Breech - Los Angeles,CA

Chiropractor, hands and knees position with elbows bent to floor and head to floor - butt is in the air, maybe a new OB - seems her's is very pessimistic and scalpel happy.

I have a friend whose baby was breech. She opted for the manual movement of the baby which she was told is only 50% successful. It worked for her so she was very happy that she could have the baby vaginally. It ended up that her fluid was low (after her due date) and when they induced her the baby showed signs of distress. They ended up having to do a c-section anyway even after successfully flipping the baby. She has a happy, healthy baby and she recovered quite quickly from her c-section.

It is ridiculous for a doctor to say the chances of the baby turning are less than 6%. You know, 98.76% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Babies can flip like nobody's business. I delivered twins by c-section last year. In the time it took to take baby a out, baby b flipped and was waiting, arms open for my OB to scoop her up. Startled him, but he rolled with it.

I do not advocate a version procedure. Too risky. I'd rather just have a c-section. They aren't that bad to recover from, lower risks, and less pain.

Tell her to relax, check out spinningbabies, and modify her seating posture. Good luck to her.

My baby was too big and my placenta was in the wrong place to allow her to turn, but acupuncture with moxa and the Webster technique done by a chiropractor have worked for several people I know. I didn't want to do the manual turning (version) after knowing two people whose babies died that way, two others who had to have emergency sections, and another whose baby turned and turned back. My planned, calm csection was great. And my first child was delivered vaginally, I'd choose the csection again anyday!

my first child was in the head down position and at a plus 1 station a few days before i gave birth. i went in to the hospital and the did the ultrasound to check the position of my baby, and she was breech. her head was under my ribs. she flipped herself completely around in a short amount of time, so your friends baby might do it also. and i know for a fact my baby was head down because she came out with the cone head when they gave me a c-section.

if your friends baby doesn't change positions, a c-section is not a big deal. honestly, i don't think i could do a vaginal birth. the first few days when still in the hospital it was pretty rough getting up to go to the bathroom and walk around, but when i got home, i didn't even take half the bottle of pain pills the dr had given me.

http://spinningbabies.com/ This helped me with my little gymnast. She stayed mostly sideways but was breech for a time too. We'd get her head down only to have her flip for several weeks. She turned in the end and I went on to deliver vaginally as planned.
Hope her little one cooperates!

Wow, I had no idea manual version was so risky! How sad and scary about those babies who have died.

I've heard good things about acupuncture and the webster technique (from a chiro). Spinningbabies.com is also good. I think posture, how you sit, and how you sleep have a lot to do with it too sometimes. Though it sounds like sometimes the cord can cause issues as to why baby won't flip.

I've heard of babies who won't flip until they are actually in labor. Then they'll flip. So, your friend might want to try labor for a little while and see if it helps.

I'm due early Oct too! My doctor will actually deliver breech if the mom wants to. I was so surprised. Many midwives will (especially out of hospital ones) but it's rare to find an OBGYN who will.

If, by chance, she still has to have a c-section, a breech is a good reason for it. I would if I had a breech baby. My first three were natural (two out of hospital) and my 4th had to be a c-section due to a complete placenta previa. I was shocked at how much easier it was to recover from the c-section. But I definitely don't have the "dream" recovery from a natural birth like many women do. It takes quite a while. I was so much more mobile after I had my c-section (24 hours later) than I was after my vaginals. I only share because I've heard many women say that the c-section was an easier recovery. I know it's major surgery, but it doesn't mean it's going to be harder. Each person is different, though. I'm going to have another c-section this time (for various reasons) and hope for a similar recovery. I wish your friend the best in her quest of flipping her baby!

She's not due until October? She's got PLENTY of time for that baby to turn. Some tips:

Put an ice pack on the baby's head. They don't like the cold, so that will make it want to turn head down. I do this when I baby tries to go transverse (I'm due Sept).

Go to a chiropractor. Getting the hips/low back adjusted can make a big difference and allow the baby room to turn. Also, some chiros do the Webster technique for turning babies.

