Breech Baby-External Version

Hi, I had two external versions....it is uncomfortable, but not really painful... worth a try to see if the baby will turn. Mine was actually sitting with his butt down in my pelvis... so the most painful for me was the Dr. had to wedge his fingers down into my stomach to get under my pelvic bone to pop my baby's butt up out of there to get him turned....a bit sore after...but not bad! My baby turned, then turned back! So had a second successful one...but when delivery time came... he had turned back again! My baby was very small though...so he had lots of room in there to move about... and ended up doing C section. The version is definitley worthwhile... or homeopathics as suggested... to try to avoid c section... but either way I am sure your baby will come out fine... :) Cindy

I had a breech baby delivered in 2005 via c-section. My OB is the head of his dept at the hospital and said that in most cases the baby ends up turning back around anyways. I opted not to have it done because it can be painful/very uncomfortable then have it not work anyways. I had no problems with my c-section and was actually relieved to know when it was going to happen so I could make arrangements for my older child accordingly! It did take a little longer to recover but all in all, my baby got here healthy and that's all that mattered to me!

Hi S.! I was in the same boat as you. My second baby was breech (a more comfortable way to carry, I found) and I had the external version done around 36, 38 weeks. It was very uncomfortable, took about half an hour, but she turned! And then 20 minutes later she turned back into breech. I tried yoga, chiropracty, acupuncture, and she was still breech. Since she was in perfect frank breech position, and because I'd had a successful vaginal birth, my doctor was willing to work with me on delivering her vaginally. Also, my husband and his sister were both breech born (in the 60's) and my sister in law had her 2nd baby born vaginally breech (in 2002). In the end, my daughter stuck her foot out first and was born via c-section. Now she's a rambunctious 4 year old. Good luck to you! I'll keep my fingers crossed that the external version works! But if it doesn't, don't panic. You'll still get your baby! Cheers.

My friend Ashley's baby was breech and our midwife used hot and cold water bottles to encourage him to turn and it worked. (put the hot one low on your uterus and the cold one high and the baby will move his/her head away from the cold) I can't remeber how far along she was but I know she was pretty close to delivering. I've heard that external version is painful and in most cases unsuccessful. If you choose to go along with it, ask your doc to try it while you're on your hands and knees as this position opens up your pelvic cavity, allowing more room for movement. Best wishes!!

Go to an Acuputurist and they can do a procedure which will cause the baby to turn. My acuputurist has done this on other patients and it worked.Linda

My doctor offered to do one at 38 wks because baby was breech, and then next week I went in and told her "no thanks". Something in my gut was telling me no because Baby kept turning sideways, then going back head up again. I figured "there is a reason why she isn't doing it on her own - why force it"? Well, a few days later I had a C-Section only to find out she was tangled pretty good in the umbilical cord. If I had done the external version, we may have chocked her. I really don't want to scare you or anything, as I'm sure my daughter's case is rare - but it's something to think about ;)
Good Luck an Congrats!

I am a doula, and had a client have this procedure doen at 38 weeks. It was succesful and she said it did not hurt much at all. She just totally relaxed and breathed through it. Also, before you go for the version, find a Chiropractor in your area who is certified to do the Webster technique. It does not manipulate the baby, but does encourage them to move head down on their own. Also check out the site www.spinningbabies.com for more suggestions to encourage the little one prior to the version.

Hi S.,
As a chiropractor who helps pregnant women with situations like this, I absolutely recommend you go to a qualified pre-natal Chiropractor first. If you cannot find one, please look for an acupuncturist who can help. Often times if the body is out of balance this can create compensatory problems in your uterine muscles and ligaments. If those muscles and ligaments are not balanced, this can create a difficult time for the baby when he/she attempts to get into the proper position. A chiropractor can balance your pelvic bones, muscles, and uterine ligaments. In turn, your baby will have the room to get into the right place, head down!
I sure hope you can find someone to help!
Best of luck,

C. Tanaka, DC
www.naturallifechiro.com

I haven't had it done but heard it is painful. You wouldn't consider acupuncture or chiropractic technique called Webster first? You can read about Webster here http://www.icpa4kids.org/why/webster.htm. There are homeopathic remedies that can turn a breech baby.

Hi S.,

I second the vote for accupuncture!!! Try that first. I have heard it does wonders for breech babies.

Best of luck,
J.

