# breech position associated with fetal abnormalities??



## happygal

since being told yesterday that baby is currently in a breech position ive been doing some reading on line and i keep coming across pages that say in a small number of cases (17% of pre term and 9% of term babies) babies in a breech position will have fetal abnormalitlies.

if this pregnancy had been straight forward i probably wouldnt of given this much thought but when we had our nt scan and blood test we were given a high risk of baby having downs syndrome :nope:

then it was found that i also have total chorionic amniotic separation which can be linked to babies with downs syndrome :dohh:

because of the separation we were advised against having the amnio as the risk of miscarriage would be too high, so there is no way of us knowing for sure if there is anything wrong with baby.

at our scan everything looked ok and there were no visable soft markers so we took that as a good thing and havent really thought about it much lately but now having read about there being a link (no matter how small) between breech babies and abnormalities i cant help dwelling on it a bit again. 

i guess im just a bit fed up, just as everything is going straight forward and ive stopped worrying, something comes along to remind me that there could be something wrong with my little girl :nope:

i know theres still chance for little lady to move and fingers crossed she will but i cant help worrying again now x


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## Daisy1986

No offence, but you've probably scared quite a lot of people writing this as lots of us have breech babies, myself included. I've asked numerous midwives about this and they've all said its crap...the fetal abnormalities it mentions are usually hip problems because of the baby's legs being flexed for so long...but this is no big deal at all and I wouldn't even class it an abnormality as it usually fixes itself. 
30 something % of babies with spina bifida are breech which sounds scary if you put it that way...but that means about 70% are head down and you don't hear people with head down babies presuming then that their baby has spina bifida.
I was at the fetal medicine unit yesterday for my breech appointment and asked the fetal medicine midwife if my baby's position could mean that something is wrong and she said, 'no, of course not!.' My best friend was breech and she is just fine...and I worked with a boy with downs syndrome and he was not breech. 
Stop researching stuff x


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## happygal

As i put in my original post if this pregnancy had been straight forward i probably wouldn't of given it a second thought. I also went on to explain that already being high risk for downs and having the separation that can be linked to downs, this is just one more thing that can be linked to abnormalities for me to think about.

It wasn't my intention to scare anyone but there a lot of posts on here that scare people for one reason or another, it would be a pretty quiet place if people could express their worries or concerns.


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## Mellybelle

I've never actually heard of it, but i've not done much reading either. 
I can tell you however, that my first born was breech the whole way through my pregnancy. I was booked in for a c-section at 38weeks, and had once last check up the day before the surgery was to be done. She'd flipped! i gave birth to her naturally 3 weeks later.


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## Daisy1986

I've just looked and there isn't any connection between downs syndrome and breech babies. The majority of downs babies are head down. If you want further reassurance you should ask your Dr. There was a post similar to yours not long ago and it had so many replies from mums with breech babies and none had anything wrong with them.


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## miaplus2

i had a terrible pregnancy last time waters went 6 weeks early, lo was breech was told all sort and even after having her pre term and breech shes extremely healthy, stop worrying it wont do you anygood tbh xx


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## Sam Pearson

Worry can really suck the joy out of a pregnancy. It's all just risk though. Nothing concrete has indicated a problem, only an increased risk of one, which could mean absolutely nothing and if it does mean something is amiss there is nothing to be done. There is always a risk of x, y and z even without any indication. Worry won't help or change anything. Without any opportunity for investigating further or more accurately I'd focus on enjoying your pregnancy and baby right now ad put the research out of my mind. Do whatever makes you feel happy and relaxed and helps you bond with your baby. Breech is just another version of normal. I know a number of Mums who have had breech babies, all gorgeous normal healthy babies, all born vaginally, just regular births with bub in a less common position.


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## _jellybean_

I did not find anything reliable saying that it's linked to Down's.


