your baby's position? Im trying to figure out if my baby is still breech - where do you feel most kicks?

[BarbieLovesKen]

Hi all, had my last scan 3 weeks ago at 32 weeks where my baby was breech.

My next scan is on the 29th where I will be 36+3 - it seems like an age away cos this will be the decider for a c section or not I think.

Am trying to figure out what way my baby is lying - if he has turned over the last few weeks.

I dont think so - I was having terrible trouble breathing as the head was right at my ribs but that has eased but I think baby has dropped as opposed to turned.

I am getting loads of movement at the very bottom of my stomach - like he is constantly kicking my bladder. This is making me think hes still breech although cant understand how Im getting kicks there if hes bum down.

Would really appreciate if you could tell me where you felt most movement with your breech baby? or where you had most movement with your head down baby (as I cant remember with my dd?

Thank you so much

Oh and the Doctor said at the 32 week scan that the baby was unusually low down in my pelvis so I presume that means the chance of turning is less? (didnt think to ask all this til I had left!)

DS was breech, it was clear he stayed that way through the weeks as I could feel his head under my ribcage, kicks down low, and also my bump didn't drop at all. Turning was v painful for me but I'm glad I gave it a try. I'm presuming you're trying different things to make the baby move of its own accord - i.e. www.spinningbabies.com? You have plenty of time BTW, I hope that your baby turns

Thank you so much MrsJarmin, yes I've been trying everything - to no avail I think though although I could get a nice suprise next week.

Am just trying to prepare and accept a possible c section - just incase.

Thanks for your post - really helps as sounds alot like what I've been experiencing.

I'm guessing my bump is head down because the big kicks are up high and the lower down movements feel more like rummaging around rather than strong kicks. It's really difficult to tell though. I hope you manage to get the little blighter turned

My baby is head down but not yet engaged, Im 34 weeks.

I get most kicks in the middle and top of my bump now. I knew the baby wasnt head down before as I had kicks to my bits and bladder.

Have you tried going on all fours for a while in the day? That is supposed to help baby move.

It makes little difference where you feel the "kicking"- could be actually "boxing" that you feel

It is way too early for you to despair , and he can still turn. try the "praying" position which is very helpful, and also moxa and sitting on your heels (called the Japanese sitting, whilst doing pelvic rocks- it works!! )

good luck!

i was undiagnosed breech with my first and had an emergency section. around 32 weeks one midwife i saw said i was breech, i did not see her again, next midwife got it repeatedly wrong until i had her saying her head was engaged. all the while i could feel her head "rolling" around just under my ribs, it was very definately not the little flutters of kicking but large, slow rolling movements. I wish i had argued with that midwife in retrospect because i knew that was not little feet!

I'm 31w and DS is head down (but not engaged). I feel kicks from my belly button upward and I know he's still headdown as the hiccups are around my bladder.

Good luck

I'm currently 37+4 and my baby is breech. I have all of the big movements at the top right hand side of bump where the head/shoulders are and the flutters down at the bottom - or rather kicks against the cervix! Mine has pivoted between oblique, breech and transverse for ages!

I am 35+3 and my mw reckons that mine is breech, most of my movements are upper right hand though and I'm sure I can feel feet up there so am desperately hoping she is wrong. It does feel like quite a hard lump at the top though! If yours is still breech barbielovesken you could go for an external cephalic version, where they try and turn the baby for you or a vaginal breech birth. There is no way I'm having a section unless there is a really good reason and for me having had two easy births a breech is not a good reason if everything else is ok.

When DD was breech I felt her kick me right in the bladder and weird tickles at the top of my stomach, as if she was drawing her hand accross. HTH

I found it very easy to distinguish between a head and a bottom under your ribs. A head is very hard and you can map the sutures that join the various parts of the skull.

I couldn't tell by the kicks, and a low-down heartbeat managed to fool my midwife.

Heads bob - that how i knew it was breech. i think mine turned in the end because it got fed up of me pushing the back of its head. poor little love...

DD was breech. She used to try and lift her head out in the bath - looked most peculiar! My MW suggested that if you put a hand either side of the suspected head and push alternatly, a head will move independently of the rest of the body while if you've got a bum the whole baby will swing from side to side.