I haven't had it done, but I know how lame this sounds, lol, I saw an episode of A Baby story on TLC and a woman did it because her baby was transverse...and if yours is breech there's a lot more moving the doctors will have to do. All i know, is that it looks EXTREMELY painful and there are a lot of risks too...I would look into the risks more and see if it's worth it to you-or just have a C section. Who knows, maybe your baby will move on its own!!!

Hi S.,

My doctor (a female OB) tried to do it on me. It was not all that painful--uncomfortable, yes, but not out and and out painful at all! Don't get too stressed over it, just go prepared so that if a delivery is necessary (or a c-section), you will have your things and feel better. (Don't let it worry you that mine didn't work--my baby was over 11 lbs. so it was pretty impossible). You MIGHT consider the swimming thing (but ask your doctor first), where you do headstands in a pool, to see if it gets the baby to turn over. I've had a couple friends that have had success with this. Good luck!

Hi S.,

I had this done at 38 weeks and it was a success. It is true that the success rate is low, but if your baby is smaller and the amnio fluid is high, it's easier for the doctor to turn the baby. The procedure is painful, but it is quick and over before you know it. I had to wear a girdle/body slimmer for a few days after the turn to give the baby less room to turn back. BTW - before doing the version I tried acupuncture and lying on my back with my hips in the air, etc, but no success.

Good luck!

I've never had one myself.

A great resource for positions to help turn her is spinningbabies.com - maybe she'll flip, and you won't have to do the version after all!

I wish you luck with everything!

S., CONGRATULATIONS on your soon to be arrival! Here in L.A we have the amazing Chiropractor, Dr. Elliot Berlin DC, who is phenomenal with turning breech babies naturally! I am pretty sure that Dr. Berlin's office could refer you to a similar doctor in Mililani, HI or at least lead you in the right direction.

Here's his contact data:

Dr. Elliot Berlin
Berlin Wellness
6221 Wilshire Blvd., #518
Los Angeles, CA 90048
http://www.doctorberlin.com/
(323) 549~0070

I also agree with Maggie. http://www.spinningbabies.com/ is magical!

Happy Birthing! : )))

LOL (Lots Of Love),
L. (MAMA to 20 month old Dylan Orion.....29 September 2007).

i had this done unsuccessfully.

it made me go into labor and i had to deliver via c-section the next morning. when they "cut me open" they saw that i had a bicoronate uterus - in other words, my uterus is divided into two halves!

so little baby was only developing in 1/2 the space she needed to grow. which was why she had no space to turn around initially. which was why they couldn't get her to turn around via version.

also this was NOT detected on the multiple ultrasounds i had! i guess because they were not looking for it. oh well. good luck. no opinion for you. but it did hurt a little.

My baby was breech and I took Pulsatilla 30C 3x a day for 3 days and went to a chiropractor in La Cananda who did the Webster 2 times a week for 2 0r 3 weeks and he turned. I also spoke to baby a lot, so did my husband and put music low in my pelvis 3 times a day for 30 minutes.
I feel the Pulsatilla helped a lot though. He will turn.

Best of luck.
E.

I just wanted to chime in with the lady whose baby had the cord wrapped around her, because my son had the same thing. I had gestational diabetes and ultrasounds all the time - I even had two ultrasounds the same day - once with my specialist and once with my ob-gyn when I was 37-38 weeks pregnant. He was breech at one visit and not at the next. Yes, that late he was twisting around.

Then they wanted to induce 5 days before my due date because of the gestational diabetes. The doctor turned him externally as you described, and a half hour later he was breech again. The doctor said to me, "the baby has its (we didn't know gender) reasons, we are doing a c-section." I was a bit disappointed. And out he came with the cord wrapped around his neck. And I was happy I had the c-section then. So not that rare.

Unless you are in pain, why not wait until delivery date like I did to have them try and turn the baby? You will be on fetal monitors then and if something happens they can react quickly.

wow! never heard of that! but dont they just do c-sections for that? i wouldnt even mess with it & let god deal with it & thats why c-sections exsits.. well wish you the best!!

Hi S., I had an external version at 39 weeks. Some doctors give you drugs to relax your uterus, mine didn't. I won't lie, it hurt, but I'll tell you- it hurt alot less than trying to recover from a c-section for 6 weeks. I was able to have a normal vaginal delivery and I wouldn't trade that for anything. You can do it, it's worth it.
K.

I'd encourage you to try the Webster Technique from a chiroprator as well. I had excellent luck with that after trying many other things to get my babe to turn. My little one turned within an hour after the session.
It's completely painless and only takes a few minutes. My Dr. and midwife were amazed that it worked... but it did, and I delived naturally without any problems.