Breech, polyhydramnios, and big baby

[Copenhagener]

I really need a hand hold. I am 35+2 today and because of the midwife being unable to properly feel baby’s position and my fundal height measuring very big, had an ultrasound today.

It found baby is weighing in the 99th percentile (3.32kg), is Frank breech, and that I have moderate polyhydramnios (32.2 AFI).

I had a Torch panel blood test done straight away, and am waiting on the results, but I don’t have an appointment booked in with a midwife until next Friday. I did some searching online as I didn’t get much information, and I’m feeling very worried now.

The only thing the Ultrasound Tech mentioned was that they’d book me in for an ECV to try to turn her on 25 November - which sounds unlikely to work given her size and having so much amniotic fluid - and then I still have the birth concerns about a huge baby and so much fluid even if it works! I’m feeling very alone and scared and that something bad could happen before I see the specialist, like going into early labour and having a cord prolapse (the ultrasound technician told me this is a possibility and that if my waters break I need to call an ambulance immediately). My aunt lost a baby because of a cord incident at full term, and this is an IVF baby after infertility, so my anxiety is through the roof.

That’s reassuring to hear - it sounds like you’re in good hands 😊

My recovery actually went really fast and well. I was up and walking the same day (albeit in discomfort) but I let my partner do the first few days of baby changes and lifting her on and off me. Walking around early really helps the recovery move faster.

Take the morphine if it’s offered! I was off morphine by day 3, and off paracetemal/ibuprofen by day 5. I will say that the trapped gas is AWFUL post section. Eat prunes, ask for medicine to help you poop, move around. It was the most pain I had after - it made me cry.

By 2 weeks after I was largely back to normal. I’m a month PP now and totally back to normal life, except not lifting/pushing anything heavy. I don’t regret getting the section at all. With breech, a large baby, her head tilted back, her being back to back, and poly with 3+ litres of fluid, it was the right - and safest - choice.

One warning; your belly/skin may be huge with poly. Mine is! So I’ve been left with a bit of an overhang. Make sure you keep that area very clean to prevent infection and air it out multiple times a day. Mine started getting a bit yucky 3 weeks after, but it’s okay now.

Baby breathing: I will be honest, this was a problem. And mine was at 37+5 and baby weighed 4.3kg, so they don’t expect an issue. Baby needed a c-pap immediately after birth for 10 minutes before we were released. She was all blue and floppy and it was scary. I didn’t expect that as she was so big and at term. Unfortunately, she ended up in NICU on day 5 after bad results from a blood test, because her lungs weren’t fully developed so she had too much carbon dioxide in her bloodstream. We spent two nights there with her for monitoring, and she was on c-pap for a few hours after being admitted. She’s one month old and totally okay now, and in hindsight it wasn’t that serious, but it was terrifying at the time. So be prepared for that possibility. It’s more likely with sections anyway, add the poly and the early term birth, and it’s a risk. It’s hard to have the birth you wanted taken away from you, so I hope you get a good experience even if it’s not the one you dreamed of.

Let me know how you get on, and wishing you all the luck.

@Copenhagener
thank you so much for sharing! I’m so worried about the breathing thing.. but ultimately if he doesn’t move head down (I know it’s early still but I just have a feeling he won’t) we won’t have a choice and need to go with a section, so just need to roll with it…
Ill chat it through with my consultant but he will probably advise to wait on making a decision until 36 weeks - I just hate the unknown and not having a full plan! do you think I should enquire about the steroid injections for the baby to help his lungs, just in case?

great tip on airing out the wound! I didn’t think of overhang at all but makes perfect sense. My stomach is huge! The midwives never bothered measuring how many weeks I was because it was pointless… pretty sure I was measuring 40 weeks at 27 weeks.. by now I’m an elephant! Not sure how I can make it another 3 weeks.