OB Appointment - Frank Breech

We had our 36 week appointment on Thursday night. I had the beta strep swab done and they'll tell us the results at our 37 appointment this coming Thursday. Everything was going normally, my blood pressure is great, baby's heartrate is at 135...then midwife measured me and asked "have they been telling you that you've been measuring small?" I said no, because they hadn't, I had been measuring right on. She said "hmm, well you're measuring at 31cm" I was 33cm at our last appointment, so this raised concern. She began to check baby boy's position only to discover that she couldn't feel his head down at the bottom towards my pelvis. She felt around a bit more and said "I think this may be his head" up by my right ribs. She asked if we minded if she did an ultrasound to confirm his position, obviously we agreed as it would be better to know now if he's breech than when I go into labor. She grabbed the machine and brought it into the room and began to move it around my belly. Sure enough, his head is up by my right ribs, his feet are in my left ribs and his butt is straight down with his arms at his sides. Great. He's been head down this entire time and he picks now to do acrobatics stunts in the womb. This presentation is called "Frank breech" and it's relatively rare, however it is considered the better of the breech positions apparently because it still can engage your cervix and keep things progressing normally. So now what? The midwife (who we LOVED and have decided is our new favorite) explained our options in this situation. She said right now in this position it's a "guaranteed c-section" which I don't like at all but there is not an OB on staff at our hospital who will deliver a baby in this presentation. She gave us a whole list of things to try between now and Thursday (our next appointment) ranging from different exercises, positions, chiropractors, acupuncture, etc. She also suggested that we schedule a version for Friday morning in case these things don't work and he's still breech.

So we have version scheduled for 8:00am Friday, 2/25 pending the results at the appointment Thursday night. I've heard it's pretty painful, but I'm not worried. I will do basically anything to avoid having a c-section and while there are some risks associated with a version, we feel the benefits far outweigh them right now. The baby will be closely monitored through the whole process with both a fetal heart rate monitor and an ultrasound. They will first determine whether it is likely to be successful and if it is possible based on the position of the placenta and the umbilical cord. If that all looks good, they will go forward with the version which is basically where the doctor manually rotates the baby by pressing and pushing on the uterus. You have the option to get a shot to help relax the uterus and relieve some of the pain, however I have already declined this and will again when asked on Friday. I don't see the need for it and it will give Joel and I a chance to practice the relaxation techniques that we've learned in our Bradley class. I think Joel is more freaked out by this procedure than I am right now. I'm scared and nervous but I'd much rather endure this for 20 minutes and have the chance to go on with a normal healthy labor than to not do it and have to have a c-section. There is a slight chance that if baby goes into distress during this procedure they would have to perform a same day emergency c-section. We're just trying to ignore this. Our midwife said in the 16 years she's been working as a midwife and with all the versions she's been involved in only two have ever ended in an emergency c-section. That was reassuring, however, we couldn't ignore the possibility that we could have a baby on Friday, both exciting and scary.

I am also coming to terms with the fact that a c-section may be our only option. If this ends up being the case, I will not schedule it. I will wait until I go into labor naturally and then go in for it because I feel like it's really important for my body to be ready and to release all of the vital hormones that are so important for both me and baby rather than force my body into early or when it's not ready. If I have to have a c-section it's going to be on my terms dammit!

Joel has been incredible through this whole process, he asks great questions at our appointments, does research and speaks up so we are both able to make a decision together. I love this and wouldn't have it any other way. In the beginning I felt like we were very distant from each other both going through this change on our own and not so much as a team. Now I feel like we've really begun to come together and are facing this challenge, this huge change as a strong willing couple. It's so much better this way! :)

So here's to being optimistic that all the crazy stuff I'm trying this week will pay off and baby boy will rotate on his own. If he does not, then here's to hoping the version on Friday is successful and that he stays in the corrected presentation until delivery day!