Breech, breech baby!

This baby is a bit naughty.

At 31 weeks gestation I was told that baby was breech (bottom or feet first position) – which can be completely normal – but to ensure optimal fetal position I was recommended to start doing exercises to encourage it to turn.

Great stuff. I was pointed in the direction of the Spinning Baby website, which had some useful tips and exercises but I thought it was a bit “American”.

Anyhow, I did these exercises (although some of them needed a bloody health and safety warning attached to them…kneel on the top step of your stairs and lean forward?! No thanks!) and baby turned, which was confirmed by my acupuncturist midwife.

Problem now is that I think it has flipped back into its original position!

I had a lurching feeling the other night and my usual kicks are back, which means it’s not limbs at all but the bloody head!

I am booked in for a scan today to find out its position and I am quite scared…tell you why.

I know that if the baby is breech I will have to have a procedure called ECV which I have heard can be quite painful…our friend told us that his wife was crying when she went through this!

If that procedure does not work then I will have to have a c-section 🙁

I know that it is not impossible to deliver a breech baby naturally but there are more increased risks…such as an umbilical cord prolapse (and we all know the dread that the word prolapse brings me!) and suffocation.

I could not forgive myself if something like that happened just because I wanted a natural birth. The issue is that I really do not want such a medicalised birth – last time was horrendous because it got so medical and I still suffer from the emotional trauma today.

I suppose all that I can do now is wait and see what the scan shows! Fingers crossed for a head down!

x