Breech at 26 Weeks

My 3rd was sideways from 26-32 weeks, and I really freaked out. I read that most babies aren't in position yet this early (head down). Try not to worry about it until you really have to. I ended up delivering vaginally.
Good luck.

I had to have 2 c-sections. My babies are 14 months apart. I remember being able to lift my then 14 month old fairly quickly, maybe a week or two after. My 1st c-section was tough because I wasn't keeping up with the pain meds at first. My 2nd was a BREEZE. They're not too bad at all...and if you have to have one, that's a minimal concern compared to having a healthy baby.

I'm surprised it was even mentioned. Babies turn around in there easily up until 32 ish weeks. And even a breech at 32 weeks still has a few good weeks where they are able to turn. AT 26, I wouldn't even think about it.

You are still really early. I'm actually surprised that they would even express concern about that right now. The best thing for you to do is to relax. There's nothing you can really do right now, since it's likely the baby will flip back over.

The pain on the left lower part of your abdomen is probably the baby putting pressure there.

Recovery for heavy lifting from a c-section is about 6 weeks. I had a 2.5 year old at home when I had my second c-section. There are LOTS of ways to get around carrying your toddler.

Again, you really just need to relax. :)

Breech isn't diagnosed til 32-34 weeks. It's too early to determine if the baby is breech, rather than simply has not turned yet. Once you are 32 weeks, if the baby hasn't turned, you can investigate options for turning the baby - chiropractic, acupunture, hypnosis, breech tilt exercises, musical version, etc.

Enjoy the development of your baby! Don't go for more ultrasounds - it doesn't make the baby turn. I have heard about putting ice up top so they move away from it. And get on all fours. I had three c-sections and had 6 weeks recovery. Get off the internet and read great novels and keep going on walks. And enjoy your firstborn.

with my first i was normal all the way up until they did the ultrasound in the hospital. literally the week before they said they could feel her head and i was plus 1! i go to the hospital and oops! she's breech. like way up there. her head was even coned from being down where she was supposed to be. i don't know what happened. anyway, i had no options given to me, i had a c-section. (honestly i would prefer one to a vaginal now), i was terrified of course, but it worked out well. i had my second child when my first was 25 months. i got out of the hospital after 2 days because i was doing so well, and when i came home after the first few days i was picking up my daughter. i did rip some staples but nothing fell out (haha). anyways both times it worked out fine.

DON'T PANIC!! Baby has *plenty* of time to turn. All my babies were breech at that time, and all my babies turned in time.

Actually, my mom told me that I was breech until the night before she went into labour - she felt me flip around to head-down position and her contractions started a few hours later :o)

Chances are the baby will turn on its own. Do yoga moves specific for pregnant ladies, I'm sure you can get lots of hint from googling it. Don't worry about things that havent happened yet. I see many ultrasound pics of babies that are in breech position.... it's quite the sensation when they begin to turn, I totally remember feeling it myself.
Get on your hands and knees EVERday and contract and relax your lower back muscles. This position gives the baby lots of room to move about. It's a good position to be in when you feel the baby being active :)
Good luck and you will be fine... baby will most likely TURN.

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I don't have any suggestions about how to help the baby turn. However, I have had two C-sections which went great. After my second my doctor told me I had no restrictions lifting my two year old. I had other lifting restrictions but his belief was that it was important to still give my toddler as much attention as possible and that included lifting him. I never had any problems lifting him and my recovery for both was very quick and easy.

Like Dawn, my daughter was breached until I was full term (37 weeks) at which point she turned. She did turn to be in the occipito-posterior position and stayed there when my water broke and labor began (39 weeks). My Mom helped me turn her by straddling me and pressing my sides and lower back with her knees while I draped myself over a big yoga ball and pressed into her rocking my hips back and forth. We took cues from my body and though my labor was very long, we made it. As soon as my daughter turned, I needed to push. 45 minutes later she was born.

I've heard and read about being able to shift baby with a sheet. Basically, you would get on hands and knees, bum in the air. You would need one person on one side and another on the other side. They drape a sheet under your belly and slowly pull from one side to the other, rocking your belly back and forth.

Try not to worry at this point. You've got a lot of time before you'll deliver and that baby is likely to go back and forth between breech. My little one flipped many times.

I wouldn't worry about this. There are more serious things to ponder than a breech baby at 26 weeks. It's way early and very possible for the baby to turn later in the pregnancy. I have heard the baby can be turned (external cephalic version) by a trained doctor but it does have risks (cord can get wrapped around the neck) and I have also heard it's painful for the mother.

