When to start worrying about breech baby?

[Anonymous]

My baby has been breech since around 30 weeks. Have tried everything and now 38 weeks and she hasn't moved. Csection scheduled for the 13th. They can move late, it's not unheard of, but if you are past 35 weeks may want to start mentally prepping yourself for csection. FTM so would not have been my first choice, but anything for health of the baby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - this is actually my third child - both of my other children were head down from the beginning.
Does anyone have a recommendation for an accupuncturist and/or chiropractor?

I saw Kerri Westhauser. She has offices in Falls Church and Dupont Circle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - this is actually my third child - both of my other children were head down from the beginning.
Does anyone have a recommendation for an accupuncturist and/or chiropractor?

12:25 here. Since this is your third, I would be less worried, especially at 30 weeks, than if it were the first. I honestly wouldn't start to be concerned until at least 36 weeks. But that's because of my experience with my #3. I feel like I worried too much for no reason and spent a whole week or two freaked out and doing tons of internet research and then voila, at the 37 week appointment he was vertex. Born at 38w3d. Of course the research I did was for transverse, and the stats were that something like 85% move on their own. I'm not sure what the stats are for breeches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At 30 weeks my baby was breech and everyone said not to worry. At 32 weeks and 34 weeks same thing. My doc said babies flip late all the time. I waited.

Well at 36 weeks I go to my OB and the baby was still breech and my OB was clearly nervous, wanted me to schedule a csection just in case, and urged me to see a specialist for an external version, as well as an acupuncturist for moxibustion.

The specialist OB would not do a version because I had an anterior placenta and the acupuncturist basically said she would do what she could but it was really late in the game. I did inverts and cat cows like crazy. At 40 weeks I had a c section due to baby still in complete breech position.

Bottom line is don't wait to be proactive. Start what you can now - inverts, cat cows, sitting on your core ball, moxibustion, etc. Who knows if my son would have flipped, but I had started earlier I would have spared myself and DH a lot of last minute scrambling and my own second guessing.

I am in this exact same position currently at 36 weeks except the thing is, I HAVE been doing all of those things since 30 weeks and STILL nothing so sometimes...they just won't turn no matter how hard/much you try. This is the most frustrating thing to go through week after week of them saying "don't worry, we still have time" and the weeks go by and nothing. Every night I've laid in a breech tilt position with a bag of frozen peas on top, a heating pad on the bottom, ear buds with music near my pelvis, a flash light down there while DH did moxibustion, ALL simultaneously...I've been going to a chiro and acupuncture weekly. 4 weeks later and nothing.Midwife is NOW starting to throw out "csection, induction, ECV"...I think I've cried every day now that this reality has hit me. She is right, do not wait! Try everything you can as soon as you can, best of luck!

Mine also was breech the entire time, and never flipped. Do keep this in mind (my specialty OB told me this): Sometimes there is a reason they are breech (position of the cord, etc.), and turning would actually hurt the baby, or even be life threatening! And so the baby stays in its breech position - because it is the best for him/her.

[Anonymous]

I understand why you might worry, and not want a c-section. But, as PP says, sometimes that's just the way it is. There could be a good reason why the baby is in that position, and having a c-section is not the end of the world. My first was breech and I did all the exercises, have always been very active and walked everywhere, and he didn't budge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand why you might worry, and not want a c-section. But, as PP says, sometimes that's just the way it is. There could be a good reason why the baby is in that position, and having a c-section is not the end of the world. My first was breech and I did all the exercises, have always been very active and walked everywhere, and he didn't budge.

Great point. Breech babies are not a reflection of the mom being lazy or not doing everything she could. DD never flipped throughout the entire pregnancy. I ended up with a c section, but also a really healthy baby. All's good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand why you might worry, and not want a c-section. But, as PP says, sometimes that's just the way it is. There could be a good reason why the baby is in that position, and having a c-section is not the end of the world. My first was breech and I did all the exercises, have always been very active and walked everywhere, and he didn't budge.

Great point. Breech babies are not a reflection of the mom being lazy or not doing everything she could. DD never flipped throughout the entire pregnancy. I ended up with a c section, but also a really healthy baby. All's good.

