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A question for any one with tips on how to turn a baby from breech position.....my sister is pregnant with a much longed for first baby, having had problems for years (she is now 45) with miscarriages and several IVF attempts...and at last now at 34 weeks...yea! 
...but the baby hasn't turned yet and the Drs are talking about a possible c-section around 37 weeks....she would love to have a natural birth and is trying to find out ways she could help turn the baby....she has acupuncture this week and is also swimming....anyone out there with experience of a breech baby?
....any ideas gratefully received...she says she will try anything! 
Hugs Lynne :hug:
LuxembearsHi Lynne.
Hooray for your sister! I would be very very careful with such a delicate pregnancy. Especially given her past unsuccessful history. I am an RN although no longer practicing.... I certainly would follow doctors orders 100%. A natural birth is wonderful but in the end what you want is a healthy baby. I would do nothing without a doctor's consent. A doctor can manually turn a baby and since you have not mentioned this perhaps they feel it is best to leave things as they are.
I wish your sister all the luck in the world and a very happy healthy baby, which ever way he/she comes into the world.
Hi, I was an older first time Mum, with baby in the breech position. Up to 34 weeks they tried and tried to turn her, but no luck. The Doctors then told me that it was not in the baby's interests to keep trying. I had a few other complications and so a C-Section was ordered at 37 weeks. The result, a wonderful, beautiful healthy baby girl. My C-section was great, and having an epidural for it, I was awake the whole time, my husband was with me, and I got to hold Britty immediately after her birth. It was just a joyous occasion and I couldn't have wished for a better birth or result.
Sometimes Mother Nature just doesn't co-operate in our wish for a natural birth. Medical science has been striving for years to improve the success rate for difficult births, and I think that sometimes you just need to go with the Doctors advice and if a C-section is going to be the best for baby, then go for it. I think if there is concrete medical reasoning for a C-section, it is the best way to go. My birth experience was terrific.
Waifs & StraysHi Lynne,
As a midwife I would be verrry careful about turning the baby. Often a baby is in a breech position for a reason and even if it is turned by a Dr, will often wait until they have left the room then promptly return to the breech position! It is possible to deliver a breech baby naturally, but it depends on the position of the presenting part.
Natural birth is fine if there are no obvious problems, but with the history your poor sis has gone through, I thoroughly agree with Judi and would be happy for a c-section to ensure the safety of both mum and baby. I know this probably doesn't help much, but I'm sure the Drs will do what is best. Let us all know how it goes.
I'm sending lots of midwiferly love your way 
:hug:
FenBeary FolkCongrats for your sister, but I am with the advice above 100%, our first child died and when I had my daughter I had planned all Natural, in fact I had convinced myself that if I was a proper mum I would be "able to do it right this time". Well at 34 wks they scanned my hips and found they were not wide enough, so a c-section was the result and a very beautiful happy healthy girl ensued, along with it was a bad dose of post natal depression, lasting til she was about 4, its only now I look back and see my 17 year old, who's bight, funny and gorgeous and think what an idiot I was to get so hung up on a natural birth that it caused depression, I lost certainly the first year of her life (I can't remember it)
So if it is a c-section be very aware that depression is more common with c-mums and I will pray that however the baby is delivered that he/she is very healthy and brings joy to your sister
Hi Lynne,
Congratulations to you sister! :clap: :clap:
My first child was breech up to him been born, he turned himself. He was 8 weeks early.
I'd leave alone, and see what the Doctor decides, still got time. 
Good luck! :hug: :hug:
Love kayx.
My mother always used to go to great lengths to tell me of how I was a 'breech' baby...and how she went though agony having me turned..in the 1950s they did that kind of thing. They ordered her to lie still for 30 minutes after the 'turning' and then she got off the bed and I promptly turned round again...so it was a waste of time.
I think whatever is done they do seem to know what they are doing ..even though we may not think so at the time!!
Patsy Lake BearsHi Lynne I agree with the advise given above leave the bub to make it's own way into the world even if it means a C-section. Congratulations to the couple and I hope all does go well for them.
Thank you so much everyone for sharing your experiences .....this is why TT is so wonderful as we can talk to our friends all over the world and get advice and support...and encouragement
I will be phoning my sister later today and will pass on all the information....i agree with what everyone says.....I think it's just when you're planning the birth you have all the ideas of how you'd like it to be, it seems that's the most important thing at the time....and quite often it's taken out of our hands!....but this precious baby is the most important for my sister & partner, so I'm sure she will heed the advice from you lovely TT-ers! 
Thank you hugs Lynne :hug:
MerBear OriginalsMy third child and first son was breach and I was a little worried since I knew he'd be a big baby. The doctor did not try to turn him and in the end he just straighted out his legs and came out feet first! Thankfully cause he was 9 1/2 lbs! The birth actually went quite well and quick with no complications and my son is now 31!
Marion
Busser BearsLynn,
I didn't have a breech birth, but my youngest son turned so that even thought his body and head were "down" he turned during labor so that he was facing up towards my tummy. The nurse put her arm inside me and turned him, then the doctor did an incision to open me up "down there" and had his arm up to his elbow...OOWWEEE. I then had 4 hours of hard labor and was not allowed to push at all. My son's heartbeat was very strong...I really wish they would have done a ceasarean on me! It was horrible! I had to lay on 1 side for awhile, then another, then another...several times I had to breath in a paperbag so that I wouldn't hyperventilate! After 23 years, I still have a bit of a problem, a minor thing really, that I still work with, but I won't go into here, a bit yucky...bathroom potty stuff.