As for a c-section, I have had 3 of them and am currently pregnant with my 4th and this will also be a c-section. A c-section is major abdominal surgery and the recovery is longer than a vaginal delivery. You will NOT be able to lift anything heavier than your infant for at least the first two weeks, no driving, no going up and down stairs. After that, you will have to use discretion as every woman heals differently but you would have to talk to your OB about your situation. You will be sore for several weeks. A c-section is not the end of the world. It's the safest alternative when a vaginal delivery is not an option. Good luck.

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/pregna...

My second was breech. I was further along, huge and didn't think she'd flip. I did the exercises, you can find them online, where you raise your pelvis for several minutes a few times a day. After a week or two, she turned.

This is something I heard from my midwives - start washing your floors on your hands and knees. The position (all fours and head down) and movement are what can help your baby turn. There's been some speculation that more babies are breech these days because we don't do chores like that very often anymore. Another activity that can help is to go swimming on your front.

Here are a bunch more suggestions: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=2009031012345...

Relax it is too early to stress that baby will not turn baby has lots of room to still turn & btw babies are in several postitons everyday it could so happen baby liked that breech position during your US...Don't do the Aversion it is too soon.You can do pelivc tilts everyday several times a day it does help with labor.
I have had 3 pregnancies all natural vaginal deliveries my last baby was breech in the 3rd trimester she finally turned herself with my assistance pelvic tilts,walking,I also did the frozen veggies,or ice packs to get baby moving,in the complete dark I used a flash light & went all over my bell in circles.Our 38 week US she wasn't breech anymore I knew she would turn herself it was very painful wehn she did,she was criss crossed head up under my rib cage butt down (now if she would of stayed like that how in the HE-- will she come out naturally)I was terrified of the C-section didn't want one but it was between our health that mattered & only if it was medically necessary I would have the c-section.My lil gal turned right in the nick of time

It is early. There's still room in there and they can turn somersaults almost up till the very end. Relax and wait to see how things are in 4 more weeks.

They told me not to lift my toddler (she was 17 mos at the time) for 8 weeks after my c-section but I only had help for the first 3 weeks so that is all I refrained and everything went AOK for me. She was a young petite toddler though so we aren't talking about a 34 lb 3 or 4 year old. I too had a vaginal delivery for #1 but then had an induction 1 week late and surprise c-section with baby #2 (turns out he had a short chord and I didn't progress after 20 hours- it was 6"--c-section saved my life and his). I am planning a VBAC with #3 (currently 30 weeks prego). Best wishes and wait it out! One of my friends had version and it worked.....There is only so much you have control over.

Best wishes!

Ok I had a lot of pressure with my 3rd baby in my lower abdomen. It also got worse the more I walked or did stuff around the house. Grocery shopping was awful I would be hobbling around by the time I got home. My son was also breech at 20 weeks and by 32 weeks he had turned. I too was terrified he wouldn't and I would need a c section to the point where I was up worring at night! Your baby still has time to turn. My friend had a Csection and kept telling me it wasn't that bad but the thought of being cut open freaked me out and gave me severe anxiety. Good luck to you.

I can't answer everything, but I can tell you to not worry about the breech right now. I had twins and one was breech at 30 weeks and he turned before we delivered. I swam a lot to try to encourage him to turn. I don't know if it actually helped at all, but he did turn and I was able to deliver vaginally.

My baby was transverse lie for quite some time. As a result, a c-section was scheduled for me. Around week 34, he decided to get into the proper position and I had a vaginal delivery. My doctor told me that I probably would not need the c-section but wanted to schedule it to get it 'on the books' and 'reserve' our time slot in case because it gets more and more difficult to schedule a scheduled c-section as you near your delivery date.

You may not need a c-section and your baby may get into position prior to delivery but the most important goal here is a healthy mom and a healthy baby, so keep an open mind about what will create the best outcome here.

Mine were not breech, but my second was side lying for awhile. The midwife said I had lots of time and lots of room for the baby to turn. She said that many babies turn even in the middle of labor! I don't know how much of that info holds true for breech babies, but I would guess that at 26 weeks, you still have time (and hopefully space). If the baby is still breech later on, you could always do aversion--my midwife said she has never NOT had aversion work.

Anyway, check out this website for exercises to encourage the baby to turn: www.spinningbabies.com

Also, I was told that the way you sit during pregnancy is key--you must always sit up straight, with your spine in a straight line--in other words, don't recline (laying down is different). In our modern culture, we spend much of our days sitting and reclining--that's really suboptimal for positioning.

Have you ever been to a Chiropractor??. I had other issues that caused a c-section (really high risk pregnancy), but my son would always turn when I got adjusted. You're right, it's quite early with plenty of time to turn.