Yeah, I don't think anyone is saying a c-section is "the end of the world" but if you want a big family, it's a big deal to have a c-section - you can only have so many of them before it gets really risky for you and baby. Additionally, there are obvious drawbacks to having a section. So while it's fine to say "all's good" for you with your c-section, I don't want one and hope all will do whatever I need to do (within reason, in terms of baby's health) to flip baby and have a safe vaginal birth. And I think it's perfectly fine to worry about it. That's not the same thing as saying that someone whose baby didn't turn was lazy or anything.

[Anonymous]

my 2nd was breech until 37 weeks. The day he was born at 40 weeks he was head down, confirmed by portable ultrasound at 8 am. All was going well. Then my water broke at noon and we think that's when he flipped! He was breech again. Needed a C-section STAT. Dr. said she'd never seen that before in 30 years. He was almost a 9 lb baby.

[Anonymous]

My second was footling breech and then transverse between 36-38 weeks. I had to schedule a c-section in case she didn't flip but at some point she did. Unfortunately, all of that movement meant that the cord was wrapped around her neck several times and it took her a long time to engage. But at the very last minute (after induction and laboring for 12 hours) she was born. My doctor was ready to wheel me into the OR so I was incredibly relieved that we didn't have to go the c-section route (yes, I was a wuss and really wanted to avoid one!) Realizing after the fact how dangerous the cord situation was, though, still gives me chills. I'm pregnant with #3 now and a cord accident is never far from my mind...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At 30 weeks my baby was breech and everyone said not to worry. At 32 weeks and 34 weeks same thing. My doc said babies flip late all the time. I waited.

Well at 36 weeks I go to my OB and the baby was still breech and my OB was clearly nervous, wanted me to schedule a csection just in case, and urged me to see a specialist for an external version, as well as an acupuncturist for moxibustion.

The specialist OB would not do a version because I had an anterior placenta and the acupuncturist basically said she would do what she could but it was really late in the game. I did inverts and cat cows like crazy. At 40 weeks I had a c section due to baby still in complete breech position.

Bottom line is don't wait to be proactive. Start what you can now - inverts, cat cows, sitting on your core ball, moxibustion, etc. Who knows if my son would have flipped, but I had started earlier I would have spared myself and DH a lot of last minute scrambling and my own second guessing.

Same exact thing here, baby was frank breech at 30 weeks onward, was female, anterior placenta/cord. Now I am taking the infant to an orthopedist to deal with hip dysplasia. I wish I aggressively tried to flip the baby at weeks 30-35 so her legs could have developed better. No guarantees she wouldn't flip back tho....

[Anonymous]

Dr. Andrino is a good chiro who specializes in prenatal -- he flipped my baby, who was breech at 32 weeks. Unfortunately just found out that he has now flipped back (this boy is going to be some kind of gymnast I think) so am hoping the doc can work his magic again before our due date!

[Anonymous]

im 29 weeks today and had a ultrasound done to predict the gender anyways the tech said the baby is breached... i have 2 other kids and they were already head down by now Should i start worrying and talking to my DR now or wait a little longer? super worried just dont want a c-section.

[Anonymous]

My twins aren't in position and as much as I want them to get there, time is running short and so I'm trying to come to terms with a c. You just never know. I had a good friend who went through it all (and lots of $$) to flip her baby....exercises, acupuncture, chiropractor, and eventually a version that was successful. Baby didn't flip back, she went into labor naturally, and after 18 hours of grueling work, baby's heart rate dropped and she ended up with an emergency c. Everyone is healthy and fine, thankfully, but she was really bummed for a while. Now she's OK with it and she tells me her one regret is not everything she put into trying to flip the baby, but that she did not spend more time mentally preparing and accepting that the c could happen. I've found that to be a useful lesson.

[Anonymous]

This is why I'm glad my doctor will deliver breech (for a second+ time mom).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why I'm glad my doctor will deliver breech (for a second+ time mom).

Meh. I had to have a c section with my second baby because she was breech (Spinning Babies and ECV did not work) and although I did hope to give birth vaginally, I doubt I'd have risked it even if my doctor would have agreed to deliver that way. Lot of risks. IMO, none of them worth it just so *I* can avoid a c-section. We're the moms, if taking pain and having unwanted surgery is what we have to do to ensure our baby is as safe as possible, well, them's the breaks.