Breech Baby - to Have a Version or Not

I would try the version and if that doesn't work schedule the C-section. My son was breech until I was 36 weeks, my dr. and I discussed options when I was 34 weeks and I was planning on doing the version if I had to. I've heard C-sections aren't that bad but since I already had 2 vag. births previously w/ no problems my heart was set on another vag. birth. Good luck and I'm sending you some baby spinning dust!:)

I opted not for the Version and had a C-section. since it was a scheduled C I recovered quiclkly while have a baby vaginally is preferable I was most concerned about the baby's well being. the Version method is very painful and even if done can flip back into the breach position until birth! Get another opinion and research a bit more. You have to do what is best for you and baby.

I did not have a pleasant experience at all! They tried for like 15 minutes to get my baby to flip and she wouldn't move at all. It was so uncomfortable and painful. I don't recommend them to anyone. As far as the c-section, why do they have to do it at 39 weeks? I would try to schedule it for as close to the due date as possible...just to give baby a chance to flip by him/herself.
That being said, I know others have had good experiences with versions.

T., I have a 3 year old baby girl and she was also breech. They tried to do the version on her, but she did not end up turning around so they had to do a c-section on me. I was okay with it, because I wanted my baby girl to be born healthy and either way. You will be okay, yes c-section recovery is hard, but you will be okay. Just stay calm and you and your baby will be okay. Sending a prayer your way.

My daughter was breech, and we tried the version twice. The first time it was done by my midwives at 37 weeks, it was painful and didn't work. I was committed to doing a vaginal birth, if possible. So at 39 weeks I consulted an "old school" doctor who sometimes does breech vaginal births. He said I wasn't a good candidate for a breech vaginal birth (first time mom, baby was too big), but he offered to try to turn her with a version one more time. I was completely relaxed the second time. The doctor's presence really put me at ease. The baby turned easily and without causing me pain in about five minutes, my water broke immediately, and I delivered vaginally 7 hours later. Trying twice was well worth it for me. It's possible my daughter just wasn't ready to turn the first time, so I'd consider doing it more than once rather than trying once and immediately scheduling a C section. Remember you can make these choices, even if your doctors are recommending a certain course of action. You can choose to wait past 40 weeks for a C section, if that's what you want. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Well, I have tons of thoughts on this. Versions are rarely successful and very stressful for the baby. You will have much better success with finding a chiropractor that works with pregnant women and is fluent in the webster technique. We will adjust your back and hips and help loosen the ligaments that could be preventing your child from turning head down. It's painless for you and completely stress free for baby. In fact you will probably feel so much better after getting an adjustment. You should also consider checking out www.spinningbabies.com they have great info on how to help your baby turn (even during labor!). Also, I would NOT schedule a c-section for 39 weeks. More and more information is coming out that delivering a child before 40 weeks is not good for the baby and leads to more NICU due to respiratory distress. I would push instead for allowing your baby to go till at least 41 weeks and letting yourself go into labor naturally. This will ensure the baby is actually ready to be born and since labors rarely go to quickly for them to set up an OR for delivery you should have not problem getting to the hospital in time for a c-section if it is necessary. The thing with babies is that they can and do flip right up to and even during labor. You could also being looking for a doctor that would be willing to do a breech vaginal birth. There is no proof that c-sections have better outcomes and vaginal breech birth when baby is in the frank (but first feet up by head) position. In Canada they are even phasing out routine c-sections for breech birth and are instead moving back towards educating doctors on vaginal breech birth. You have options here and do not have to go right into the c-section if you do not want to.

I can only speak to my own personal experience.
We tried version at 37 ? weeks. It's been 9 years ago.. so hard to remember, lol. Anyway, we had my mom drive in from out of town to stay at home with our older child "just in case". I went into my ob/gyn's office at 5:00 and she hadn't flipped around, so, per our plans, we went directly over to the hospital (across the parking lot basically) and checked in.

I had an IV administered with medication to stop any contractions (I was having mild ones that I couldn't even feel) and then we proceeded. The doctor gelled up my stomach really well with the goopy ultrasound gel and started pushing around. My hubby held my hand, and after about 1 minute the Doctor stopped and asked me if it hurt really badly. No.. it was uncomfortable but not PAINful. Good. Because he was DONE. That was it. She was turned.

I stayed in that room for another couple of hours for observation to make sure labor didn't start or anything else.. ate a nice big fruit salad for dinner from the dinner "menu" and then we went home. The end.

Our daughter was born a week early (so a week to 2 weeks after the external version) and was perfectly healthy (except for a small hip click - hip dysplasia that is not uncommon among babies carried or delivered breech). She received treatment for the hip dysplasia for several weeks and has no issues there any longer. You can't tell her hips from any one else's perfectly developed ones. And that had nothing to do with the version procedure.

