Large Breech Baby

Relax, I know a very petite size 2, 5 foot-ish girl who gave birth to an almost 11 pound baby. Plus I have always been told that ultrasounds can be off a pound either way.

remember that they can be off by as much as a whole pound. They were off on weight with all three of my children evven close to due dates. Stay calm you just never know! And congrats on being almost there! How exciting!

Hi. I'm a birth doula, and I've seen many many babies turn after 32 weeks. You've got plenty of time. There are also many ways to encourage a breech baby to turn. There's acupuncture and moxybustion. There's homeopathy (don't do this without a trained practitioner.) The one that I've seen be most successful is chiropractic -- find a chiropractor certified in the Webster Technique -- it's an extremely gentle technique that gets your pelvis aligned properly and relaxes the uterus, allowing the baby to turn. Most persistent breeches are that way because there is a misalignment, often very slight, in the pelvis. I know a chiropractor who has a 95% success rate with this technique. There also could be a reason your baby is breech -- she could have a short cord or some other issue that won't allow her to turn, which is why I dislike methods that force the baby to turn.

As far as size goes, size estimates by ultrasound can be off by +/- 25% -- That's a huge amount when you're talking about a 5 pound baby. What that means is that your baby could be as large as 6 lb. 4 oz. and as small as 3 lb. 12 oz. Unless your OB got that estimate by palpating your baby, take it with a huge grain of salt. My personal experience -- my 2nd baby, by ultrasound, was measuring in the 3rd percentile for weight -- very very small. 2 days later, she was born at 9 pounds 6 oz at home with no complications. And, I have to tell you, pushing her out did not feel particularly different than pushing out my son at 7 pounds 6 ounces. Don't worry too much about the size.

Lastly, if you are worried about labor and delivery, consider hiring a doula. www.dona.org should be able to help you find one near you.

1 - She has plenty of time to turn around. That doesn't mean she will, but there's still plenty of time!

2 - She is NOT large. 5 pounds at 32 weeks isn't large. Plus, weight in utero isn't exactly the most accurate thing...they kept telling me I had a large baby, and she was 17 inches and 6 lb 15 oz when born at full term. That's not large. Oh, she was breech, and never turned...but I was scheduled to have a section anyhow because my hospital doesn't allow VBAC attempts.

3 - Don't worry about a section for now...you don't need the stress of worrying! I can't imagine your doctor told you the baby is too big, won't turn, or that you'll need one...it's far too early to tell...so please don't worry yourself.

4 - Worst case scenario...so you have a section. I've had two, each following labor (spent 10 hours in active labor before having an emergency section the first time, and went INTO labor about a week before scheduled for the second, so ended up having to rush to the hospital and almost gave birth before they could get me in for surgery.) I promise you, I was afraid of it too...but it's not so bad. All the nightmares you hear about a long recovery, etc...well, it wasn't true for me. As long as you take it easy for the first few weeks, you bounce back pretty quickly.

Relax - the weights are just an estimate and can be wildly off base. You've already had one successful vaginal delivery so that bodes well for another. Your body already knows what to do.

Yes there is plenty of time for the baby to turn. There are things you can do to encourage this (google it - there are some exercises/poses you can try and swimming is also great). If the baby turns, great. If not, cross that bridge when you get there.

Even if your baby does weigh 5 lbs, half a pound a week for the next 8 weeks would put you at 9lbs. That's not a giant baby, even for someone who is petite. Try not to worry - those last weeks are stressful enough without worrying about something like this!

Ultrasounds aren't the best at measuring size at the end. That being said, I did have a 10 lb 11 oz baby (38.5 weeks, not induced), and I'm not big. Before I had my first baby, I weighed 105 lbs, though I'm taller than you - 5ft 4in. I have a slender build, though typically now I weigh about 117 lbs after a baby. ANYWAY, I share all that because I'm not big and I birthed a big baby...huge baby. Though it really wasn't very easy. He had shoulder dystocia and they almost had to break his shoulder to get him out. But most other people I know who have birthed giant babies have done so without much issue at all.

