I need to turn my baby around!

[Funkychicken]

Does anyone have some advice to help turn my baby around? I had a 35 wk check with the midwives today and babe is still breech, actually almost transverse, and was told if baby hasn't turned by 36 wks they will hand me over to Dr care. As it is only a birth centre (no labour ward) they won't deliver if baby is breech and i will have to go to the bigger hospital 1/2 an hour away. I'm actually really pi#*ed off by this news as my DD didn't turn until after 37 wks and if this one doesn't turn it is out of my hands. I know of babies that didn't turn until days before birth so I need all the help I can get to encourage baby to turn around.
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Sal-4 1/2 wks to go!

[JanetF]

Hi Sal,
you're right about babies turning. Plenty don't turn until labour and some don't turn at all. Sadly our reliance on surgery for everything means that perfectly healthy birthing women are being forced into surgery for no reason. Transverse can be helped by (sounds weird bear with me....) wearing bicycle shorts. Makes everything a little more snug and bubs has to move head down to fit better. Try these links and let me know if you need more. I hope your baby turns, and it's pretty likely they will. A second time tummy if often a little more roomy too so they get to flip about more. :)

One midwife’s collection of breech turning info.
http://gentlebirth.org/Midwife/breechcl.html
Attending a breech birth.
http://gentlebirth.org/Midwife/breechbr.html
Turning a breech.
http://gentlebirth.org/Midwife/breechtn.html
Book review on breech babies.
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/reviews/breech.asp
Ina May Gaskin on catching surprise breech babies!
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/artic...isebreeches.asp
Homeopathy to turn babies in utero.
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/turnbaby.asp
A great site on moving breech babies.
http://www.spinningbabies.com
A Natural Breech Birth - hospital
http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBMarApr01p47.html
More than you could ever hope for from the UK midwives (I love these women!)
http://www.radmid.demon.co.uk/breech.htm
About 500 birth stories with clear descriptions.
http://www.breechbabies.com/hospital_breech.htm
Make sure you visit~
http://www.spinningbabies.com/pregnancy.html

[Funkychicken]

Hi Sal,
you're right about babies turning. Plenty don't turn until labour and some don't turn at all. Sadly our reliance on surgery for everything means that perfectly healthy birthing women are being forced into surgery for no reason. Transverse can be helped by (sounds weird bear with me....) wearing bicycle shorts. Makes everything a little more snug and bubs has to move head down to fit better. Try these links and let me know if you need more. I hope your baby turns, and it's pretty likely they will. A second time tummy if often a little more roomy too so they get to flip about more. :)

One midwife’s collection of breech turning info.
http://gentlebirth.org/Midwife/breechcl.html
Attending a breech birth.
http://gentlebirth.org/Midwife/breechbr.html
Turning a breech.
http://gentlebirth.org/Midwife/breechtn.html
Book review on breech babies.
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/reviews/breech.asp
Ina May Gaskin on catching surprise breech babies!
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/artic...isebreeches.asp
Homeopathy to turn babies in utero.
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/turnbaby.asp
A great site on moving breech babies.
http://www.spinningbabies.com
A Natural Breech Birth - hospital
http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBMarApr01p47.html
More than you could ever hope for from the UK midwives (I love these women!)
http://www.radmid.demon.co.uk/breech.htm
About 500 birth stories with clear descriptions.
http://www.breechbabies.com/hospital_breech.htm
Make sure you visit~
http://www.spinningbabies.com/pregnancy.html


Thanks Janet. I checked out some of the sites you listed and am going to "get down and hang my belly". It's baby number three so apparently my uterus may be a weird shape which means baby could be trying to turn unsuccessfully. Anyway thanks for info. Will stay posted.

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Sal-4 1/2 wks to go!!

PS. Idon't intend on letting anyone, dr or otherwise, near me with a scalpel. I'll deliver a breech baby at home before i let that happen!

[aardvark]

I have heard of some very successful traditional Chinese Medicine interventions for turning a baby.

Might be worth investigating.

[DoulaFelicity]

Also, check out a little book called "Understanding and Teaching Optimal Foetal Positioning" by Jean Sutton and Pauline Scott (http://www.capersbookstore.com.au/scripts/shop_item.asp?by=ttl&item=334).

Fantastic, practical, easy-to-implement everyday strategies for encouraging babe into the optimal possie for birthing. :D