breech baby - manual turning dangerous or worth a try?

Hi,

I am 36 weeks pregnant with a frank breech baby (it looks like it's doing a yoga movement - feet are next to its head) - it's bottom is pretty firmly stuck in my pelvis - therefore am scheduled for a caesar at 39 weeks. I was reading about the possibility of trying to get the baby turned manually - (if it is possible!) but am scared about causing damage - getting cord around bub's neck, detaching placenta etc. How successful is this manoeuvre? Is it worth trying it or should I just have the caesar?

Hi,

I'm only just seeing this now, sorry to not reply sooner!

Does your Ob think s/he can do an external version in your case? Sometimes bubs is so low in the pelvis it's very difficult to do but that's more common when bubs turns breech DURING labour. I think in the US the success rate for external version is 65%, with the other 35% staying breech. My SIL had a successful manual version in the UK at 35wks, before they began they did an ultrasound on her bump to locate the placenta, the cord, and bubs various limbs to get a good idea of where everything was and how safe it would be. She said it was uncomfortable but not painful, and she was relieved when it worked. They monitor you both before, during and after the version and if bubs shows distress they stop/put him/her back the way they were.

I would say yes, it's probably worth having a go. If you go to Spinning Babies website you'll find other tips on how to help a breech baby turn. It can be more difficult for a frank breech to turn as they have less leverage because of where their feet are, but it can happen. If i were you i'd talk to your ob, tell them you're keen to have a vaginal birth and discuss a plan of action for helping bubs turn. If you try and it doesn't work you'll know bubs has decided that bum first is how s/he MUST be born and can re-think from there. As an aside i do know one woman who's #1 was a frank breech born at 39weeks in Germany, vaginally, without even any tearing! She had to drive 250km in labour to an Ob who was able to deliver vaginally, but it could be your ob has just assumed you'd prefer a c-section, without really asking, kwim?

HTH

Bec

Definitely go check out the spinning babies site that hoobley mentioned! With my second baby, my MD was sure she was breech, and so I was looking into whatever options I could find to avoid the c-section. (there are no OB's in my area who will deliver breech! :() You can also look into chiropractic care to encourage baby to turn. It is called the bradley manuever, I think, and with a skilled doctor, has about an 85% success rate. Very safe - he never touches baby or your tummy, just adjusts your lower back/hips to make more room.
As far as manual turning goes, I was certainly willing to try it, rather than have the c-section. You can look up the procedure for it online. (external cephalic version) I believe they usually give you an injection to relax your uterus, and monitor the baby carefully with ultrasound the whole time. They guide the baby around to the right position, and then you are supposed to walk around for a while to get him settled in right. Sometimes they turn back again. Apparently it is described as "uncomfortable, but not painful."
See if you can find an OB otherwise who will let you try labour. Frank breech is supposed to be one of the best for a natural delivery.
(BTW - ultrasound at 37 weeks showed my bub head-down. There's still time for yours to turn!)
All the best!

I'm sure you would have tried it but getting your bottom higher than your head helps to encourage a breech baby to turn. This worked for me every time during my pregnancy with Lucas, although he was not a frank breech.

My mum had a ECV and said it was uncomfortable, but not painful like cricket said, and that the baby did not turn immediatley but later that night when she went to bed.

All the best, not long to go!

I had this done in NZ with Hannah. We went to the hospital and they had fetal monitors, heart rate monitors (on me) and and an U/S all going, As soeone else mentioned I was given an injection to relax and the bottom half of the bed was elevated before they tried manually to turn Hannah. Unfortuantely for us it didnt work - it was very painful for me and tht was why we stopped.

I would say that in the correct environment with good monitoring of you and bub it would be definitely worth a try. Good luck.

Hey Lilli -

My bub is breech too, I was given three options: 1. Try to have her manually turned
2. C-Sec
3. Have her breech

They took away the option of having her breech, too dangerous.

My OB told me the success rate of bubby turning was 40% and then there was a 17% chance that she would turn back around, he called in another OB to examine my belly and they decided together because my stomach muscles are so tight (due to age) that my personal success rate was only 20% (still with a 17%chance she wouldn't stay put), I didn't see the point in distressing bubby by trying to turn her when my chances were so low so i'm booking in for a C-Sec today. I also didn't want to have something go wrong and HAVE to have an emergency C-Sec then and there... I want to be awake even if i can't deliver her naturally!

I personally feel it's the best thing for my baby - having said that it's been such a hard decision, with many nights of tears in our house, I spent so long preparing myself for a 'normal' birth i had a major hissy fit and felt it just wasn't fair! You still have time to think about what you want and what's best for you and bubby.

I hope everything goes well and you make the decision that makes YOU feel the most confident, Goodluck :)

Oops, i didn't realise this was so old *lol* preggy brain... I hope all went well :)

My freind underwent a manual turning at 37 (or maybe it was 38) weeks which worked, though bubs proceeded to flip right back again. She was scheduled for a csec on Tues gone (she was 39 weeks) and went in ready for it but they found bubs had flipped back to normal so she's now due for a vag birth rather than a csec. Talk about timing!