More on baby's position....
Thursday, March 29, 2007

Thanks to everyone for your words of encouragement! I'm a lot more positive about the whole situation today. (If you couldn't tell, I was a wee bit crabby when I wrote my last post) I am more optimistic that the chiropractic adjustments will work and feeling less freaked out about the money we are spending on them. I suppose we don't have a choice. We need to try everything possible to turn this baby and don't want to regret not doing something that could've worked just because we can't afford it. DH has been so wonderful. He probably doesn't know it, but his attitude and calmness has really grounded me and is making me more confident and relaxed.

To answer your question....No, unfortunately my midwife will not deliver a breech baby. She is licensed and bound to all sorts of silly state laws that keep her wrapped up in red tape and a trail of paperwork. She really has to watch her step when it comes to things like that. She did tell me that if she is unaware that a baby is breech and labor is in the pushing stage, she will go ahead and deliver it. At that point, of course, she wouldn't really have a choice anyway.

I hate talking about the what-ifs because I just don't want to give any room for them, but here's what would happen if the baby is breech when I go into labor: I would end up having to go to the hospital and my back-up doc would perform a c-section. One of the many wonderful things about my back-up doctor is the fact that she is very passionate about natural birth and is happy to perform VBACs. Apparently, when she does a c-section, she "double stitches" the incision in such a way that the uterus is more likely to remain strong during subsequent vaginal births. I have also been told by our doula (she has worked w/ our back-up doc before) that my doctor lets women w/ breech babies labor for as long as possible before wheeling them into surgery. She has seen babies turn vertex during the labor process just before a c-section would've been performed and wants to give mommas every chance for a vaginal birth. I don't even want to think about that right now, though. I realize that having a c-section is not the end of the world. All I want is a healthy baby and if that's what it takes to get him/her here safely, then I thank the Lord for the marvels of modern medicine. But this option is obviously one that I am not willing to just bow down and except. Did I mention that we don't have any health insurance? Of course, that's certainly not the only reason I don't want to have a c-section....but it does factor into the equation.

I believe that the baby will be vertex before my labor starts and I will be able to deliver him/her vaginally. There's still time. I imagine this will just be a funny little thing to write in the baby book that I can tease my son or daughter about later - that he/she was naughty and caused mommy and daddy stress even in the womb.

I feel like my time doing weird baby-flipping exercises will prove to be fruitful. It seems like there is a lot of movement when I am laying with my lower body elevated on the ironing board, which is a really good thing. One of the things that was on the list of baby-turning techniques that the chiro gave me was that frozen veggie trick. I tried it this evening, but I think I caught the baby at an inactive time because the cold didn't seem to phase it. Although at this point, I'm not entirely sure that he/she hasn't already changed positions. It's really tough to tell what's what. The lump that did feel like a head to me is now feeling more like a butt. Eh. What do I know?

I go see my midwife tomorrow and she is going to feel around and check the baby's position again.

Labels: labor/birth, prenatal appointment