Truth is, you never know how big of a baby you can handle. Your joints loosen up, and there's no way to know how much space your body will create for that baby. It sounds like you did just fine with a 6 lb baby. You could do just fine with a larger baby.

The breech part would worry me, if it was the same at full term. I know plenty of people feel safe birthing breech babies, I'm just not one of them:-) You definitely have time for the baby to flip though. I think spinningbabies. com is a website that explains things you can do to try to help the situation.

If all else fails, and you have a c-section, I had to have my first c-section with baby #4...it was BY FAR the easiest recovery. I was shocked. Then again, I have rough recoveries from my natural births, so there was a lot of room for it to be easier. It was a beautiful birth that I treasure just as much as my other births. Hopefully you'll be fine and be able to have a vaginal birth, but if not, just know c-section births can be pretty awesome too.

3rd trimester ultrasounds are notoriously inaccurate when it comes to estimating weight (I have delivered many 7# babies said to by over 9# by ultrasound). So don't panic. It's also extremely common for babies to stay breech until 35-36 weeks. Given your history of your last baby, it doesn't sound like you should plan on a c-section. Nurse Midwife Mom of 3

At my 32 week ultrasound my doc said my daughter was measuring two weeks ahead and was 7lbs she was also breech. I ended up trying a version to see if that would flip her and it was unsuccessful. I had a c-section and she came out only 7.12 at 39 weeks. In other words my doc didn't measure very well. You body can do amazing things. My MIL had all 4 boys and all were above 10lbs. Her last was 12lbs and 24 inchs long. My MIL is 5'2" and was only 125 at that last birth. Good luck start relaxing and enjoy as much as you can these last few weeks!

Sounds like you have nothing to worry about- you can clearly deliver a baby naturally, and it is waaaaaaaaaaay to early to panic about position! My friend had a c-section scheduled at 40 weeks for her breech baby, and little girl decided to go head-down 45 MINUTES before the c-section was to begin. She was delivered naturally!
I would recommend getting in touch with a midwife or doula to help with exercises that could encourage a little flipping. They will also give you moral support for the nervous wreck part :)

I 2nd http://www.spinningbabies.com and (although I've never tried it) I've heard a ton of good testimonies about the Webster technique. Remember that ultrasounds are only as accurate as the person reading them, and there is always room for error.

Also, true CPD (baby too big for the woman's pelvis) is very rare in this country. Usually when a baby won't descend it's because of malpositioning on either the baby's or the mother's part. A woman's pelvis (one who hasn't had rickets, a deformity or hasn't been shattered in a car accident, etc.) is made up of 4 different bones connected by ligaments and cartilage. Hormones released during pregnancy soften those ligaments, making the pelvis super flexible (they also loosen all your other joints, which is why you shouldn't lift heavy objects: you could easily pull a muscle), not to mention the baby's skull hasn't fully hardened yet and it will conform to the birth canal. However, the pelvis is at its smallest when lying down on your back or slightly reclined (the supine position). Squatting or being on all fours can increase the pelvic outlet by as much as 14-28 percent. (Just things to keep in mind.)

But mostly, don't worry! You've still got plenty of time for that baby to turn. :) Best wishes!

I agree that weight measurements are not so accurate...I'd be more worried about the breech position and not the weight. Now I don't mean "worried" exactly, but I know how hard it is to not think about the what-ifs. My first pregnancy was breech from about 32 weeks as well and she never turned, but I'm sure you'll hear from other moms who had the opposite experience. There are ways to attempt to turn the baby, which may be a whole other post ;), but sometimes they are just hung up and the doctor has to go get them.

IF you do end up having a c-section don't worry. I know you're nervous and it's scary, especially since you had such a great experience last time, but trust me, they are not that bad!!! You will be okay, hang in there!

I echo the other moms - you're still VERY early to worry. US's are usually wrong about size - they expected my last one to be 6 lbs at birth (scheduled CS) and she was almost 9! If you're still concerned about a breech, look up Bradley Child Birth (also known as husband coached childbirth) and follow their suggestions - there's so many I can't remember (we did bradley with my 2nd) but I remember lots of pelvic rocks (google that) and walking up and down stairs side-to-side bouncing my belly like a soccer ball between my knees. Check out spinningbabies.com for their suggestions, and if all else fails, try ..... oh shoot i can't seem to find the exact term. My midwife turned my 2nd three times by manually manipulating my abdominal muscles. I would seek a CNM for this. Also, chiropractic help does work - and sometimes acupuncture (about 70% I think). Good luck!

