You know how if someone tells you not to think about elephants, then all you can do is think about them? Well, that's how it is with me and this baby's positioning. I am trying quite hard not to think about it, but sometimes I can't help it! I am truly mystified by how this baby is situated. I'm feeling kicks and slides and wiggles and punches that don't seem to add up to a baby with four limbs. It's more like an octopus hanging out in there. I tried belly mapping today but still didn't get much enlightenment. Spinning Babies is a great resource for vertex babies, but I am still not sure if this baby is heads-up or heads-down at the moment even after careful palpation, belly mapping, and listening to where heart tones are most intense. Anyway I'm just so curious to know what is going on in there with all of the movements that don't make logical sense!
I've decided to start swimming again. I swam a lot during Zari's pregnancy and really enjoyed it. I've been exercising at the gym three times a week for most of this pregnancy, but that has slowly dwindled down to nothing over the past month or two. My excuse: I want sleep more than I want to get up early and exercise before Eric goes to work! I was going to swim today over Eric's lunch hour, but when he came home I couldn't find my swimming goggles.
Any chance there could be two babies in there?
ReplyDeleteHave you considered having an ultrasound? It might help you to visualize where the baby is at (and confirm there is only 1?), although, of course the baby can move all over the place from now until whenever you deliver. I don't know how you feel about ultrasounds but I found having one was really reassuring and comforting. My daughter was breech until I was 39 weeks pregnant and she flipped all on her own (well, I had a blessing so I guess not *all* on her own). I know you have several friends who have had a baby who was breech and then flipped later in pregnancy- Judit, Kelley. Moxibustion worked for my sister-in-law when her 3rd baby was breech. The accupuncturist also taught my brother how to perform moxibustion at home in case my nephew turned breech again. It worked great for her! I've even heard of placing cold peas on the top of your belly to coax your baby to move head down because it's warmer. I'm sure you know all about the Webster technique too. Of course, if you get desperate you could always have an ECV done as a last resort. You have lots of options and lots of time for your baby to flip! I know how stressful it is though. Try not to despair! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI'd be quite surprised if there were 2 babies since I'm not measuring over at all and my fundal height has grown consistently, rather than having a big acceleration which you'd expect at some point with twins.
ReplyDeleteIt's just putting together all the movements that doesn't quite make sense...anyhow I am more curious than worried about the whole thing for the most part. It's hard not to think about the baby's position when every few minutes I feel it moving around! (Kind of like having someone whisper "elephants" in your ear every few minutes.) I figure I'll give it a few more weeks and if baby is definitely breech at that point, I'll start "doing" a few things, starting with seeing a chiro who does Webster.
Thanks for the belly mapping link. My baby is quite young, but I have been feeling movements for a few weeks now. I will definitly try the mapping in the later part of the third trimester; I like visual images.
ReplyDeleteYou look beautiful, Rixa.
ReplyDeleteI'd be curious, too, with all the movements. I seem to remember my boys' movements making a lot more sense than Rachel's did. That may have been because they were all head-down while she was head-up for a while, but I could be wrong.
Good luck with all of it! And the abstract looked very intriguing.
My first guy was breech, and everyone one thought this guy (#2, due March 21) was transverse. During an appointment where two different midwives couldn't figure out which end was up, we did an ultrasound. The opinion was he was either transverse or frank breech. Turns out he was vertex, and not only vertex, but LOA! His head was in the perfect position, but his body is lying oblique, due to my short-waistedness. So palpations can be misleading. The funny thing is I told my husband just a few days before the ultrasound that the movements I was feeling indicated an LOA baby, but I could so clearly see and feel the oblique lie of the baby's trunk. Turns out I was right ...
ReplyDeleteAnd swimming in wonderful. I love bobbing up and down in a warm pool -- I can feel my womb relaxing and baby shifting around. Chiro and acu/moxi, of course, can also do wonders, once you get to 36 weeks or so. And there's always external version as a last resort. It's painful and carries some risk, but then so does vaginal breech birth. Decisions, decisions. I know you'll make the right decision for you and baby ...
Jackie
Birth Doula, CD(DONA)
First of all, mamaJoy is ready to predict a boy : ) The hearttones, the belly shape, the crazy movements. (everyone start telling me why im wrong! lol)
ReplyDeleteAlso, not that you dont know this, Rixa and everyone else, but for me it was hard to totally remember that that baby is not just standing there with head at one end and feet at the other. they are curled into an amazingly tiny tight ball. Fold up your newborns, those of you who have them, and see how the feet are right next to the head, sometimes even above the head! It can all be in one area. They can be vertex and still poke stab and scratch your cervix.
You might need to literally focus on NOT focusing on this for a little bit. As a friend, seriously, I give you the "permission" to take one day at a time of NOT caring where the baby is. Give yourself some date (35, 36 weeks?) in which you would like to really find out, via midwife or ultrasound or bellymapping and then look into versions and moxibustions and webster techniques, etc...just enjoy your time with Zari. Everyone says to enjoy the pregnancy which for me was kind of ironic cruel nonsense since I am not so good at being pregnannt heehee but the advice to enjoy that toddler you have is serious. Not that you arent, blablabla but just stop worrying about presentation for a little while. Its just too early and its not good for you or him/her (its a him! I swear!)
hugs and love
Joy
I make absolutely no claim to knowing the baby's gender. That said, I tend to think of it as a "he" but that might be in part to distinguish this pregnancy from Zari's. So I guess I have a 50% chance of being right, eh?
ReplyDeleteIt's always hard to take the advice you'd give to others. I'm really trying not to think about it but of course it's easier said than done. You're right--I just need to set a rule for myself not to even try to figure out what's going on with the baby. I'll see the midwife again in a week and a half, so that is my goal: no poking, no prodding, no attempts at bellymapping until then!
Found your blog while searching for UC blogs, have love linked you in today's post about self-attachment and will add you to my blog roll. Interested in same?
ReplyDeleteBest,
Melodie
You look great! We are about a week apart in due dates it seems, cool!
ReplyDeleteWhile Spinning Babies does talk a lot about breech babies, it is also a great resource for posterior or other malpositioned babies who are head down. I know Gail Tully and have taken her Spinning Babies trainings for doulas and midwives. You can rely on her site. Or, feel free to call me (I'm a doula), and I can provide some phone consultations on baby spinning. My contact info is on my website: twincitiesdoula.com
ReplyDeleteI understand your "when you try not to think about elephants, all you think about is elephants" problem. When I was pregnant with my second, I was paranoid about my baby being posterior. Of course, he was through the entire end of my pregnancy. I never felt a protruding butt through my tummy. I only felt legs and arms. I did all the Spinning Babies techniques, and our midwife finally advised me to just let it go... He turned at the onset of labor. No back labor at all!
Mapping babies is difficult because you never really have a full picture of where they are. Even if you can note fetal movements, where heart tones are located, feeling from the outside, feeling the baby's head plates interally, and using ultrasound. Their body can be one way, and their head another. Even if they are "lined up" a slight head tilt, extended chin, or roaming hand can impact how your baby finds his way out.
My motto when it comes to fetal positioning: Babies find their way out. Your body and your baby will work together to help make that happen!
Hi Rixa,
ReplyDeleteI've never thought much about positioning, until I found the spinning babies site and thought wow! that's a great resource! Now I'm pregnant and have visited the spinning babies website and can think of nothing but positioning and I'm so mad about it! Okay, I'm off to meditate or something!
xox,
Heather aka Hathor aka mama-is
Heather, you're right, it's both really cool and really not cool, because then you start to try to figure out what's going on with your baby!
ReplyDelete