Breech baby, what to do?

Mely

My last two babies were breech and i had the recommended cesareans without any hesitation, as my babies welfare was paramount to us. Not the birthing experience. I also took the medical advice given, as i trusted them to know their job - and they did!

Jo_R_2

Mely wrote: »

My last two babies were breech and i had the recommended cesareans without any hesitation, as my babies welfare was paramount to us. Not the birthing experience. I also took the medical advice given, as i trusted them to know their job - and they did!

I hate to say it but the issue with trusting them to know their job... You know, obviously the professionals know their job, but they also adhere to hospital protocol regardless of what the evidence actually shows. For example, DD2 was born at 43 weeks. From 41 weeks I was pressured for induction "because it's hospital policy not to get nothers go more than 10 days overdue." I was made to feel like I was stupid and told I was putting baby's life at risk, EVEN THOUGH I had opted for the perfectly reasonable and available option of choosing regular monitoring each week, ensuring that baby was still thriving as was the placenta. So in that sense you can see why I feel so cynical.

Some may not agree but I don't take someone's word for it just because I am told. I would much rather get information from as many sources as possible, and whilst I am aware that I have been in this position previously and all 'turned' (LOL) out well, it might not be the same this time and I would like to be prepared and informed. I know that a breech birth or a caesarean are the options and obviously I'd rather go with a natural birth if at all possible and realistic for the situation that me and baby are in. I'd rather avoid major surgery if at all possible, and would much prefer to take that choice as a last resort. I know it is a realistic option to birth a breech baby normally given there are no contraindications.

I am rambling now and so am wondering if this is making any sense - think it's time for sleep!

nigdeb2002

I have been lucky (or not as some may see it) enough to experience all 3 ways of presentation through my 4 pregnancies. First 2 normal presentation albeit my DS1 decided to be doing a hand stand on coming out!!. My twins were breech and i did have a csection which actually as it happened was the best decision i made as one of the twins had a 'true knot' in his cord which was undetected and if had been delivered 'normally' would have had a great chance of not surviving. My last pregnancy the little mite decided to be transverse (laying across the stomach). I was all preped for another section but no he decided he wanted to come naturally. He had to be turned inside prior to birth and that was the most painful thing i have ever had to endure. He didnt make it any easier as he was grasping the Drs finger during the whole process and just wouldnt let go!! So having endured the turning, Drs finger insitu throughout contractions etc a csection would have been a preferable option. But on the positive side we now have an embarassing story to remind him of in his teenage years

clairec79

Breech babies do poo as they come out - that is to be expected BUT breech babies who poo at this point don't (can't) inhale meconium (think of the logistics, poo out of the bum and falls down and out of the vagina never gets near the baby's mouth for them to breath it in - breech meconium is very different to cephalic meconium, believe me you see it and all of a sudden you know it's a bum coming)

nadnad

i know where the OP's coming from. i think that birthing choices are completely removed from the mother these days. its all about how quickly the baby can be born. They dont want to waste time when a c-section would be quicker, they dont want to waste resources on a home birth, its all about inductions and c sections and intervention as far as i can see. (i had a c-section and still don't know if it was 100% necessary), but I have my little man now so am not going to worry too much now, but still its ridiculous. When i had my little boy that same day there were 9 c-sections in the hospital and only 2 vaginal births - thats just not right. Even the midwives commented on the huge increase in sections.

thatgirlsam

nadnad wrote: »

i know where the OP's coming from. i think that birthing choices are completely removed from the mother these days. its all about how quickly the baby can be born. They dont want to waste time when a c-section would be quicker, they dont want to waste resources on a home birth, its all about inductions and c sections and intervention as far as i can see. (i had a c-section and still don't know if it was 100% necessary), but I have my little man now so am not going to worry too much now, but still its ridiculous. When i had my little boy that same day there were 9 c-sections in the hospital and only 2 vaginal births - thats just not right. Even the midwives commented on the huge increase in sections.

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sadly, its the fear of litigation that is responsible for the increase in sections-
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the hospitals, and midwives, doctors even as you can be sued as an individual when you work for the NHS are so scared of being taken to court if something goes wrong - and , don't take this the wrong way jo, im not saying you would do this - but its the women who push and push to do things their 'own' way that sue the !!! of us when things don't turn out as planned

Jo_R_2

thatgirlsam wrote: »

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sadly, its the fear of litigation that is responsible for the increase in sections-
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the hospitals, and midwives, doctors even as you can be sued as an individual when you work for the NHS are so scared of being taken to court if something goes wrong - and , don't take this the wrong way jo, im not saying you would do this - but its the women who push and push to do things their 'own' way that sue the !!! of us when things don't turn out as planned

Yep, this has gone through my head many a time when discussing/thinking about various aspects of maternity care and why I have been presented with the choices - requests? - I have been. I can totally see it, what can I say, at the end of the day I understand the reasoning why.

But the part of this I object to so much is the completely unprofessional attitude some professionals have towards women who either express a wish to do something 'differently' or actually take the action to do something differently. I have no wish at all ever for anyone undertaking my baby and my own maternity (or any other type of) care to tell me what they are going to do to me and my baby, or to make me feel bad for making a decision they don't agree with, you know?

thatgirlsam

i understand where you are coming from jo - at the end of the day, no-one can tell you what to do, hospitals are not prisons, we cannot keep anyone there who does not want to be there, and doctors and midwives cannot tell you to do anything that you do not want to -
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-you could have your baby at home on your own if you so wished, no-one could stop you.. all the professionals can do is advise you to do what they consider safe, for you and your baby - you are free to do as you wish -
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if you ask for advice and then don't like the advice you get then you could either ask someone else, and see if you get a diferent answer or carry on in your own way
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i understand you don't want to be told what to do - if you do go into hospital, remember the docs and midwives have a duty of care to your baby who does not have a voice yet -
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good luck anyways xx

milliebear00001

Hi there

I completely agree with your point that hospitals pressure mothers into making choices that are often more about the institution and its methods, rather than each individual mother and baby. I am also sceptical of the almost universal view promoted to mums with breech babies, that CSs are safer. The issues are complex and unfortunately most women don't have the time (or inclination) to research all of them from scratch, and so instead rely on the advice given to them by their medical providers.

Having said that, I think if you are to go down the vaginal delivery route, you are going to need to find a midwife who is confident and happy to do a breech delivery - and that almost certainly means somebody who has delivered one (and preferably more than one) before. It is here that I think you will really run into problems. Breech vaginal deliveries are extremely uncommon in this country, and therein lies the problem - the fewer midwives see, the less confident midwives are about attending them, and the fewer women meet midwives prepared to help with a breech delivery the fewer women think it's a viable option! I would suggest you ask to be referred to a midwife who has dealt with previous breech deliveries and talk to her at length.

Good luck with whatever you decide, but remember that the choice is yours. Doctors are not God, and they have their own agenda just like everybody else.

LondonDiva

milliebear00001 wrote: »

I am also sceptical of the almost universal view promoted to mums with breech babies, that CSs are safer.

It would be helpful for the discusssion if you would link / quote any studies or evidence that you've used to inform or lead you to be sceptical.