Check out spinningbabies.com.

There's no reason to schedule a c/s. She's got plenty of time. That doctor sounds awfully scalpel-happy to me.

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You should definitely tell her to find a chiropractor who is certified in the Webster technique -- I know a chiropractor here (in MA) who says he has a 95% success rate with it. Also try acupuncture with moxa, and cat/cow stretches.

I learned my first baby was breech after 6 months. My doctor sent me for many ultrasounds, but she (the baby) wasn't budging. I stopped taking birthing classes and made a c-section date. I just wanted a healthy baby. I ended up going into labor two days before my c-sec date and when they took her out of me they said she had a short cord and could not have turned without some distress. Do I regret not having a natural childbirth - Not for a second. She is now a beautiful, self-assured 17-year-old!!! I would not have changed a thing about my childbirth experience.

For heaven's sakes. There is plenty of time for the baby to turn. She's got over a month.
My son was head down and flipped just before I went into labor. I mean two days before. That's when they started talking about manipulation and c-section.
When I was in labor, they manually turned him around and he was born vaginally.
Babies flip. I think it's too soon to assume your friends baby won't.
Yoga? Sure. Massaging her belly? Why not?
There is plenty of time for the baby to turn.

Just my opinion.

My second child only turned breech when I was already in labour! (She was small and "flipped over" during contractions). I was given a spinal block and a c-section. Both baby & I were absolutely fine and I was awake for the procedure (but, obviously, couldn't feel anything other than some "tugging"). My advice is to tell your friend to not stress and to enjoy her last few weeks of pregnancy. Even if she ends up having a c-section, there's nothing wrong with that, all that matters is a healthy child & mom. Best wishes! :)

My last boy was breech from 7 monthes until the day before my c-section... yes the day before! I woke up sore in the morning but thought I slept wrong. Went in for the final ultra sound before the next days scheduled c section to get the news that I was more than likely sore cause he flipped and that instead we would keep our appt and getting induced instead. There is plenty of time for him to flip naturally.

My OB advised me against physically turning the baby as it can cause problems to the momma and the baby more than the nasty bruises that can happen...

My daughter was what they call "frank breech", which means that not only was her butt in the wrong place, but her entire body! Her arms AND legs were upside her ears....was NO chance to turn her (at 36 wks), AND I had low amniotic fluid :-(

So that said, I was ordered to stop working one month before her due date (low amniotic fluid was due to stress, they said.....I was a 911 operator at the time). I tried yoga type moves and manual stimulation (the tummy kind) with my hubby, but she never turned.

In the end, I delivered her via C-Section 2 wks early....it was the safest option for her. I was a bit bummed out about it but, being that my first born was an extremely difficult delivery - with a vaccuum & stage 4 opisiotomy (sp?) - I really wanted to give it a go the "right way", you know what I mean?

As "go time" got closer, I came to the realization that the "right way" is what EVER is SAFEST for the baby....It's not about what *I* want/wish....

I think your friend should continue her yoga classes - heck, it at the very least can only HELP her in her last weeks.....But if that doesn't help turn the baby, then she should just go w/the C-Section.

What's important is that she and her precious baby are introduced to each other with BOTH of them happy & healthy :-)

She needs to do two things that I can think of:
1. Go to a chiropractor. Seriously helps. Her hips may be out of alignment, making her uterus lopsided, making the baby find a more comfy position. Adjustment very often helps baby settle in the right position.
2. Homeopathic Pulsatilla. Works incredibly well. I don't know why. But, it is often used to turn a baby. Just 4 tablets of the Highlands brand under the tongue every 4 hours or so should work.
Of course, sometimes there is another reason the baby is breech. If these techniques don't work, an ultrasound may be needed to see what is going on. If she goes for the route of manually flipping baby, make sure they check on cord length. If the cord is shorter than normal, this can be a cause of breech position. Make sure they are certain if this is not the case before they try to turn baby from the outside. I have a friend whose baby died in the birth canal because the cord was too short and broke during delivery. If this is an issue, the other methods I mentioned will have no bearing on the baby (he won't turn if he can't--forcing turning is different).

