34 Weeks - Breech

Mine was an emergency c-section. I actually didn't have time to get scared because I was on the verge of a stroke and just remember wanting to take a nap.
The important thing is that when it was over, I was alive and well, and so was my daughter.

Take a look at the website "Spinning Babies".
My third went sideways and for weeks she would flip from sideways to head down and also went breach for a while. I used the exercises on Spinning babies after being pointed to it by the wonderful ladies on this site. In the end, she went head down and I was able to have an all natural, no complications vaginal delivery at the birth center.

A good friend of mine went in for a c-section at 39 weeks due to a breech presentation. They were about to take her in for surgery, did one last ultrasound...and the little booger had turned! She was delivered naturally :) So don't give up!

What kind of breech is it? My son was Frank Breech, meaning he was kind of folded in half. His water was too low so he was not able to turn and I ended with a c-section. I was told Frank Breech is less likely to turn. I had a neighbor a long time ago that was still breech at 36 weeks. A c-section was scheduled for a week later since everything looked good. She had a doctor visit the day before and the baby was head down. She went into labor that night. Had a very healthy boy.

Take a deep breath. So many things make us freak out when things don't go as we would like.

I was in your same situation with our 2nd. They said give it a week (or 2, can't remember exactly... she's 13 now), and when we went back in she was still breech. Fortunately for us, I had a doctor who was not afraid of insurance companies and was willing to try external version (to avoid major surgery). It isn't totally without risk (not much in this world is), but in my opinion was worth at least an attempt.

It was done at the hospital, under strict monitoring, and after administering medication to stop the minor contractions I was having (so minor, in fact, that I was completely oblivious of them, but they showed up on the monitor). Once those were in check, they lube up the belly and watch on the screen while physically manipulating the baby from the outside of your belly.

It wasn't without some discomfort. Maybe I have a high pain tolerance, I don't know. But all I needed was my husband's hand to hold. I didn't even hurt him. I wouldn't call it pain. Really, discomfort is more the applicable word.. because it's tight in there!

After two attempts, the doctor asked if I was doing ok, and I expected him to ask if we wanted to continue. But he'd already turned her. :D

There is always potential for them to turn back around again, too. But that didn't happen. She was delivered about 10 days later, natural vaginal delivery, no pain meds, less than 2 hours hard labor. Easy peasy.

She DID, however, receive a diagnosis the day after birth of having some hip dysplasia (which can happen when they are carried breech). We took her for appropriate treatment and follow up and within 6 months you could not discern any difference in her hips from a 100% normal hip.

It cannot hurt to at least ask your doctor about external version. They may say flat no, b/c the just don't do them (much like they just don't deliver breech babies anymore, they always do major surgery instead). They may give you reasons it's a bad idea. But they may consider it and offer it to you as an option. You won't know if you don't ask.

I'd heard horror stories about the pain... but my doctor said they were likely from people who waited until too late (too close to delivery) to attempt it, when there was less room and fluid. Also, he mentioned that many doctors refuse to even entertain doing the procedure. But it took us all of 4 minutes. And I had a nice salad from the hospital for dinner while we waited for observation before getting to home that night.

My first was breech and never budged. I tried a variety of things with my doctor's blessing - chiropractic visits with a specialist in maternal care (helped my aching joints but did not turn the baby), hot baths (sit in with water up to the bottom of your belly) with frozen veggies on the top of the belly, hubby would talk to the bottom of my belly, he'd use a flashlight at the bottom to draw the baby down, lying on an inclined surface with my feet higher than my head, blah blah blah. I drew the line at a manual version (manually turning the baby in an outpatient scenario) and acupuncture. My very good friend was in the same predicament and she did most everything I did except she did try the acupuncture. She and I were scheduled for the same morning for our c-sections. During her last minute ultrasound, her baby turned and she was sent home for a regular delivery. Mine never turned and I had a c-section. It was not the end of the world either way for me; I was focused on one thing - having a healthy baby with my own health intact. The breech situation was a bit of a shock because it wasn't what I had thought would happen but it turned out fine nonetheless. Remember the baby can turn in most breech situations up until the very last minute. Also some breech positions are harder than others to turn but at 34 weeks you have some time to try some options with your doctor’s guidance. Good luck and congratulations.

spinning babies . com may have some helpful information for you and how to get baby to flip

My lady one turned day before she was born!

Did they mention trying to turn him? I thought they still did that.

Anyway, if you do have a C, you'll be ok. You have to do what's best for you and the baby. Don't sweat it - enjoy your last few weeks as a mommy of only 1.

Lots of babies are still head-up at 34 weeks and even 36 weeks.

My firstborn was breech right up to 38 weeks. He flipped on his own. Had he still been breech the doctor was going to try to get him to flip with an external version. If that hadn't worked, then a c-section would be an option on the table.

I remember advice from back then to encourage the baby to turn. Being on knees & elbows while rocking gently a couple of times per day. I have no idea if it actually helped, but it was comfortable. :-)

Breathe and remind yourself that it's still early. My second was breech from day one. At 37 weeks they told me to prepare for c-section. And then, true story, doc told me to "have a talk with my girl" so as weird as it sounds, I talked to her as I drove home, told her mommy really needed her to flip over, added a prayer, and guess what? As I leaned over at home holding on to a counter, begging her to flip, she *did*. I felt it, but couldn't be sure until the next ultrasound at 39 weeks, when they told me she was finally head down. My blood pressure spiked so high they had to monitor me. Long story short, vaginal birth, and I swore I'd thank her forever. Felt like a miracle. So keep hoping - and if for some reason you do have a c-section, don't feel bad and never look back. As long as he is healthy, it doesn't matter how he comes out. My friend was being prepped for a c-section when her baby suddenly flipped and she had a vaginal birth. Good luck and please keep us posted! =)

Here's what happened to me with my second pregnancy. I was at 36 weeks when we found that my second son was breech. The doctor told me that at 38 weeks he would try to turn him. He said he would do it at the hospital because sometimes it throws you into labor. He also said that sometimes even when they successfully turn the baby, the baby will go back to being breech. And yes, if the baby were breech at the end, he'd do a c-section because his insurance company would require it.

I tried not to worry about it. At 38 weeks, he checked me and the baby wasn't breech anymore. I was so happy that I splurged on a banana split!

Here's the thing, though. I went into labor at 40 weeks and didn't have my doctor that weekend - the one weekend that he was not on call. I had never met the doctor - he was from another practice who covered my doctor's practice once a month. He left all the "checking" to the nurse and I saw the man exactly once before having the baby. I labored for 23 hours before I got a new nurse with the shift change - she had delivered babies as a midwife herself and she knew her stuff. She told me that she thought my baby was OP (face up) and she turned me on my side and rubbed my belly until the baby turned. He came shooting down the birth canal and was actually born without a contraction. The doctor barely made it in the room on time and didn't even get to sit down before my son popped out.

So, my point is, even if your baby turns head down, talk to the doctor about the possibility of OP if it's taking a long time for the baby to be born. It's hard on a baby to come out face up. My son was so bruised and swollen. And he was stuck. He would have been born a lot earlier if we had known that he needed to be turned. I fault that doctor who didn't pay attention to me for that. And yes, I complained about it with my doctor, who I felt needed to know about this doctor, since he was managing his patients once a month.

This would probably be a good time to learn more about c-sections. Most pregnancy books have a chapter about them - what to expect at the hospital, things to be aware of the first couple of days, suggestions to make things easier at home.

I suspect part of the reason you're nervous is because you don't really know what to expect. You know what to expect with a vaginal delivery, so that's not so scary. Maybe learning a little more will help calm your fears.