Yep, a ceasarean would have been the way to go!
Best of luck!
hugs,
Leeann Krikau
Busser Bears
Before my granddaughter was born, she had not turned and caused some concern with the doctor. He told my daughter to place a radio playing music between her legs while she was lounging on the couch or lying in bed and the baby would turn to the music. It worked !!! ... She turned and was born in the correct position.
Good luck !!
Wanda Carson
Don't mess with mother nature! Why on earth would doctors insist on a c-section at a specific time??? If the mother is healthy and the baby is healthy there is no need for a scheduled c-section just because the baby is breach. Babies sometimes do not turn until labor. So, tell your sis to relax, eat well, get plenty of rest and let nature take its course. And, like Wanda suggested, use music. I have heard that putting headphones with music around the bottom of the belly can encourage the baby to turn. In the event that the baby is still breach at 40 weeks only then should she consider a c-section. 40 weeks is full term, 37 weeks is 3 weeks early and 3 more weeks that the baby could turn on it's own. Now, if there is imminent danger to the baby or your sister, I can certainly see doing a c-section at 37 weeks. And, both her and baby should be monitored closely because of her medical history. I believe in medical intervention when needed but most c-sections are just convenient for the doctor who, more than likely, has a vacation planned. The rate of c-sections has sky rocketed over the years with doctors inducing labor instead of letting it happen naturally like God intended.
Good luck to her! I am a firm believer in natural childbirth. I had my second at home with a midwife. What a wonderful experience! Bringing a baby into the world with my husband there in my own home without the noise and disruption of a hospital and someone waking you every 15 minutes! No one whisking your baby away for this, that or the other. Just peace and beauty and relaxation! Jeeeeeez, I wish I could have another!
Hugs,
Alison
Happy Little SoulsHi Lynne,
I might as well add my two cents!!!
I totally agree to let nature takes its course- up to a point. My first was a great natural birth (no drugs) and I was "over it" within 5 minutes, the only problem was Andrew was off taking photos of a wedding (I'm always one for "perfect timing"). I had post complications, but they were fixed in time.... which leads me onto my second, I hoped to do it again naturally, so that Andrew could be there and experience it all, he really felt left out of the first- although it only took one cuddle to catch up (and I was scared of the cut). At 31 weeks Master 15 months got a vomiting bug, which I came down with after 5 hours of cleaning him up- result: premature labour that couldn't be halted with any drugs.
Baby had been sitting up high in my rib cage and across me- within 30 mins he had turned and got down ready to go. Then with things as they were and the pain (10 x the first) what it was I begged them to fix it, it wasn't till the baby got into trouble that they acted. The result an emergency c-section for which I was under general and Andrew was not allowed into theatre, so in the end he missed the second birth too.
Now everyone's story is different, but although we had high hopes of our ideal deliveries, when it came down to it I just wanted healthy children.
I know that doctors here are reluctant to do c-sections unless there is concern for Mum and Bub, and you have to think that at the end of the day, they have done it thousands of times before. Although I wouldn't have planned either the way they happened, I wouldn't do it any differently if I had the chance.
And I heard someone once say, it doesn't matter how they get here, you just pray that they get here safely. Your sister is so lucky to have gotten this far, I'm sure she will be over the moon no matter how it happens
Mel
My baby was breech and I had to have a c-section - they tried to turn her and I think that made things worse as I always felt really sick afterwards. I was overdue, so they say, and they were worried that with the position she was in they would have to break her hip - NO WAY just cut me open I didn't want her coming into this world with that type of injury! Everything went really well and she thrived just turned 27 years old in July!!!
I as well would wait until the last moment and try the radio thingy - I wish I would have heard of that way back then!!
Woodbury Park BearsI was a much older first time mum and had some problems toward the end so at 36 weeks I was in hospital trying to get the diabetes under control and found I had a liver blockage that was harming my baby and she may not reach term so we tried everything for 4 days trying to induce labour nothing by then I was frantic so I opted for a C section because of the risk to her. I was awake and my husband was there for the birth and she was beautiful how lucky was I.
My advise "just do what you have to do"
Best of luck
Raewyn
Thank you for sharing these very special birth-stories everyone......the whole process really is a miracle and it's wonderful to hear of your healthy children .....I'm passing all info on to my sister and I'll keep you posted of progress! 
Many hugs to all Lynne :hug: :hug: :hug:
BrisbaneMy sister had a c-section a few months ago with her first baby. She didn't want one but in the end the birth wasn't progresssing properly. She is happy as larry and the c-section is all but forgotten. Trust in the doctors and the midwives - they know what they are doing (my Mum has been a midwife for over 30 years).
I hope everything goes well for your sister.
i have had 2 breech babies, with the middle babies/preg being twins
the firlst was turned with an ECV and stayed heads down
my last baby mary was all over the place, and maily breech
she rutned using moxibustion that the acupunturist showed up how to do
and turned back after a few days
triedd again with moxi and she tuned again
she was then born on her due date heads first - yippeee
i also spent ssome time with my feet up the wall, on my back
i did this lying inthe dry birth pool, just before the last moxi session, the inflated pool was v cmfy
try tnot to section at 37 weeks, its too ealry ...
my sil kids have breething problems and both werre early sections
my twins were a section, but i was in labour at 38 weeks and we were lucky they were fine
good luck !
cat xxxxx
