it happen but my bump had been really sore on the day before so i assume that's when it happened. When she was born, she had an unusually long cord so my theory is that she had got caught up in it and couldn't get herself turned.

Thanks for the stories so far! More yeses than nos are making me feel a bit more confident! :)

@gcat16 Eesh :/ Did they not stop when you said you were in pain? I've been told it will be uncomfortable but if it hurts then they will stop.

Not for me, she was stubbornly breech from about 32 weeks on. I had an ECV too which didn't work but I would say it is worth a try. It is painful but doesn't last long, as they told me if it is going to work it will work straight away. Ended up having a c section which I wasn't keen on either but actually worked out fine.
Best of luck OP whatever happens for you!

My friend is just coming up to 38 weeks - her baby was breech so she had the ECV at 37 weeks (she said it was fine for her, a bit uncomfortable but over quickly) and it was successful. A couple of days later the baby had turned herself around again, so she doesn’t know whether she would have just turned anyway on her own, but she’s back in the same position as she was before the ECV!

@Lillers Oh no! That's meant to be quite rare from what I've read. Sorry for your friend :(

I had my ECV this morning, it all went perfectly and baby turned on the first try! :D Just got to hope they stay down now. It was uncomfortable, bordering on painful, but bearable for the 20 seconds it took to actually complete the turn.

Wonderful news!

Oh that’s great, hopefully baby stays head down for you from now on!