Don't worry about baby being breech at 26 weeks - lots are, and there's loads of time for him/her to turn. My second baby went breech at 36 weeks, causing me to agonize about turning her, and whether to have a c-section or whether to try a vaginal breech delivery - it can be an safe option, especially if you've had one normal delivery already, but you need a skilled doctor.
However, she turned back round at 38 weeks and I went on to have a straightforward normal birth - so don't worry this early! Also, if the baby is on the small side, turning is more likely and easier for the baby. She was a petite baby (5 lb 9oz at birth - and still a petite almost 6 year old!) and I think she was just little enough to be able to rotate around even at 38 weeks.
I hope all goes well

I would think that the baby will turn before 40 weeks. You have a while before you should be too concerned. I had a lot of abdominal pressure with my middle son because he was extremely large and pushing on all my nerves and muscles. The doctor eventually told me to rest as much as I could. I also had a C-section with my last boy and the process has really come a long way. I was holding my baby and rocking him the day after. The doctors cleaned everything out from inside so I did not bleed much. The fact that I had to have an emergency C-section was kind of alarming but you have good drugs that chill you out fast.

My 2nd child was transverse (laying horizontally) at 38 weeks. I was very worried as there is no way to deliver a baby that way. However, my experience is that she flipped several times in those last two weeks, including the day I went into labor with her. I had to go to the hospital to be checked as I couldn't keep up with her position. So, hang in there and try not to worry. Things can change a lot.

The baby will probably turn between now and delivery. But in case he/she doesn't, I would like to share two experiences with you. One of my babies was breech all the way up to the end. My doctor wanted to try to turn him at 38 weeks (this procedure is called a version). "Mother's intuition" told me not to allow this. I am soooo thankful I listened. I went ahead with the c-section and found out that he was breech because the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice--if the doctor would have tried to turn him, I may have lost my baby. Now for experience number two. My last baby was also breech up until the very day of delivery. I had already had a c-section before so I was going to have another anyways, but I went into labor early and the baby turned head-down during labor. They didn't know this until they pulled him out during the c-section (the doctor and nurses all felt my stomach and thought he was still breech minutes before going to the operating room)--so...if your baby stays breech, insist on having an ultrasound right before the c-section just to ensure that you don't have a c-section unnecessarily. Hope this helps! Don't be concerned--most babies do turn by delivery on their own.

MOST babies are breech at 26 weeks! And I disagree with the doctor (maybe actually an ultrasound tech?) ... not until 34-36 weeks do they start to consider your baby breech and think about interventions to turn him.

My baby was breech at 33 weeks -- I don't know just when she turned, but by 37 she was head down.

If the baby is breech in a month or 6 weeks, there are things you can do short of an external version. Spinningbabies.com has exercises to help put your body in a good position for the baby to turn (you can start doing the exercises any time, but try not to stress, it is normal for the baby to be breech now). Some chiropractors can also do the Webster technique, which supposedly has a very high success rate.

It is still so very early. My daughter turned at 38 weeks! I would not spend
a lot of time worrying about this. Even if the baby turned now, he could
turn again. I had three vaginal deliveries and was ticked off that my 4th
would be a c section LOL. My husband and I took a walk up a huge hill
just to get out and at the top of the hill she turned. I guess she figured she
did not want to have to deal with me if I ended up a section. In reality,
if I needed a section, it was not a big deal to me. The safety of the baby is
first and foremost. Good luck.

You shouldn't have to worry about a breech baby until after 36 weeks, when the baby is too "big" to easily move around. I had a friend who tried acupuncture with her breech baby at 38 weeks and he turned and was delivered vaginally.

Like you, I was TERRIFIED of having an unnecessary c-section. I had a vaginal delivery with my first baby and an emergency c-section with my second baby. My second baby still hadn't "dropped" even when I was in labor, which I know is fairly common but the reason she couldn't drop is because she had the cord wrapped around her neck twice (and was face-up.) The reason I'm telling you this is because people are so scared of c-sections, but truthfully, (in my case,) the emergency c-section literally saved my baby's life! And my recovery was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. The first day home was the worst, and every day after that got a little better. My children are 22 months apart and I was home for less than a week when my husband had to go back to work. I felt like I could have carried my toddler around after about 2 weeks, (but I didn't because I was afraid of hurting myself and delaying the recovery.) I felt fully back to normal by 4 weeks.

So even though the thought of having a c-section is terrifying, you shouldn't stress yourself out about it right now. If the time comes that you need one, just know that your baby's safety and well-being is totally worth the recovery. And not having soreness, swelling, and stitches "down there" was a total plus for me.