In the end DD never turned and was born as a breech baby at home with IMs. She was 9lb 12 and my first. Our conclusion (after a LOT of reading and thinking) was that vaginal breech birth is not intrinsically any more risky than a CS (although the risks are not directly comparable) - but vaginal breech birth with a MW/Dr not confident and competent in what they're doing is a different scenario entierly and not one we wanted to look at. Using IMs allowed us to be sure that the MWs had the appropriate skills.

For anyone considering a vaginal breech I'd recommend reading "Breech Birth" by Benna Waites and/or "Breech Birth: What are my options" by Jane Evans, along with this article by Mary Cronk, which differentiates very clearly between a medicalised vaginal breech delivery and a hands off vaginal breech birth and making sure that you and all your HCPs are agreed on how much medical intervention/help you are prepared to accept!

maxbear I disagree with you - breech presentation is a good reason for having a c-section when the midwives/ hospital are not experienced in vaginal breech births. Just because you had 2 other easy births before wouldn't necessarily mean that a vaginal breech birth would be easy, as I'm sure you know.

I've got to go in for another scan next week as the MW at the birthing centre I saw on Friday for my 35 week AN appointment thought baby was breech.
Hopefully not but if she is I will be taking the ELCS route. I want a natural waterbirth but not if it is very likely to go wrong - I'd rather have an elcs than end up with a ECS/ crash CS.

Fibilou mine turned the day before my 36 week appointment. Hope you have the same luck.
On a hippy tip - I read something that I think might have made the difference for me - I too was very anxious to avoide c section as have heart set on waterbirth. I read that really they always move unless they can't so don't worry too much about trying to have your bum in the air the whole time. instead ask yourself if there is any emotional reason it might not have flipped over. I realised that I have been getting worried about having the baby. Not the birth bit but the actual baby. Just thinking that I am so happy just being with DH at the mo and I'm not ready etc. It may all be total hooey but as soon as i started thinking to myself and telling the wee one that in fact I was really looking forwards to meeting it and letting myself get excited about it again, it turned. Felt like a Brazilian carnival drum procession was marching through my tummy but wasn't uncomfortable, just a bit sci fi! Anyway fingers crossed for you. TURN BABY TURN!!!

get yourself some reflexology

i swear this turned my transverse/oblique/breech DD

around 3 hours after the treatment, DD went on a crazy shifting herself around wiggle fest and when i went for my ECV at 37 weeks, she was head down which is where she stayed

i had my waterbirth which was fabulous

My son was undiagnosed footling breech. He used to kick me right in the soft bit between my pelvis and fanjo. I kept telling MW and DH that it felt like a kick (was so hard it sometimes would make my leg buckle) - they said he must be punching me, but I just couldn't believe a baby could punch that hard. But what did I know? I was only a first time mum.

I had an emergency CS.

15 months later I can believe that he can punch that hard!

Hi all,

Cant reply to everyone individually as so many but thanks a million for replies - have found really helpful - it looks like most with breech babies felt kicks low down - pretty much what I suspected but its great to have a comparison.

If baby doesnt turn think Im resigning myself to an elcs have read quite a bit about version or vaginal breech birth and dont personally like the risks associated with either - am trying to be positive though, once baby is delivered safe and sound it doesnt matter. That said please cross fingers for a turn!!

Thanks for tips too.. am definately going to give anything new a go..

ELCS isn't the end of the world, in some ways it's better to know what's coming and prepare yourself for it rather than to labour for ages and then it to be an emergency c-section. Still hoping for a turning for you though, it's more than likely your baby will turn the right way up

At the end of the day you have to do what you feel most comfortable with - its not an easy decision at all and there isn't a single right answer for all women/families, just the answer that's best for you given your circumstances at this time.

You might want to try and get a copy of the Benna Waites book, though - she has a chapter on complementary methods of encouraging babies to turn that you might find useful.

Have you seen a physio/chiro/osteo? I know its bad for me but I've always tended to sit at a desk with my legs crossed. I started getting sciatica with DC2 and saw a physio - the first thing she noticed was that my left hip was a good inch or two higher than my right. Fortunately it was really easy to resolve for me, but I do wonder if I had a similar issue when pregnant with DD and that's why she never turned... Certainly everyone seems very confident that this one is head down, and has been since about 30 weeks (35 weeks now).

Fingers crossed your LO moves - and best wishes for a good birth however it winds up happening