Why should I try to turn my breech baby?
Whether or not you decide to try anything to turn your baby will depend on your options and your thoughts about why the baby is breech. Some women feel that if the baby is breech, it is breech for a reason and forcing or coercing the baby to change positions is not a good idea. (Other than ECV, none of the turning methods discussed here could be considered forcing.) Others don’t want to spend much time on it, and others would do anything to get the baby to turn.Although cesarean breech birth is more risky than cesarean head-down birth, your doctor is unlikely to give you much help turning a baby. She is also unlikely to encourage you much. If you will have a c-section because of breech position, it’s really not a big concern to most OBs. Of course it is a concern to you, and if you would rather avoid cesarean, you should try to turn the baby or find another doctor/midwife.
If you would almost prefer a c-section or think it is too dangerous or iffy trying to turn the baby, make sure you know the risks of cesarean for both you and baby. Visit ICAN’s website for cesarean info. Check out the discussion of safety here and prepare for a healthy surgery.
Get a full discussion of the issues on your device immediately with the Breech Baby Handbook.
Will s/he turn?
Whether or not baby will turn, nobody can say. There are things which will encourage it, but even if you have none of the risk factors for not turning and do all the turning techniques, your baby still may not turn and be born perfectly healthy.The later in your pregnancy you are, the less likely it is baby will turn, especially without prompting. But you need to know: BABIES CAN TURN SPONTANEOUSLY AT ANY TIME, INCLUDING DURING LABOR.*
However, if this is not your first baby but it is your first breech, you have an excellent chance, even at 36-37 weeks, according to this study.
X If you have previous breech-at-term pregnancies, it decreases your chances of baby turning.
X If baby has extended legs (knees are straight, feet by head), it is less likely than if legs are flexed.
X If there is breech in your family, you may have a sticker.
X If you are freaking out (for any reason), you might want to settle down so baby can settle d-o-w-n.
Get step-by-step daily instructions for things you can try to flip your breech baby with Breech Baby Handbook PLUS.
*Here are a couple great stories about a baby turning in labor that I found (without any authorship) on gentlebirth.org:
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I heard of a case in our hospital where a new registrar diagnosed a breech, & fixed a fetal scalp electrode in anticipation of a vaginal birth (as per normal practice). The woman was eventually sectioned for slow progress, and all present in theatre laughed at the poor registrar as the head came first. However, he had the last laugh, as the babies buttocks appeared with the electrode in situ. Since the FSE is only disconnected immediately prior to LSCS, the baby (term) must have turned en route to theatre. Its a shame that it took such an invasive procedure as applying an FSE to demonstrate the exception to the commonly quoted rule (that babies don’t turn after 36 weeks) but it was instructive anyway…When I was a third year medical student and barely knew which fingers were mine and which were my patient’s, I did a VE in the ER and told my senior I thought I’d found my first breech. He said to run her by x-ray to confirm (I’m dating myself) and she got to L&D sporting a film with head in pelvis. I caught the appropriate amount of flak. After change of shift, but with me still on call, a resident checked her and said, without knowing the previous, that she was breech and cussed out the unnamed ignoramus who’d admitted her without finding it out. I said nothing. Another trip to X-ray, another film with head in pelvis. Resident rechecked her and swore she’d turned to vertex. I believed him; everybody else said it was a flimsy story. During second stage the nurse got suspicious, did a VE, and swore she was FOOTLING. Big panic, stat rush to OR, (couldn’t let one of those be born, you know) and as we were prepping, the foot presented at the introitus. The part you won’t believe is that after three people actually saw the foot, and the pace picked up to a roar with the section prep, with knife poised over belly while the induction crashed, the belly gave a sea-sickening roll, and the resident stared at me, then ordered me under the drapes to look again. I just barely got under there in time to avoid a completely uncontrolled vertex birth. But the part comment that grips me was the part about not being believed. By the next day people were denying that it happened, and a year later when I brought up the subject with people who were IN THE ROOM, they couldn’t remember the case until I showed them the birth log. It shook my confidence enough that I went to medical records to review the case and make sure I didn’t dream it all. |
