By Maura
So much can change in a week, and then again…
We had our 37 week ultrasound about ten days ago, and once
again baby proves that he will call the shots in our relationship! Our little
guy was breech and already measuring quite large (of course there is also a
significant margin of error). The chances of him moving on his own aren’t very
high, according to our doctor. So we selected our baby’s birth date and have a
scheduled cesarean on March 14th- or so we thought.
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| The whole household anxiously awaits Baby G's arrival |
To be honest the news didn’t upset or worry me like I
thought it might. I am a planner and I don’t like surprises- I have a lot of
anxiety about the unknown-so even felt a bit relieved. I have been struggling
with the whole thought of labor and delivery. Now this is not to say that I
would have elected to have a c-section just because, but finding out I need to
schedule one is not the worst news.
Now as far as I could tell for the past several weeks, my
baby was in the same spot he always had been. I felt the same body bumps and
movements consistently. Which is why after being told six weeks ago that he was
head down I was surprised to hear that he was breech.
I would like to share with you the options I was given- and
feel free to weigh in with your thoughts or personal experiences! And be sure to
keep reading for the twist!
External Cephalic
Version (ECV)- This procedure is done by the doctor at the hospital to try
and turn the baby from a breech position. It can be very painful and therefore
I have the option of getting an epidural for it. My doctor’s success rate is
about 50%, and there isn’t a guarantee baby won’t turn right back around even if
she is successful. Knowing myself I would elect to have the pain medication,
and really I don’t feel comfortable having that additional procedure. There of
course are risks, however great or small, but it just didn’t appeal to me as a
choice.
The Webster Technique-
Our doctor informed us of this technique used by chiropractors that is said to
have a very high success rate. The idea is to loosen the ligaments in your
uterus to help give the baby more room to move. I contacted the one recommended
to me today and was told they would like to see me every day for the next two
weeks. I like the idea of this procedure since it doesn’t seem to put any
pressure on the baby. However, daily visits for a full time working girl is not
the easiest task. I also don’t love the $40 in daily cab fare in addition to
insurance co-pays. But it is still on the list of possibilities- I guess I just
need to decide how important it really is for me to get baby to turn.
Scheduled C-Section-
As you already know, we did select this option. Now the idea is to have it on
the books, and if he ends up in a head down position that is great, and we will
proceed as planned with natural labor and delivery. In fact, when I go in on
the 14th they will do an ultrasound, if he is head down I will be
sent home without a choice. At that point the C-section is no longer medically
necessary. They schedule these at 39 weeks for a couple of reasons. Namely to
get him as close to your due date as possible for development reasons, but they
don’t want to wait longer in order to lessen the chance of going into labor
with a breech baby. In that event I could be looking at a possible emergency
C-section. My doctor was very clear that she will not deliver a breech baby the
old fashioned way.
Spinningbabies.com-
This is quite an interesting website- who knew there was so much dedication to
turning a breech baby? It was recommended to me by several friends as well it
came up on just about every Google search I did on the subject. I gave it a
whirl- did some pretty funky moves- one of which is called The Inversion, which
only lasted 30 seconds, but made my head feel like it would explode! I also did
some Open-Knee Chest exercises, and even shone a light on my belly while my
husband gave the baby a pep-talk to help him make his way down.
Okay, so fast forward to our 38 week appointment, this was seven days
from our scheduled C-section appointment. We have arrangements made for family
to come in town, some hotel rooms reserved and I even booked a last minute
pedicure for the occasion. I was trying not to read too much about the
C-section procedure, and was feeling like I was mentally prepared to have one,
even considering the surgical aspect.
My doctor did the usual exam and we discussed the concern
surrounding my elevated blood pressure and increasing ankle swelling. She felt
my belly to see if the baby had moved, and I advised her that I wasn’t aware of
any big flips. She decided to perform another ultrasound because she was unable
to tell by touch. And wouldn’t you know, the baby turned and is now head down.
Ok, time for another mental gear shift! She did keep our scheduled appointment
in case baby G isn’t done doing flips, and we go back on Wednesday for another
ultrasound. But it seems for now that we are back to the normal waiting game of
labor.
This story is just another reminder that babies rule and
flexibility is key, even from the starting gates! Has anyone else had an
aerobic baby keep them guessing before birth?
Gas, Cramps and Cankles: Tales from the Third Trimester
Ventriculomegaly - A Scary Prospect with a Happy Ending
Finding Out I Was Pregnant... At Six Months Along
It's Not All Bad: What I'll Miss About Being Pregnant
Seven Sure Signs That You Are Pregnant
From Infertility To Family
2 comments:
Glad your baby is cooperating ... at least for now! It's always interesting to see what doctors will and won't do. My husband was born frank breech (bottom first, not feet first) via natural birth, and it was back in the days before epidurals were given. My mother-in law said it's one of the most painful ways to give birth, and yet she was insistent she didn't want a c-section because it would have required a longer recovery time and derailed her timetable for graduating from nursing school. So it was more a reason of convenience than anything medical. She had to look around a bit to find a doctor willing to deliver naturally, and she had to do little exercises with my husband's legs and hips because things got sort of squished and/or displaced. If I had a baby in breech position, I'd have no problem scheduling a c-section, though.
I had a breech baby. She was just so stubborn and didn't want to flip. I had a scheduled c/s and everything went perfectly. Hope your little one decides to stay put until the big day.
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