Back to Breech...

Hmmmm... just when I was able to report that everything was progressing without a hitch.... the baby turned BACK to breech. I was so relieved and excited that the huge risk of c-section was gone, and now it's back with a vengeance.

I even made my husband promise not to tell anyone because if his mother finds out and even says one word about it to me I will lose control. I'm mostly joking, but I really will find it hard to bite my tongue if she were to say anything to me in that regard.


We went in for our regular appointment last week and a midwife that was filling in for my usual one felt for the position, and was having a really tough time between the braxton hicks I was having and the baby itself. She started to get worried that the baby had turned breech again and wanted to schedule an ultrasound at 36 weeks to confirm it. Unfortunately the hospital had other ideas and was booked all the way into my 37th week which would not have given us much time to try any natural methods of having the baby turn on his own. Needless to say I was a little anxious..... Thankfully, I just got the call today that my appointment was switched to the day the baby is 36 weeks! So, if we do find out that he is in fact still breech we can try natural methods of turning him for a week before we need to try an ECV.


The natural methods to turn a baby include:

• going in water with your head down feet up
• laying on a board with your feet elevated higher than your head
• Moxibustion- a chinese medicine tool that consists of a herb used near your baby toe
• Acupuncture
• Webster Technique done at the Chiropractors

And there are more that I have missed I'm sure.

Now, the scary thing is the ECV. It stands for External Cephalic Version and consists of an Obstetrician manually turning the baby from the outside using their hands and kind of pushing the baby around. They begin by prepping you for an emergency c-section (great) and giving you drugs to relax your uterus (also great). They have to make sure to lift the baby out of the space between the pelvic bones and tuurrrrrn the baby so that the head is down. The part that doesn't bode well for me is the rate of success is 58% and also the success rate goes down for first time pregnancies.

The complications include the placenta separating from the uterine wall (resulting in a emergency c-section), the risk of the baby's heartbeat dropping (resulting in immediate delivery), and/ or cord prolapse. Sounds fun, doesn't it? Many babies turn back even after the ecv, and apparently it hurts... It definitely doesn't look fun based on the you tube videos I may have looked up. Ah well, I would rather try to get him turned around naturally first, manually second, and still aim for a natural birth. However, if it comes down to a c-section I will be disappointed, but blah blah blah all that matters is a healthy child. I'm practising to say that to people because I will be really sad if I don't get to have the birth I want.

So now for a weekend of waiting. Although with everything going on right now I'm not sure I will have that much time to actually think about it.

I have to pack up most of our house so that we can move it to the house we are renovating. Unfortunately this is difficult because I would really like to have at least one room done in which to put stuff so we don't have to move it ten times... but alas we have to complete painting and trim in minimum the three rooms that are the closest to finished. However, I suppose I could just pack everything up and keep it at the house we are living in until those rooms are completed.

I mainly need to make a place for donating stuff, throwing away stuff, and keeping stuff. I need to purge because I don't want to bring a ton of clutter into a new place. Maybe the nesting energy will kick in! Fingers crossed!

I also need to go shopping for the things that are most critical in preparing for this baby like a diaper bag and the stuff that we need to take to the hospital. I need to buy some nursing tank tops and something more comfortable maternity wear wise to wear around the house. It feels like my tummy is growing out of everything these days! I know this to be true because of the excessive stretch marks that seem never ending! I have a lower stomach that is almost entirely tiger stripes, so hot....

In between the packing, cleaning, and shopping I will need to make time for resting and homework as well... I have a feeling this weekend is going to fly by and the ultrasound will be here before I know it!

Has anyone had an ultrasound at 36 weeks? I assume it will be much different from my 20 week one, and I'm wondering how much detail you can see? Facial features?

Hope to report great news next time! Have a great week everyone!

Two Thirds Down One Third to GO!

We are in the home stretch now! It feels like the last twenty seven weeks have gone so slowly, but I can't believe that there is only thirteen (give or take) to go! It's gone so fast and so slow all at the same time. I am only now starting to feel pregnant, and have just started to show. Only one stranger so far has asked about the pregnancy. I am not very big, but I must be carrying high because it's just not obvious that I'm pregnant unless you really look for it. To me it FEELS like I have a mountain sitting on my tummy, but I don't really feel like I look much different.

The baby is getting bigger though, and is now making more pronounced kicks, but they are deep inside me so my husband doesn't get to feel much so far. The baby is still breech from what I can tell because the movement I feel is towards my back and down very low. Also, my new symptom is a nausea-inducing violent rib pain that almost nothing can ease. I have been told that it's most common with breech babies because sometimes their little heads are tucked up underneath the ribs- and it certainly feels like that is the case!

Also, sleeping has become interesting only because I can't roll over without agony. It's awful, and I can't tell if it's normal for being pregnant or accentuated because of the car accident. I still walk like I have been riding a horse because my pelvis is still very sore, and I'm sure the extra weight isn't helping in that regard.

In exciting news, the offer that we placed on a house has been accepted and now we are just in the process of doing an amendment to take off the "subject to's" because our financing was approved etc. So we should know by the end of the week a possession date! I have very mixed feelings about this only because we have a very small window of opportunity to finish the renovations before the baby comes, and as everyone knows renovations are NEVER as simple as you imagine them to be. I also am trying very hard to concentrate on school so that I will be done the blasted course before baby as well. I imagine we will be able to take possession toward the end of February and therefore be able to work on it for approximately two months before the baby arrives...

We also have to consider where we will live during all of this as we don't want to be paying rent and a mortgage at the same time! So needless to say if I thought my life couldn't get more complicated, apparently... it can! It's such an exciting opportunity though, and I can't wait to make it work I just wish I had more time and energy to devote to our new project. As it stands I'm having a tough time making it through a normal forty plus hour work week!

I have my midwife appointment tomorrow though, and I believe this is the one where we chat about the glucose test and set me up an appointment for it. I am irrationally nervous for this one! I am really hoping that the result is negative, but it certainly helps to know that Divasaur has done such a great job of having a positive attitude and managing GD! I hope that I would have her strength to deal with it if it happens.

I am also nervous about my weight gain and that I believe is what is making me extra nervous about the glucose test. I have gained almost twenty pounds now and only in the span of just over two months! I hadn't gained anything until after the four month mark, and now it's like I just can't stop gaining! I don't feel like I'm eating that poorly, but maybe just too much?! I have stretch marks around my old appendectomy incision scar (I think the skin may be weaker there?) and a tiny little patch close to the same area. Isn't this too soon!? I didn't think I would care about the stretch marks, but having analyzed myself I think they represent my fear of excessive weight gain; which up until this twenty pounds showed up overnight I thought I was managing quite well.

I think pregnancy is so beautiful, but unfortunately it doesn't look or feel beautiful on me, and that was a major surprise to me considering how I felt about it before I got pregnant. I know that if I am blessed enough to get pregnant again I will be trying extremely hard to get in great shape before it happens! I would love to have way less body image issues when I experience this again.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great week! Good luck to Divasaur on her induction :) Welcome to Shortysaur! Good luck to Bibliosaur on the bargain hunting!