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## Mellybelle

happygal said:


> since being told yesterday that baby is currently in a breech position ive been doing some reading on line and i keep coming across pages that say in a small number of cases (17% of pre term and 9% of term babies) babies in a breech position will have fetal abnormalitlies.
> 
> if this pregnancy had been straight forward i probably wouldnt of given this much thought but when we had our nt scan and blood test we were given a high risk of baby having downs syndrome :nope:
> 
> then it was found that i also have total chorionic amniotic separation which can be linked to babies with downs syndrome :dohh:
> 
> because of the separation we were advised against having the amnio as the risk of miscarriage would be too high, so there is no way of us knowing for sure if there is anything wrong with baby.
> 
> at our scan everything looked ok and there were no visable soft markers so we took that as a good thing and havent really thought about it much lately but now having read about there being a link (no matter how small) between breech babies and abnormalities i cant help dwelling on it a bit again.
> 
> i guess im just a bit fed up, just as everything is going straight forward and ive stopped worrying, something comes along to remind me that there could be something wrong with my little girl :nope:
> 
> i know theres still chance for little lady to move and fingers crossed she will but i cant help worrying again now x

What was your risk for downs hun?


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## happygal

for anyone interested, here are some of the articles ive read.

(Those complications associated with but not directly due to breech presentation include:

Increased Risk of Birth Defects: Approximately 6 to 7% of babies in breech presentation at the onset of labor have major birth defects, compared to only 2 to 3% in cephalic presentations. Most experts believe that birth defects actually lead the fetus to assume or stay in a breech presentation. For example, fetuses with anencephaly, a very serious defect in the formation of the central nervous system are often breech at the onset of labor. High rates of breech presentation are also seen in fetuses with Down's syndrome and other chromosome abnormalities and neuromuscular disorders.)
(link to the full page https://www.healthline.com/yodocontent/pregnancy/labor-risks.html)

What causes breech position during pregnancy?


(There is often no clear reason why the baby did not turn head-down. In other cases, breech position might be linked to:2
Labor that begins before the 37th week of pregnancy, before the baby is likely to turn head-down on its own.
Twins or more. Limited space for two or more babies can prevent them from moving into the head-down position before delivery.
Too much or too little amniotic fluid in the uterus.
Problems with the uterus, such as an oddly shaped uterus or uterine fibroids, which are noncancerous growths in the uterine wall.
Stretched and weakened uterine muscle from past pregnancies.
Problems with the baby, including heart, digestive tract, and brain problems, such as Down syndrome, anencephaly, or hydrocephalus.)

(link to the full page https://www.webmd.com/baby/tc/breech-position-and-breech-birth-topic-overview)

(Down Syndrome: A normal child gets 46 chromosomes from its parents, while in down syndrome a child gets 47 chromosomes. This extra genetic material causes shunted development in a child. There is no way to prevent down syndrome, nor there is conclusive scientific data linking it to breech birth. It is, however, one of the most common birth defects. Studies have shown that the chances of a breech baby getting down syndrome is more as compared to a normal birth. )

(link to full page https://www.buzzle.com/articles/breech-baby-birth-defects.html)


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## _jellybean_

Oh, Happygal...wanted to send you :hugs: too. Really--try not to worry. I know that it's SO much easier said than done, and I am such a worrier too, but about this specific issue w/ babies position, as I don't believe it has anything to do with Down's. :hugs:


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## _jellybean_

Just read the research you posted. I still would try not to worry.


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## happygal

Mellybelle said:


> happygal said:
> 
> 
> since being told yesterday that baby is currently in a breech position ive been doing some reading on line and i keep coming across pages that say in a small number of cases (17% of pre term and 9% of term babies) babies in a breech position will have fetal abnormalitlies.
> 
> if this pregnancy had been straight forward i probably wouldnt of given this much thought but when we had our nt scan and blood test we were given a high risk of baby having downs syndrome :nope:
> 
> then it was found that i also have total chorionic amniotic separation which can be linked to babies with downs syndrome :dohh:
> 
> because of the separation we were advised against having the amnio as the risk of miscarriage would be too high, so there is no way of us knowing for sure if there is anything wrong with baby.
> 
> at our scan everything looked ok and there were no visable soft markers so we took that as a good thing and havent really thought about it much lately but now having read about there being a link (no matter how small) between breech babies and abnormalities i cant help dwelling on it a bit again.
> 
> i guess im just a bit fed up, just as everything is going straight forward and ive stopped worrying, something comes along to remind me that there could be something wrong with my little girl :nope:
> 
> i know theres still chance for little lady to move and fingers crossed she will but i cant help worrying again now x
> 
> What was your risk for downs hun?Click to expand...

