Why I think my baby turned breech & what I’m doing about it.
Here’s the long version of the story. To skip this and read about my experience with acupuncture and moxibustion, click straight over to my latest Babycenter post.
It all started on February 10th. My husband woke up in the middle of the night sick to his bones. He caught that 24 hour bug that leaves you playing patty cake with the toilet and unable to hold down even the simplest of liquids. In the afternoon, after hours of laying around feeling too sick to even close his eyes, he finally fell asleep. Raffi and I were upstairs playing, but he was getting hungry so we had to head down to the kitchen. I tip toed down the steps slowly to try and not wake Trig up, and in an instant I was at the bottom of the stairs listening to a woman screaming in pain. It took me a minute to realize that the screams were coming from my mouth. I couldn’t move my foot, and in reaction to my screams and the fall Raffi, was screaming too. Trig jumped up to help, but I still couldn’t stop screaming. I have never felt such direct, immediate physical pain.
Anyway, the short version of the story is that I fell down the stairs at 32 weeks pregnant while holding my toddler son and believe I sprained my ankle. In minutes it was 3 times the size, and within a day the whole foot was black, blue, purple, and every color in between. So painful. That was a rough day. Poor Raffi got to watch hours of television while Trig sat on one end of the couch nauseous and I sat on the other with ice piled around my foot.
Two nights later, after lots of time with my foot up and covered in ice, I woke up in the middle of the night. My daughter was moving in a very uncomfortable way. I wasn’t in pain per se, but I didn’t feel right. In the morning I woke up and had a big lump under my right rib. Her kicking was suddenly deep and low in my pelvis. She was breech! The little punk flipped on me, and I can’t help but blame that fall. Since the fall I had been sitting on the couch with my leg up as often as I could, and I swear that encouraged her to play gymnastics that one night.
Some people didn’t believe me that she was breech. How could I know without a doctor’s visit? It amazes me how many people don’t know their own bodies and don’t trust you to know your own either. I know my body though, and I knew it was true. It was confirmed to me at my last doctor’s appointment, and my very Western OB surprised me with his solution. He suggested I try moxibustion, an ancient Chinese therapy where dried mugwort is burned near your baby toes for 5-10 minutes every night to encourage your baby to move to the correct position. This is my very basic interpretation of it, but for a more complex explanation see the Wikipedia on moxibustion as well as the information on the spinningbabies.com website.
If my very traditional OB wants me to burn some dried herb near my toe to turn my baby, then I will do it. He mentioned doing a version (also known as ECV) in passing, but he said to try moxibustion first and we would discuss the version as a last resort.
I had my first acupuncture and moxibustion appointment today, and it was a bit kooky for sure. To read more about my experience, see my latest Babycenter post about turning a breech baby.
Last night I thought that maybe she had moved, but now I’m not so sure. I am feeling movement up by my right rib again, but I’m also feeling movement very low in my pelvis which I hadn’t before. It’s almost as though she’s now stretched out across my whole belly so I can’t tell what part is what. I have a lot of movement directly above my belly button too, which is new to me.
Any tips on figuring out her position? My next appointment isn’t until Friday.
7 Responses to “Why I think my baby turned breech & what I’m doing about it.”
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omg, wow. i don’t have any solutions for you but i just wanted to say i’m glad you, the baby and raffi are all okay!! that must have been terrifying.
good luck with the baby, i hope everything turns out okay 🙂
She could be stretched out across your belly like you think you’re feeling, in a transverse position. Depending on which way she is facing if she is in a transverse position, you may be feeling arm and leg movements in different areas. If she rolls over those movements would feel totally different but I don’t think the movement of her rolling would be as noticeable. My daughter was breech at 34 weeks (confirmed finally by an ultrasound, I agree about knowing your body and everyone doubted me for stressing about her being breech!) and I think she was in a transverse position for a while, she eventally flipped (after I was adjusted by a chiropractor, could’ve been a coincidence but it was worth it for me to try).
Wow, what a scary fall! So glad you, Raffi and baby are OK.
I would definitely recommend seeing a chiropractor. There are chiropractors that specialize in prenatal and postnatal care and are experts at helping a breech baby flip back. Plus they can get your body in prime position for labor.
Good luck!
I’m so glad you guys are all okay!
As for position, I am no expert but I would definitely say it is possible that she turned! My little guy is head down / face down according to ultrasound. We saw his hand by his face causing low movement, his butt stuiking out around the belly button, and his feet kind of curved to the upper left side, under my ribs but only on that side.
I’ve never heard of moxibustion, but that is pretty cool that your OB keeps up with different types of techniques! Hope it really has worked and everything goes well for you guys!
Moxibustion totally worked for my coworker whose baby girl went breech at 33 weeks. After the first at-home moxibustion try, her little baby turned right around and everything was a-okay. Good luck!
I’m 37 weeks with my second… awesome natural childbirth with the first. But this one is stubbornly breech. I’ve done inversions on ironing boards, I’ve hung off beds, I’ve used cold packs where the baby’s head is, and I’ve spent the last 4 weeks doing the Webster technique at the chiropractor’s. I keep trying. Anything and everything. Except the needles of acupuncture – an epidural freaks me out. This moxibustion approach sounds ok (better than needles). I can’t imagine acupuncture! Best of luck!
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