Any one with a breach baby that turned during labor?

[Anonymous]

I so badly want to avoid a c-section this time but baby is not cooperating. Right now baby is breach. I am wondering do they ever turn during labor and how long should I wait...... and even once I am labor do I rush to hospital as soon as labor starts and immediately have a c-section or is there any point in waiting. I will of course talk to my OB about this but often find it useful to get the perspective of others before hand as it often helps me ask the right questions during my appointment!

[Anonymous]

I'm not positive but I think most doctors won't let you go into labor if the baby is breach because it is dangerous. The baby could still turn though. Sometimes they do at the end of pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

I would want to avoid goign to labor if my baby was breech. It's dangerous for the baby.

[Anonymous]

They can turn up until the last minute, but I would recommend trying to get it to turn before if you still have some time before you're due. Acupuncture treatment (which is typically done with moxa herb, not needles) can be very successful. So can forward and upside-down positions (down dog in yoga, or doing headstands in the pool if you have access to one that's deep enough). Personally, I'd keep trying these as long as possible and as frequently; I've heard people say that they've been able to feel the baby turn 1/4 or part-way and then bit by bit as they've repeated the techniques.

[Anonymous]

I think it's incorrect to assume that going into labor with a breech baby is dangerous, especially considering many countries are now reevaluating whether cesareans are always necessary for breech birth, and beginning to train providers to once again attend breech vaginal births. for example, see this from Canada:
http://www.sogc.org/media/advisories-20090617a_e.asp
"What we’ve found is that, in some cases, vaginal breech birth is a safe option, and obstetricians should be able to offer women the choice to attempt a traditional delivery.”
And in Israel:
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/doctors-call-for-fewer-c-sections-more-training-for-breech-presentations-1.264869

What seems to be the case is that doctors are no longer trained in how to attend breech births safely. That is different than breech birth being inherently unsafe for babies. I think it's an important distinction.

My understanding is that most of the labor risk factors associated with a breech baby occur very late in labor, during pushing and birth. Therefore i am not sure what would be so dangerous about just going into labor with a breech baby and then heading to the hospital at that point. For those who said going into labor with a breech baby is dangerous, is there certain evidence you are basing this conclusion on?

I had a friend who arrived for her scheduled cesarean at 41+ weeks , had an ultrasound, and found her baby was no longer breech. She labored and gave birth vaginally. so in her case, he turned unexpectedly quite late. She had done moxibustion, acupunture, and some other stuff to get him to turn -- i don't know if those things were the reason he flipped.

Good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

I've heard (anecdotally) that if the bag of waters breaks before the scheduled c-section, the cord has a greater chance of prolapsing into the birth canal before the baby. You may consider asking your doctor about this risk.

I'm 35 weeks with a breech baby, and I have the same concerns about a c-section. I've been advised by my midwife to try the techniques on spinningbabies.com. I'm also seeing Anthony Noya, a chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy and family health. His office is in Tenleytown (http://www.noyachiropractic.com/index.html). You might also consider moxibustion, which appears to be the most successful alternative technique for turning a baby. Have you talked with your doctor about an external version?

I'm interested to hear what your doctor says about any risks of going into labor before the scheduled c-section. Thanks, and all the best!

[missulka]

I've read that the doctor can actually try to turn the baby to the right position. Maybe you can ask him about that possibility.

[Anonymous]

My second was breech up until week 41, then he turned. I went into labor the day after I felt him turn (it was the middle of the night). Very fast labor. He was a big guy too (9 1/2 pounds) so it can definitely happen.

[Anonymous]

I had a section for #1 who was breech and a VBAC for 2. My only suggestion is to wait and hold off on the section for as long as possible, babies often turn right before labor, but docs like to do the section before they have time.

Personally after experiencing both a sectioin and vaginal birth, I would never want another section unless completely a last resort and everything exhausted. The recovery did not even compare and I could not be happier that I went for the VBAC despite the fear mongering techniques my OB tried to pull over my eyes. I got an antibiotic resistant MRSA infection in my incision with #1 and was lucky not to have to have parts of my dying flesh removed.

[Anonymous]

I'm 36 weeks and just had a consultation with Dr. Tchabo about my baby's breech presentation. He said that the baby has already dropped low into my pelvis, which is to be expected. This means that she will not likely disengage from the pelvis very easily. He put the chances of success with the external version at 50%. When I asked him what he would recommend if I were his daughter, he said he would probably just let the baby stay as is. This is coming from a doctor who has seen many women in my same situation and has a lot of experience delivering breech babies. He isn’t comfortable delivering her breech because I don’t have a “proven” pelvis (i.e., no previous vaginal births). He attributes her position to the shape of my pelvis. I'm hoping for a natural birth (and under the care of a midwife), but I'm mentally preparing for a c-section. If I do have one, he said I can wait until she’s ready to come, even if it's past her due date. According to him (and from what I’ve heard elsewhere), many doctors would schedule her delivery at 39 weeks for convenience sake and not because the baby is at high risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I do have one, he said I can wait until she’s ready to come, even if it's past her due date. According to him (and from what I’ve heard elsewhere), many doctors would schedule her delivery at 39 weeks for convenience sake and not because the baby is at high risk.

This is your best option, if you aren't willing to attempt a breach delivery. Letting a baby come when its ready is the best thing you can do for the baby. I went to 41w6 days with my daughter, an attempted VBAC with Dr. Tchabo. What if I had signed up for a repeat c-section at 39 weeks? She would not have been ready at that point and could have ended up in the NICU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 36 weeks and just had a consultation with Dr. Tchabo about my baby's breech presentation. He said that the baby has already dropped low into my pelvis, which is to be expected. This means that she will not likely disengage from the pelvis very easily. He put the chances of success with the external version at 50%. When I asked him what he would recommend if I were his daughter, he said he would probably just let the baby stay as is. This is coming from a doctor who has seen many women in my same situation and has a lot of experience delivering breech babies. He isn’t comfortable delivering her breech because I don’t have a “proven” pelvis (i.e., no previous vaginal births). He attributes her position to the shape of my pelvis. I'm hoping for a natural birth (and under the care of a midwife), but I'm mentally preparing for a c-section. If I do have one, he said I can wait until she’s ready to come, even if it's past her due date. According to him (and from what I’ve heard elsewhere), many doctors would schedule her delivery at 39 weeks for convenience sake and not because the baby is at high risk.

Up until very recently, Tchabo would happily try a vaginal breech delivery on a first time mom. It is not safety that has caused him to change his guidelines. Real shame, for those few women who would be willing to do it.

[Anonymous]

Mine was breech. Tried everything, but the version. Researched it and it can be stressful on both Mom and Baby and not likely help to turn the baby around. Scheduled the C-section the week before I was due. Water broke 3 days before our scheduled C-section. Went to the hospital. Dr. was there. Baby was in my arms within 2 hours of my water breaking. However, before they brought me into the operating room, it is routine to do an ultrasound to make sure he hadn't flipped. If he had, I would have tried to deliver naturally. To no avail! Good luck OP!