I had heard tons of horror stories about how painful it would be. All of them unfounded as far as it applied to me. It wasn't painful at all... and no where CLOSE to recovery from a c-section (at least from what I've heard. I had completely unmedicated natural deliveries with both my babies).
hth

p.s. When I asked my dr about all the horror stories of pain I had heard... he said that those cases were probably cases in which the dr waited too long to make the attempt. The bigger the baby is, the less room and fluid for him to move around in, so the more painful trying to do that becomes. My daughter was 7 lbs 6 oz at birth. So not big, not small. If you are going to try the version, do it soon.

I had the same situation - found out at week 38 that my baby was breech. I opted for the version and wouldn't do it again. It was extremely painful, and muscles all over my body were also sore since I was clenching them so tightly. I also tried moxibustion and accupuncture and my baby responded to both but didn't turn all the way around. When my doctor delivered my healthy baby, she told me that my daughter had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, which is why she couldn't turn herself 180 degrees. If I had tried to deliver her "naturally", we would have ended up in c-section anyway as she would have been strangled in the birth canal. I must say, I did not want a c-section before our baby's birth (and had even planned to deliver without drugs), but now that I know that the cord was around her neck, I am thankful that we live in a time when modern technology can help deliver a safe baby. And my doctor told me that even with a c-section, I can deliver naturally next time as long as I wait at least 12-18 months before getting pregnant again. Regardless of your choice, congratulations on the upcoming arrival of your baby!

A midwife's advice for a breech baby is to get down on all fours and wash all the floors in your house. Really. Then put your hips up on a couch and your head down for a few minutes at a time. There is a theory that because we don't do chores hardly anymore that have us in these positions, that more babies are breech (haven't seen actual studies on this, but maybe :-)

Good luck to you.

They flipped my baby manually.
It wasn't fun, but he did get turned around and I had him vaginally.
I've had my abdomen cut open for other procedures and it's as painful as hell. I was willing to try anything to avoid a c-section.

There are risks to everything, unfortunately, but if they can get your baby turned, it will likely be the best thing. They monitor everything closely.
I had wonderful doctors and I trusted they knew what they were doing.

It all worked out fine in my case.
Best wishes and be sure to let us know when the baby arrives.

I opted for the c-section instead. I wasn't going to take any chances. And from what I understood the version is pretty painful. My first delivery was a very difficult one and my baby had to be extracted using suction. I was pushing for 3 hours. I was afraid my second daughter would have the same difficulty coming out. I have also learned since then I have a tipped uterus which makes delivery more difficult. My c section was very fast and I had no complications.

Hello. I had a breech baby and he was head down before I went into labor and somewhere in the week before I went into labor he flipped. I didn't have the choice of version because his heart rate dropped down to 30 so they rushed us in for an emergency c-section. It went very well and I healed remarkably fast. It turned out he had the cord wrapped around his neck 3 times and he was only 5 lbs at birth.

I had a few friends that tried version but they said it was painful and didn't work. They also had c-sections and healed really well.

Good Luck tomorrow!

I had a version with my first at 37 weeks. It worked, and I delivered him vaginally (at almost 40 weeks!) Be sure to let your doctor know if the baby has been moving a certain direction, as that will help get him/her turned. If your doctor is confident enough to offer the version, she must be confident in her abilities. I'd do it. Very uncomfortable, but anything to avoid a C-section!

A side note: After my water broke and I was pushing, my dr. had to use the vacuum to bring my little guy down into the birth canal. He hadn't dropped enough, because he'd been breech. Not awful, just something to be aware of. Also, his cone head was down within 30 min. (very quick!)

Good luck! Congratulations!!

cant you find a doctor who can deliver breech if necessary? its not the danger one would imagine.
see if you can talk to someone involved with a la leche league, even if its not in your town, somewhere nearby, or ANY for that matter. they would likely know more about it. :)
but anyway, i would go for it; it sounds like it works a lot of the time. things you can do to help is to be on all fours when baby is active; baby might just flip on its own! :)
good luck!