I agree with the other mamas, I wouldn't worry about it. Just wait and see if baby turns and then let your body do it's thing. They have predicted both of mine as possible nine pounders and both were under 8. My super petite friend just had her baby last week and although he was only 6.5lbs her pelvis was too small. You have already passed a baby through your pelvis, so you know you can do it :) I am tall with hips and have no problems pushing them out, but some moms my size can't due to their pelvic structure. So I think the fact you were able to last time is a great indicator that this labor will be just great :) Hope that baby turns soon!!

First, you have a long time for your baby to turn around. Babies can turn VERY late in the game, so while I know how stressful that can be, trust that you have time. There are also things you can do to encourage your baby to flip. Google it - the different position really will help your baby turn. (I was in a similar situation with number 2.

As far as size is conserned, remember that A) ultrasound size estimates can be quite wrong (and were VERY off with both my kids) and B) your body is designed to deliver babies. Small women can and do deliver 9 and 10 pound babies vaginally, if your doctor is fatalistic and telling you ypu need a c-section due to baby's size, find a new provider because that is crazy.

Good luck!!

they can turn anytime! my daughter decided she wanted to be be breech for a while well she flipped herself back around 2 days before i had her! let things happen the way they want to it will work out

RELAX...First of all your not due today your 32 weeks,give baby time.I have been there with my last I was weighing in at 130 or so i'm 4'10 & baby was estimated to be at 8 lbs or so.I had my first US around the 20 week mark they were freaked i'm like come on now this would be way to early to deliver or to think c-section or turnig her.I waited & waited had several US's after that,finally I found this site spinningbabies.com after looking up breech babies into my 35 week pregnancy she still had yet to turn.I'm a huge believer in pelvic tilts I did them with all my pregnancies & to me that made a huge difference in delivering them,anyway it was suggested to do a frozen pack of veggies or something find babies head & place it there for a while baby won't like it much & begin to move did that several times,then the flash light in the dark going from top to bottom of your tummy go over your belly baby will see the light & move down towards it sounds silly I know but I so wanted a vaginal delivery no manual turning her so tried it.Finally 37 weeks or so came I was on the couch the kids playing on the floor my parents were over visitng DAMN I wanted to scream you could see her stretch turn move & finally that was the moment she went head down & stayed there,it was really painful but so glad she did.Had the US to prove she was head down.Babies will come out I have had 3 vag deliveries my last was 7 1/2 lbs my largest was over 8 1/2 lbs all between 19-21 in.

yeah they were off on the weight with my son too. it's hard since the measurements are what estimate the weight. they said at 31 weeks my son was 4lbs and usually they gain in the last few weeks. he was born at almost 39 wks at 7lbs 9oz. (he's made up for it now though LOL)

they can turn up until the day they are born, but chiropractic's webster technique and acupuncture with moxa will help turn them most of the time. I didn't want to do the version due to personal friends' experiences with it. Also tried the spinning babies' techniques. Nothing worked and I had a wonderful c-section experience. You don't want to have one unless you need to, but if it's the safest way for baby to get here, that's all that matters!

There's an exercise you can do to turn the baby around. I did it with my third, who is 25 now, so I can no longer remember the name. Anyway, you get on all fours and rock. Pelvic rock? They had me do it with him because they wanted to induce but he'd turned sideways--his big brothers left too much room! That did the trick. You are still early though and your baby could turn on her own.

It's too early to worry about it. The baby can still turn. Don't worry about the c-section either. My son was breech and I had heard stories about difficult recoveries from a c-section. I talked to my doctor and he explained that the women with difficult recoveries were usually the women that tried natural delivery and had had contractions and pushed for hours and in the end needed a c-section. Their bodies are worn out. Women with scheduled c-section recover much easier. My recovery wasn't bad at all. In the end the only thing that matters is that you have a healthy baby.