Celtic Dragon
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I asked my midwife about the likelihood of LO turning before D-day yesterday... She said there were different types of breech positions, so it depends a lot on how baby is lying. If they have feet tucked up in "foetal" position, they are quite likely to do a forward roll and get into place. If they are "extended" breech (which mine is!), then their legs are straight out and feet are by their ears. Apparently, this is most commonly missed, as the head can feel a bit like a bum in this position. They are less likely to turn and aren't very likely to be able to be born naturally... She also said you could have combinations of one leg up, one leg down, etc.
The other factor she mentioned is how much space the baby has - I've got a short torso, so she didn't rate my chances of the baby turning. If you've got a longer body, then you might have more room for baby to go naturally.
She did say that babies sometimes just decide to turn from the most awkward positions at the last moment and you can never really tell, but she was recommending I look up C-sections...
As for turning (ECV?) - I asked her about the risks involved. She said the risks are significantly less than years ago (when they used to just give baby a shove and hope for the best and sometimes ended up with placenta abruptions and complications) - they now use scans to determine exactly where the placenta and baby's limbs are to work out: a) whether it's possible to turn the baby and b) which way is best for the baby to go (so they can push on the right bits!).
I'm just repeating what the midwife said - I have absolutely no medical expertise of experience in this area, but thought it might be useful for some people.
It would be nice to get some hope from anyone whose baby turned from extended breech so I can still cling to being able to have a vaginal birth... Otherwise, I'll just have to make the most of the positives of a C-section (and decide whether to tell MIL the date if it comes to it!).
Good luck to all the breech babies out there!
The other factor she mentioned is how much space the baby has - I've got a short torso, so she didn't rate my chances of the baby turning. If you've got a longer body, then you might have more room for baby to go naturally.
She did say that babies sometimes just decide to turn from the most awkward positions at the last moment and you can never really tell, but she was recommending I look up C-sections...
As for turning (ECV?) - I asked her about the risks involved. She said the risks are significantly less than years ago (when they used to just give baby a shove and hope for the best and sometimes ended up with placenta abruptions and complications) - they now use scans to determine exactly where the placenta and baby's limbs are to work out: a) whether it's possible to turn the baby and b) which way is best for the baby to go (so they can push on the right bits!).
I'm just repeating what the midwife said - I have absolutely no medical expertise of experience in this area, but thought it might be useful for some people.
It would be nice to get some hope from anyone whose baby turned from extended breech so I can still cling to being able to have a vaginal birth... Otherwise, I'll just have to make the most of the positives of a C-section (and decide whether to tell MIL the date if it comes to it!).
Good luck to all the breech babies out there!