3rd Trim. Breech Babies: Turning Tips, Experiences, etc

[kimthebride]

After an entire pregnancy of being head-down, DD decided to turn breech 6 weeks before my due date. :rolleyes: Lovely.

I did some searching for a one-stop place for help, tips & experiences, and though I found a few stories it was kind of...not exactly what I was looking for. Thus the new thread. :) So let me get started with the questions:

For those of you with late-term breech babies:

1. What techniques did you try?
-- acupuncture?
-- moxibustion?
-- manual version?
-- positioning?
-- playing music to your pelvis?
-- hold pack/cold pack placement?
-- body ball exercises?
-- something else?

2. Do you have any good links to how to do the at-home techniques (I am at a loss with the SpinningBabies site and Googling seems to lead me all over the place)? Any pictures you are willing to share?

3. How were your experiences with the different techniques?

4. In the end, if nothing worked what did you do?
-- Plan a c/s?
-- Go into labor & have a c/s?
-- Deliver vaginally?

I personally am particularly interested in:
- any step-by-step at-home exercises/routines I can do, like on the exercise ball.
- your experience of manual version (I can't find a video to see what its like, and am very curious)

My plan has been:
- To play music to my pelvis at least 1 hour a day & put cold pack on her head 2x a day til this friday.
- If she hasn't turned by Friday, I begin acupuncture (possibly with moxibustion?).
- If she doesn't turn within 2 weeks, then we do a manual version (I heard these hurt like heck)
- If that doesn't work, a planned c/s

I appreciate all information, links and experiences. Oh, and anyone else's related questions are more than welcome here!

Thanks in advance....

----

In case you are wondering, there are 3 'related' threads:

Has anyone ever done moxibustion for a breech baby?
http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26697&highlight=breech

Babies who were breech mid pregnancy
http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24312&highlight=breech

Breech at 30+ weeks, did your baby flip?
http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8776&highlight=breech

[Linz]

I have never had any kids but I just wanted to say that my oldest sister (she is 30 now) was breech and my mom delivered her vaginally and lived to tell about it...and had 3 more kids! :p

Good luck, I hope she gets her head back down there!

[jennylou]

DD turned breach around 35 weeks, after being head down the entire time. I wanted a vbac and one OB (not my normal one) said they wouldn't turn her manually, so I needed her to turn on her own.

I crawled, sat on the birthing ball, stayed off of the recliner and tried to watch my posture. The crawling is pretty funny to see, my husband told me. There's an actual technique to it, I'm pretty sure I found tons of information at Spinning Babies. (www.spinningbabies.com)

Something must have worked, DD turned before the following week's check up and I was able to have her vaginally.

I saw you didn't like spinning babies, so here is another site that explains the crawling. (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ilana.m/turnbaby.htm)

Good luck!

[mimieliza]

My baby was firmly breech by about 32 weeks and did not move from that position until 37 weeks, just before I had an ultrasound to determine her position prior to an external version. I was not aware of when she moved, but I knew that she had dropped, and her head was no longer pressing into my ribcage.

I didn't do anything special to try and flip her. I was days away from the version, so I was VERY relieved that she flipped.

[kmmommy]

Neither of mine were breech but I thought I'd tell you to PM Niko&Troi. She was a June mommy with me and had some tricks that worked for her and a couple others in that thread.

Good luck!

[bamboo]

A birthing class friend of mine was breech until I think 38 weeks- she did everything I've ever heard of. Ice packs at the top, hot packs at the bottom, music at the bottom, husband talking at the bottom, acupuncture and moxibustion, massage, rocking on the birthing ball, time on hands and knees, cat/cow, laying upside down on an ironing board, etc. Several things in combination too (like laying upside down with a cold back on the head and music playing at the bottom). She has no idea what thing or combo finally worked, but her DD turned and was born vaginally.

[Medako]

My DS turned breech somewhere between 39 & 40 weeks. The fliud levels weren't high enough to expect him to turn on his own again. My doctor was going to try to manually turn him, but was pretty confident that it wouldn't work. 2 days later I had a scheduled c/s (very tramatic experience).

[Mrsbuw]

We thought my son was head down until we were at the hospital and I was 5cm dilated (and dilating very very quickly). They did an ultrasound and discovered he was a Frank Breech. It was his head and not his bum that was shoved way up into my ribcage. My doctor felt it was too risky to deliver vaginally because of the angle of his head. We checked into the hospital at 3:45 (am) and he was born at 4:15am. It was a very quick surreal experience. We really didn’t have any time to panic.

In a way I think we were lucky not knowing before hand he was Breech. I’m sure I would have been very nervous and praying for him to turn. My c-section experience really wasn’t that painful, I was pretty sore for awhile but not that bad. I hope your little girl turns for you.

[purplevega]

DS was breech until 36 weeks. He turned while I was shopping at the store. It hurt like heck. I thought I was in labor and so did the people around me. LOL

Kim

[someday soon]

DS was breech. I was hell-bent on a natural vaginal delivery, and was devastated that he was breech - and just as hell-bent on turning him! I tried a chiropractor, playing music, swimming, cold packs, and a manual version. Nothing worked, but as I found out after my c-section, I have a misshapen uterus (bicornuate) which was what made him go breech, and may well mean that all future babies will be breech.

I don't think anyone has responded yet about a version. I had the version at 37 weeks (at the hospital where I eventually delivered - I think they are almost always done at hospitals). I had a detailed (about an hour) ultrasound a couple of days before to check size and fluid levels. For the version itself, I think I had to get there about an hour early to check in and start on terbutaline. My OB would check on DS by ultrasound, then push as hard as he could (his arms were shaking), then check the ultrasound again, over and over. It hurt pretty bad, I won't lie. I've heard that some doctors will actually do an epidural for versions. I used some breathing techniques and, fortunately, the whole thing was only about 15 minutes, and I figure I can put up with anything for 15 minutes. Even though it wasn't successful, I have no regrets about doing the version.

My OB wanted to schedule a C-section at 38.5 weeks, but I resisted- I wanted to give DS more time to flip on his own (which, now I realize, was never going to happen), and preferred to go into labor on my own. We compromised by scheduling my C-section at 39.5 weeks, and I went into labor two days sooner. Unfortunately, my labor was super fast and by the time we got to the hospital, I had to go straight to the OR for a true emergency, general anesthesia c-section, and it was awful. If I have future breech babies, I'll just schedule the darn thing at 38.5 weeks :)

[kimthebride]

I really appreciate all these responses - THANK YOU and keep them coming! :)

[usafwife]

Kim ~ Sorry to hear about little girl being breech now. While neither one of mine were breech I have a friend whose first baby was breech. We were due within a few wks of each other (she was due before me). They scheduled a manual version. I remember her saying that it was painful. During it the baby started having some problems so they had to do an emergency c/s (his cord had gotten compressed while they were trying to turn the baby). They found out later that she has a misshapened uterus and will have another c/s with her current pregnancy.

Good luck with your decision/getting her to turn.

BTW, how's the house selling/buying going?