My little one was breech and never budged so a c-section is not the end of the world. I tried a skilled chiropractor, lying in an elevated position and gentling massaging/stroking in motions to encourage the baby to flip (ironing board as described by others), sitting in warm bath water to just over hip level with frozen peas at the top of my stomach and various types of sitting/yoga positions. I also heard about the flashlight trick and playing loud music at about the location of the baby's head but after the cold peas-bathtub thing which caused me to go into fits of giggles and think of Bugs Bunny, I decided to let nature take its course. My husband and I passed on the manual version since we just weren't comfortable with the research results and also our doctor was strongly against the procedure due to deaths within his own practice group. Your friend has some time so tell her not to stress. Tell her focus some of her efforts on doing her research so she can make her own call on things like manual turning and such.

How far is your friend along? After 36 weeks, it become less and less likely that the baby will turn on his own. You will hear success stories but while possible, they are rare. She needs to discuss with her doctor if she is a candidate for version. My friend was with her second baby and it was successful. She can try accupuncture or chiropractic work (Webster technique) as well before the version since it does carry risks. I chose the c-section option with no version since my chances were 50% for success. No doctor or midwife around here will deliver a breech baby. The contractions are horrible and you are risking your baby's life. Since it was my first baby I went the c-section route. But if she has other children, she should consider version if the yoga and acupuncture don't work out. C-section recovery is very hard...at least it was for me.

I am 38 weeks and was breech up until last Friday. I was so shocked that she turned. The only thing that I did was I laid on the floor and put my legs up on the sofa for 20 minutes. My cousin told me to try it so I did (i really didn't think it would work). Maybe it did maybe it didn't but I'm so glad she turned.

Abigail Morgan specializes in women's fertility/health (accupuncturist) -- she is fabulous!! http://floatchinesemedicalarts.com/

My friend just went through this, while she ended up having a c-section, she read some of the most interesting advice on the internet:

1. Flash a flashlight into your vagina because the baby will go to the light.
2. Put an ice pack on the babies head and it will turn to get away from the cold.
3. Put an ironing board on your sofa like a slide and lie upside down and the baby will turn to be right side up again.

I would strongly suggest a lot of research into manual movement. It can be extremely risky and from what I heard it often times isn't successful anyway. While a c-section is not ideal, it's not that bad either and I would opt for a c-section over manual movement any time.

Wow! Is her OB serious! It's something to check again, but babies flip all the time. I had a scheduled c-section with my youngest (for several health reasons). The doctor said he was head down about a week before he was born. In the OR, she said, "Oh my gosh! There's a butt!" Well, that's one way to let me know he was breech.

I tried it all! Every theory I read about on the internet I tried.

Acupuncture, laying with my feet up in the air, playing music and have a flash-light between my legs, yoga cat and dog poses, being upside down in a pool and I really did as much of these things I could everyday about one month before my due date. Finally when nothing worked I scheduled to have my baby turned by my OB. This was two weeks before my due date. In the elevator up to the third floor at the hospital where the inversion was to be done I felt my whole belly twirl and my baby making a drastic turn and when we checked with the ultrasound she had turned and was in the optimal position she was born vaginally two weeks later, who knows, was it the elevator ;-). Anyway highly recommend Dr. Berliner at Berlin Wellness group, he helped a lot. http://doctorberlin.com/

Good Luck

There is still a little time, but she should do some heavy duty research to see what she is comfortable with if she is not successful in getting the baby to turn on its own.
I opted to try the external version (I guess the "manual" movement you refer to) with our 2nd baby (who was still breech at 37 weeks). It was completely successful and not painful nor any side effects. Healthy girl born a week later via natural unmedicated childbirth. No major surgery or any other interventions.
The actual procedure (the manual turning of the baby) took about 2 minutes. Literally. TWO MINUTES.
But it may not be everyone's choice...so she needs to do her research. There are risks and her doctor can help her sort through reality vs. internet statistics vs. horror stories.