it was 1 in 100. which didnt really worry us too much, the way i saw it, we still have 99 chances of baby being totally fine. to me 1 in 100 doesnt seem all that high really. 
if it was just that risk factor i wouldnt be too worried, but when we were told that the chorionic amniotic separation is common in babies with downs it made us think a bit more about it. and now to read that breech babies could have a slightly higher risk of downs, its made us think about it yet again.

if i had any of the 3 things seperately i wouldnt worry, but when you have 3 things that could point to baby having downs, it just makes you wonder a bit more. 
im not over reacting, i know chances are baby will be born and everything will be fine, we have good odds really but i guess im just having a bit of an off day today and cant help worrying alittle bit and wondering what if x


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## happygal

_jellybean_ said:


> Oh, Happygal...wanted to send you :hugs: too. Really--try not to worry. I know that it's SO much easier said than done, and I am such a worrier too, but about this specific issue w/ babies position, as I don't believe it has anything to do with Down's. :hugs:

thanks hun :hugs: most people who remember me from back in first tri will know that im usually quite positive and i always try to think the best but i guess im just having an off day.
for a while now ive put the downs result and chorionic amniotic separation behind me and just been thinking positively and looking forward to baby being born, i think what i have read has just brought back to the front of my mind that baby could have problems :dohh:


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## Mellybelle

The fact that there were no soft markers is a positive too. :hugs:


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## Daisy1986

I doubt highly esteemed Drs write for buzzle.com ;) Statistics will also take into account birth defects in babies that have been born breech vaginally, which we know increases the risk of oxygen problems. Why don't you call your midwife/hospital and ask for reassurance. I know of a woman who is pregnant now and has also tested 1/100 for downs syndrome, and she has other symptoms of downs syndrome which I'm not going to tell you about. One of these symptoms though, actually makes it more likely for the baby to be head down (her's was breech until 31 weeks and is now head down and engaged). She still isn't worried though as if you flip it around, 99/100 chance that the baby doesn't have downs sounds pretty good. 
Your midwife has probably mentioned that as you've had previous children your uterus will have stretched making it easier for baby to be in whatever position they want and that they usually turn head down later on because of this excess room.


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## sailorgirl1

Hey hun

Sorry to hear you are worried, I can understand why you are worried (and it doesn't matter what anyone else says, all you have to read is one bit of research once and it stays with you so don't feel bad for posting this, it's a forum, it's what we're all here for). It's a bit of a shock when you're not worried then read something and it all comes flooding back. I really do not think you need to worry but if there was something different with your baby you totally wouldn't even focus on it once s/he is here - you will be so in love. I'm sure it will all work out ok for you, chin up. xxxxxxxx


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## Ellie Mary

Happygal, sorry to hear you are worried. Hope that you are taking some comfort from some of the replies you have received. DS. Was transverse until week 33 or 34, I can't remember and some babies remain breech until the last minute and then turn just when you least expect it.

I have two friends who have had breech babies and they are both now healthy, bouncing and lively almost 5 year olds!

I know how difficult it is, but try to put that research out of your mind. :hugs:


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## RaspberryB

Try not to worry :hugs:. Your research says "Approximately 6 to 7% of babies in breech presentation *at the onset of labor* have major birth defects" - you are only 31 weeks so still time for baby to turn, I think 2nd or 3rd etc babies get into position later than first babies too? 

My friend had a breech baby and he is perfect! She went to some ante natal classes and they suggested various ways to turn him but it was a bit late by that point and she didn't have much amniotic fluid so she opted for a cs. Maybe you could find out some positions/exercises to help baby turn? In my hypnobirthing book it gives some info on relaxation and visualization helping babies turn and about how worries can cause everything to be tense and make it harder for babies to turn. 

Even with all the evidence, the changes of your baby having a problem are very very low and much more likely he/she is just being a little scamp and waiting to turn round.


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