I had a version at 37 weeks also. Unfortunately my baby would not turn. It hurt, but it wasn't anywhere as bad as people had told me it would be. The dr took it slow and keep asking me if I needed a break and if I said yes he would stop for while. I had a healthy girl via c-section at 39 weeks. Upon delivery, the dr told me that she had a short umbilical cord so that is why she would not turn. I probably wouldn't have been able to deliver her vaginally anyway because of that. I'm sure it will all turn out fine either way! If I were you I would at least try it, the recovery from my first vaginal birth was so much easier than for the c-section, but of course a healthy baby is all that matters:)

Try the version -if that doesn't work, before you schedule the c-section, get in touch with a legitimate acupuncturist. My 2nd baby wound up flipping on his own, but I had inquired because there's a technique they do (and this sounds nuts I know) that involves your feet and some other things. I don't believe it even involves the needles -although I've had acupuncture for other things and the needles truly do NOT hurt. It's worth a try! Nothing they will do can hurt you or your baby -so consider it. I originally heard about it from my son's preschool director -it worked for her and I've since talked to 4 other people who had it work for them! Evidently, if it's going to work -your baby will turn within 24 hours of the procedure, so if the version doesn't work, and you try this and it doesn't work, you'll still have plenty of time to schedule a c-section.

***Update -MOXIBUSTION! I knew there was a term for it! I had to look it up:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HKP/is_1_29/ai_73...

http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_use-moxibustion-trea... -You can even do it yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtLGfT4JAsY

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I can only speak to a c-section...but it was really pretty easy, and I was VERY against having one (DD was stuck...).

My doctor didn't cut through the muscle for my cesarean. Rather, he just separated it. Made recovery considerably shorter. I was good as new by 4 weeks pp.
So if they do a C, ask them HOW they do it. If they can separate, you'll be in a lot better shape.

Many midwives try putting ice packs on the belly, under the breasts - off and on - to encourage the baby to move down. Why not try that first, and see if you can reschedule the version? They also have the Mom go on all fours and lower the elbows so the face is to the floor - this can also encourage the baby to move into the down position.

C-Sections are major abdominal surgery - and as with most surgeries, death, organ perforation and hemorrhage are common side effects. Many breech babies are born vaginally - at least with Midwives - healthy baby and Moms.

I would try the version. If it doesn't work, you can have a c-section next week. But I would at least try. I think the benefits outweigh the risks in your situation especially since you are already 38wks. If you were like 34/35 weeks, I would say wait and see if baby turns but most likely you can get the baby to turn sucessfully at 38wks and stay that way til delivery. Good luck!

m

I had Webster technique done for several weeks and we tried a version (slight risk there but overall it's not very high). My son turned 2/3 of the way, head was at my lower hip bone. Went home to rest and rested next day, came back on Fri and he had completely flipped back. Fri/Sat had what I thought was incontinence and Sat AM went to ER to be checked and my water had broke but it was only trickling out in little bits cause his butt was lodged down there LOL

My Doctors wouldn't even consider a breech birth, most won't because they aren't trained in it, although thoughts/times are changing. I had to have a C section and I hated every minute of it and the recovery was really hard...and once you have a C section alot of docs try to talk you into doing it again the next time. But, my baby was healthy and did well through it so I couldn't really be too upset. It was very surreal and weird though after having one completely naturally to go in and 15 min later have a hole in my stomach and a baby in my arms.

My version was very painful. I did take some pain reliever before hand. My son is VERY strong and was even then and the Dr said he was pushing back at her. She had to brace herself widely and it is kind of disturbing to have someone pushing so hard on something you have worked so hard to nurture and protect, but I did do a lot of research on it and the risks are very minimal...main one just being that it sends you into labor but at 38 weeks that shouldn't be a problem.

They wanted me to schedule a C section too but I kept not doing it cause I didn't want one. I had hoped I would have just gone into labor on my own and gone in far enough along that he would have just been born that way ;-) but I didn't know what was going on and didn't want to take the risk that something was wrong since I had had complications in the past.

Good luck. Another poster below had some good places to go to get info to help learn about things that might help the baby turn. I hope your baby is more cooperative than mine was :)

Go for the version. It is still safer and healthier to attempt this and do a vaginal birth then to have major abdominal surgery with all the risks associated with major surgery.

Lisa

You need to find out if you are a good candidate for version. Usually, they do it sooner than 39 weeks because by that time, your baby is pretty big and there is less amniotic fluid. My son was complete breech and it was brought up an an option to me. Since it was my first baby and I didn't have tons of amniotic fluid I opted against the version. The fact that I had to go to a larger hospital and there were all these risks associated made me opt out. I wont lie and tell you a c-section was easy. The operation itself was great. The recovery for me was very very hard. Its extremely painful and it does take a long time to recover. But if you have lots of help its not so bad. Also, you can breastfed right after a c-section so don't let that be a factor for you. Good luck!

Contact Gail Tilly with Spinning Babies! She has helped babies flip into the right position and she knows what she doing! Her ####-###-#### and email is ____@____.com. I'm a doula and I know of Gail through the Childbirth Collective. Check out www.spinningbabies.com

Good luck and prayers on your decisions! There are options and ways to help baby flip without to much medical interventions.

~M. C