The Two-Headed Baby
AKA the little one I'm carrying (still no for sure name, by the way).
Who knows which end is up on this kiddo? She's been flipping back and forth between vertex and this breech-ish/transverse lie for a while now, and it's getting semi annoying LOL. Today my midwife had a hard time distinguishing whether her head was up or down and declared that she has two heads. (No, there aren't two babies in there. 
) We actually wonder if she flipped while we were sitting there talking. Apparently there is plenty of fluid in there, so she is just swimming all around, having a big ol' time.
I've been reading some at spinningbabies.com on some things I can try. The trick is actually being able to do them. Inversion is a good possibility...if my arms can manage to bear my massive weight (I weigh more now than I ever have in my entire life, and I was HEAVY when I delivered #5). Swimming is out - I don't have access to a pool. The ironing board technique has potential, but I've heard it's pretty painful, and I don't have anyone around to help me up/down. (That's another glitch with the inversion technique - it takes someone else to help you not fall as you get into/out of position. Basically if the technique can't be done on my own, I can't do it.) The Webster Technique is another possibility - I need to call my chiropractors and ask if any of them in that office are trained in it.
And so on and so forth. 
I guess she'll just keep us guessing up until it's time, huh? 
myderbe wrote,
Thanks for coming over to my blog.
Will this child make her appearance in time for your anniversary?
Link | May 14th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Rebecca wrote,
I tried a modified ironing board technique. It worked with Baby #2, but not with Baby #1. I stacked up couch cushions and then rested with my shoulders on the floor and my behind up on the cushions. Do not try this after eating, unless you want to feel as if the baby is pressing everything out of your stomach! While resting in this less than comfortable position (but not that horrendous compared to the prospect of having a c-section) I would gently massage the baby in an attempt to get him/her to move into position.
The book “Silent Knife”, by Nancy Wainer Cohen, had a good explanation of ways to turn breech babies. This book may be long out of print, but maybe you can find it via interlibrary loan or somewhere on the internet.
I’ve heard good results from certain chiropractic adjustments and from acupuncture.
Baby #2 was easy to turn by the couch cushion method. Unfortunately, she also easily turned back into the breech position. When I was at 38 weeks, a doctor turned her from transverse to head down in his office, simply manipulating her with his hands while monitoring her with a fetoscope. He then told me to go home and walk like crazy, so she would settle down into the pelvis and stay head down. She did, but unfortunately decided to be stubbornly posterior.
Baby #1 simply could not be budged, even by an attempted external version done in a hospital.
I’ve had other flip-flopping babies, and all ended up head down. Only my daughter waited until 38 weeks, but then she was relatively small with plenty of room to swim around and do her little gymnastic routines!
I’m sure your baby will give up the tumbling act and settle head down soon.
Link | May 17th, 2007 at 9:10 pm