Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Fuuuuuck. (36-week checkup)

Lumpy is breech.

This is a bad thing. Nobody will do a vaginal delivery of a breech baby these days (probably for good reason, but gaaaa)... so if we can't get this kid to turn and stay turned, I'm looking down the barrel of a c-section. I do not want a c-section.

And the thing that really gets me is that Lumpy was head down two weeks ago. My doctor said that at 34 weeks, most babies who are head down will stay that way through to the end. Mine didn't. Do we need to have this conversation again? The one about how crappy it is to fall on the wrong side of the statistics?

Go ahead, tell me I'm being irrational. Tell me that at least I'm having a baby. Tell me that lots of women have c-sections and love them. Tell me that I'm blowing this waaaay out of proportion. But while you're telling me all that, pass the chocolate. I'm bummed.

Bummed because which part of "major abdominal surgery" sounds good to anyone?

I can't keep writing about this. I think I'm going to cry.

Oh, and on top of that, I gained 4 pounds in the last two weeks, and my uterus is now measuring 39 weeks. My doctor wanted to know if Mr. December and I were big babies. Gaaaa.

I'm completely healthy. Lumpy is completely healthy. I should be thankful. I am thankful. But I still think I'm gonna cry now.

11 comments:

Ashley said...

A c-section or vaginal birth are a means to an end: holding your beautiful baby. Even though it's a bummer, you're still going to have your baby in your arms when the day is over. There's nothing wrong with being disappointed. I'm looking down the barrel of my first IVF treatment, so I'd way rather be looking down your barrel. :) Good luck darlin'.

Chris said...

I totally understand where you're coming from. I've been dreaming/planning of a low intervention kind of birth since the minute I got that BFP. I wonder if the desire for a "natural" birth has anything to do with the "unnatural" means of conception?

There's still time for Lumpy to get himself organized. My fingers will be crossed for you!

Yondalla said...

I would be disappointed about a c-section too.

On the other hand I had two vaginal births and mid-labor the second time around I was saying, "What do you mean the anesthesiologist is BUSY?" An hour later I was grabbing my husband and making him swear he would kill every ansthesiologist in town. When he would agree I would then make him promise not to leave until after the baby was born. Fortunately this was the second labor and he knew not to argue with me. He just promised to committ murder for me -- but not until after the baby was born.

In rhetrospect, a c-section doesn't sound all that bad.

Anonymous said...

It's all gonna be good no matter what. I'm sorry you've had this last minute complication...it truly sucks. Now, I'm sure you're getting lots of these stories...BUT, my niece was breach with her youngest child at about the same point you were and somehow, with the help of her midwife, that little girl turned around...sooooo, who knows?!

Just want to say though that it's all gonna turn out great!!!!!

sending lots of love.

peace
shlomit

Anonymous said...

Well, getting pregnant didn't go according to plan, but look at where you are now. If Lumpy's birth doesn't go according to plan, it will still be ok in the end. It sucks donkey balls now, but once you have your baby safely in your arms and you have recovered from the c-section, you may not really care so much how your baby got here. The idea of a c-section sucks, but then again, the idea of labour doesn't sound so fun either.

I guess bottom line is that baby is coming out somehow. I don't think there really is a painless way for it to happen. I am sorry this isn't going as planned.

Aurelia said...

Well, babies can be turned by cephalic version. Shlomit is right about that. And putting some music in your pants again sounds like a plan to me! Hell it can't hurt, and it just might help.

Sooo, ask about possibility of turning the baby, and if it can't happen, then let's focus on the good stuff, right? Like---if you do it again, you can do VBAC with the next baby, so this is NOT the end of the dream. And it will be painfree as Yondalla says.

And if you have to have a c-section, then at least you are at the best hospital for it. Gentle, easy, no stress, no problems, they don't separate you from the baby, and you will still feel like you had a good experience.

Jesus' Gal said...

It is indeed scary...
Don't give up.
I do think people giving vaginal birth is a strong and brave lady!

Caro said...

awkward little lumpy!

I understand the disappointment. I found out that they do vaginal birth for breech here but I think I'd rather have mine come out head first please.

Unknown said...

Here's my 2 cents (from the lurker who gave you nail gun advice).

Things can change! Keep up with the music in your pants (I love that idea). Supposedly a lot of breech babies don't turn until labor starts, and most do turn before you give birth.

Check out the Spinning Babies website. They've got tons of info about getting the little stubborn ones to move.

There's also some chinese herbs that my midwives said give a 60% success rate for turning the baby, as opposed to a 40% success rate for external version (with a lot less discomfort). Look up moxibustion for more info. Basically you burn the herbs near (not on!) the pressure points on your little toes and baby gets all up and active. You can accomplish the same thing with acupuncture. Sounds hippie-dippie, but what the heck!

I know I've never introduced myself, so here's a quickie. My name's Jen, I'm 37, and I'm 2 days behind you (due Jan. 13) with my first and only baby. I'm a professional computer geek, so I'm all about the techie stuff. But when it comes to having a baby, I'm all about making it as natural as possible. I'm seeing a group of 5 midwives, planning for a hospital birth with no drugs and no interventions, using Hypnobabies program of self-hypnosis. I want to be at the hospital for the backup just in case, but I'm completely putting myself in the mindset that everything will go fine (I call it my bubble of denial). At 33 weeks they said my tadpole was breech, but luckily we've determined since then that it's not, so that's why I'd researched some methods of turning.

So good luck, and don't stress it! Like others said, the end goal is a healthy baby, and the means to get there really don't matter in the long run!

Lollipop Goldstein said...

You can be thankful AND cry. It's another possibility. That really sucks. I hope Lumpy can be turned around and if not, that the recovery is quick.

jeanie said...

Just another lurker to second Jen's comment (with some western medical back-up from the Journal of the Americal Medical Association). For more info, go to http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/280/18/1580

The upshot: "Conclusion.— Among primigravidas with breech presentation during the 33rd week of gestation, moxibustion for 1 to 2 weeks increased fetal activity during the treatment period and cephalic presentation after the treatment period and at delivery."

I know from talking to my acupuncturist that there is a time frame during which this procedure has a good chance of working and I think you may be nearing the end of that time frame, so if you want to try this, I think it needs to be some time around now. Good luck!!