My baby was breech until the 36th week. My midwife was very panicky about this and scared the living daylights out of me... So I just wanted to say a few words about breech and share the things that worked for me.
If you read information provided by a hospital, breech is treated like a terminal emergency illness. They either want to C-section or drug you, give you a colossal episiotomy and use forceps to yank the baby's head out.
All of the midwife resources I've read and "viewed" in terms of videos all stress the importance of being hands off. Even footling breech (where it's not the buns that come out first but one foot at a time) do not seem to pose a big issue for properly trained midwives. All of the info I've read has suggested that being in an all 4 position is the best as it opens up more space in your pelvis.
Concerns about breech birth:
1. One concern is that the baby's feet do not put as much pressure on your cervix to open it as widely for the birth of the head. Therefore there is the fear that when the feet come first that the baby's head might get stuck as it's the biggest part of the baby's body, while you wait for the opening to expand. This is where doctors will attempt to rip the baby out of you, potentially causing a plethora damage and injuries to the baby - and then blame you for your "risky" birth choice.
2. Another concern is that the umbilical chord might get squished during the delivery, cutting off oxygen and blood supply to the baby.
How to do it right:
According to all of the midwife resources I've read, it is important to be hands off so as not to startle the baby. The baby and mama are in the middle of concentrating really hard and listening to their bodies and the last thing the baby needs is someone else in the mix that they have no attachment to yanking them around, stressing them out, etc. There are some resources that suggest the supporting the baby as it's coming out has a comforting effect - but all the videos I've seen do not have the midwife involved at all. So, no touching.
Do not panic or be afraid of the head getting stuck. There are a few techniques the midwife can use as an intervention to help get the baby's head in the right position. Ina May Gaskin's book Spiritual Midwifery has got a good section on how they would tilt the head. Also, here's a video of a footling breech birth that is hands off but the text gives you a description of one of the techniques. Homebirth: A Midwife Mutiny And another footling breech birth page: Footling Breech Birth
Do not allow yourself to be drugged! It is very important that you are sober and able to feel your baby moving with you and that you are connected to you body as well. Any drugs you take go directly into baby's system which clouds the baby's consciousness and self awareness in the birthing process.
Water birth for breech is supposed to be especially good because the baby goes from a supported weightless environment in the mama to a supported, weightless environment in the birthing pool. View breech home water birth - The background music is extremely annoying, so turn your volume way down...
If you would like to have a hospital breech birth, I think this link is from the hospital perspective in Britain...Notice all of the restrictions they put on you: Hospital Breech Birth
Turning Baby:
Spinning Babies was a great resource for me when I was trying to get my baby to turn. I personally do not believe in being uncomfortable so some of the options that I considered and things that I did are:
* I'd spend as much time as was comfortable on all 4s. It makes more space in your belly and hips for the baby to move around. I'd also sway my hips back and forth and try to make little circles.
* I love taking baths, so I'd also get on all 4s in the tub and sway my hips back and forth. In water the baby is weightless which makes rotating easier.
* My baby had it's back on my left the whole time - because I slept exclusively on my left because it's supposed to be better for the baby as your heart's on your left - anyway, I started sleeping more on my right and then making it a point to change sides regularly during the night.
* I'd gently rub my belly in the direction that I wanted the baby to turn while talking to it and drinking juice - sugar is supposed to wake baby up :)
* For the past 7 weeks, I've been going to a mineral bath - which is like a public pool here. The water isn't very deep and I'd float stomach down and have my husband rub my lower back as I rock back and forth.
* I'd also heard about acupuncture points on the outsides of your little toes as being points that motivate the baby to turn, but I never got to that point.
Obviously, not all of the positions on Spinning Babies are uncomfortable. If you feel like experimenting with flash lights or head phones or people talking to your lower belly, go for it!
Like I said, my baby turned at 36 weeks, which was a great relief with what I listed up there.
There are also techniques the midwife can try to externally rotate your baby but it was explained to me that I would need to go to the hospital and have it done in the emergency room in case their yanking and pulling on my baby caused the placenta - the oxygen and blood supplier to the baby - to separate from my body (womb). Hmm. That doesn't sound nice. There's also a diagram of this procedure - which looks just like someone rubbing your belly but actually groping the baby's legs and head and shoving them along... - in Gaskin's book (see above).
My suggestion as a mother who was looking at natural delivery options is to not let yourself get bullied by doctors who have been trained to see everything as a problem with an interventionist i.e. surgical/drug solution. Stand up for yourself and your baby. Keep in mind that no one cares about the health and safety of your baby more than you and that you have to be the one to protect it. Be informed and choose qualified staff that you trust and give them your requests in writing - get them to sign your copy and take multiple copies of your birth plan with you to the hospital, if that's where you choose to go, so they cannot conveniently have lost it and go one with their own agenda.
No comments:
Post a Comment