breech and c-section

at my antenatal class last night, the midwife told everyone that if the baby is in the breech postition nearing orduring labour, that a c-section will be routinely performed.

is this the case everywhere? or is it just because i live in regional nsw?

maybe i am just niave, but i thought it was still quite possible to have a vaginal birth, even in the breech position; so i was quite appalled by the idea that if the baby is breech i may not be left with a choice.

(not that i really have anything to worry about at this stage as jelly is head down.)

It is the case they will perform a c-section or try and turn the baby but i don't think they like to turn the baby.

Kimberley was a breech baby but i also had pre-eclampsia she was born by c-section but that was an emergancy one.

There are some OBs (well, there are 1 or 2 in Melb, not sure about NSW) who will attempt a vaginal delivery of a breech baby, but you'll probably have to shop around to find one.

If anyone does have a breech baby, I recommend they do lots of reasearch - you have to be strong willed and really want the birth you are after these days. There is a site, Spinning Babies, look up optimal foetal positioning and there is a book, 'Breech Birth: Woman Wise' by Maggie Banks. The best you can do for your chances are to educate yourself as best possible and / or find a breech supportive Ob - hard to come by. You could always ask, 'So if I want a breech vaginal birth, if all is looking normal, you wont allow me to birth here?' and see what they say. How can they refuse you? You could always have a homebirth, some midwives will still be okay with it and if you're with HBA it will be free! Private midwives (MIPP) will also transfer you to hospital if they think you need intervention - they aren't a bunch of hippies ;)

I was told I was having a breech this time (they were totally wrong) but after doing my research I found:
1/ only one Dr in the whole of NSW will deliver breech and he is in Newcastle. No one else will do it because of being sued.
2. Turning the baby is a horribly painful procedure and I was totally recommended against it.

What I did do , and do recommend is accupuncture. I had one session for turning the bub (he said if she wasn't breech, it wouldn't turn her, but it was safe to try either way). He said if I found out baby was definitely breech I would need 2 or 3 sessions a week for 2 weeks. Very worth it, totally painless and harmless to bubs.
good luck xoox

I found out that I was a breech baby until 8 days overdue - was born the next day head down! It's a shame we have such a highly litigated society and that Obs are losing their skills in such births like breech and twins. Very sad.

On turning babies... there are also some chiropractors who use 'The Webster Technique' to turn breech babies. This is a fairly gentle technique and non invasive but if you do decide to opt for this ring around first and find out if the chiropractor has a drop table, belly table/pillow, and where they learnt the technique. I know there is a qualified teacher of the Webster Technique in Sydney and 2 at Melbourne, toher than that most people should be trained in the US or Britain.

I have been seeing the Chiro for SPD and he and my OB speak after each treatment as there is some problems. It was my OB who first suggested that I may be looking at a breech or transverse baby and asked if my chiro knew anyone who was qualified in the Webster Technique. Some OB's are so open to alternatives.

Came across this technique to turn a breech baby... sounds like something I would try... just have to make greenpeace aware that there wont really be a whale at the local pool.

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Deep Water Immersion
The most successful do it yourself technique for turning a breech fetus is headstand done while totally immersed in water, according to Susun Weed in Wise Woman’s Herbal for the Childbearing Year. It's important to find a pool that's warm enough that you are *really* relaxed. Ideally, finding a therapeutic pool that is kept at a temperature higher than a regular pool where people heat themselves up swimming laps would be best.

Get into the pool and spend at least 15 minutes just paddling around and having fun. Now go to where you can stand with your head just above water, then do 5 handstands in a row. Just plain swimming can also help the baby turn because of the stretching and crouching involved. This will help you to relax those abdominal muscles to give the baby more room to turn. This may have to be repeated several times before baby will turn. It's best if she can judge vertex from breech because then she'll know when to quit. She may also want someone there to help her into this position.

Don’t forget the benefits of deep-water immersion on increasing your amniotic fluid, also helpful to the baby's turning. Being in deep water will squeeze the fluids in your tissues into your bloodstream and increase the volume of amniotic fluid.

In contrast, if you are an avid swimmer and swim everyday, stopping swimming and try alternate techniques.

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Thats interesting Meg that there`sonly 1 Dr in NSW who will deliver a breech baby, I`d be interested to know who the Dr is??

I was a breech baby myself