It's like it totally clicked for him once he turned head-down (THAT'S RIGHT! HE DID IT! -with the doc's help, of course). Now he's really engaging and... ouch. That's all I'm going to say about that.
I did have some progress at my midwife appointment today. Shocking, really, since he wasn't putting ANY pressure down there when he was breech. So the fact that I was still dilating was a pleasant surprise. Now I'm scared by how fast I might dilate since he is in position now. Yowza. Bring it on, though!
I just have to finish a few things- Kraig has to pack his bag. I need to throw a few necessities in mine. And we need to get some groceries so our sitter can feed Owen :-) But then? Then we are ready.
I'm so proud of Baby today. He cooperated so very well. Here's how it went down:
Started out with ultrasound to check for his position as well as cord position. He looked great, definitely head up and facing to the right. His cord was, however, draped across the back of his neck and was possibly wrapped around his neck (checking the cord via u/s is not exactly a science, especially since you can only see certain angles.) This was disheartening to hear/see because I thought perhaps that meant he was breech BECAUSE of his cord. Valid concern. The doc (naturopath, to clarify) said he had turned babies with cords wrapped around their necks and it turned out fine. So he wanted to give it a try and we'd constantly monitor his heart tones to be sure of no distress, and if he met resistance he'd stop. I was nervous but hopeful. I knew they wouldn't do anything to harm him.
So, here's where it got interesting. Doc gave me some terbutaline to relax my uterus during the procedure. He said it starts working in about ten minutes. Then he had me turn so my legs were at the head of the bed, my knees draped over the back- yes, I was essentially upside down (the head of the bed was up). This was to help get baby out of my pelvis. It worked, as unconventional as it may seem! Then doc got to work and started digging and manipulating baby to get him to turn. Ouch. To say it was uncomfortable is a little bit of an understatement. It was a struggle to stay relaxed enough through the procedure in order for him to be able to work effectively. I did okay, though- panting and crying and wincing all the way. My midwives were amazing and supportive, and it was great to have Kraig's hand to squeeze the entire time. It hurt. Bad. But! It was over in 5-6 minutes. THAT'S SUPER FAST! And thank goodness- I don't think I could have handled it for much longer. Best words of the day: he said "midline" then put the ultrasound wand over my lower pelvis and said "head". Bam. YES!!!!! It worked! I'm so impressed with this doc's skills. Remarkable.
I started weeping tears of absolute joy and relief. Oh, it was such an emotional moment. You'd have thought I just birthed the baby I was so emotional. Still hanging upside down. Funny.
They monitored his heart rate and checked to see if he could get us a profile shot (but couldn't, his hand was in the way). Since Baby did so well during the procedure and immediately after, we were free to go.... before the terbutaline even kicked in ;-)
Baby continued to be active all afternoon, which was reassuring to me. He has since been burrowing (ow!) so I know he's doing great. Whew!
I was pretty sore after the appointment, but am feeling better already. Baby has definitely dropped- my stomach is noticeably lower and more compact without his big, heavy head pushing forward on my bellybutton. My tummy feels much more like it did when I was pregnant with Owen. Ah, sweet memories. Carrying breech feels SO different from this.
I'm obviously so thankful that the procedure worked- it was worth every penny and every second of pain! I'm thrilled that we don't have to worry about a c-section, or try to decide about birthing at home or at the hospital to deliver a breech babe. We can just continue on with our original plans!
Sweet Kraig is convinced that I am going to labor super fast and we'll have an accidental home birth. We'll see about that ;-) Though I also know that I can decide at any point to just stay here if I don't feel like going in to the birth center. But they do have big, beautiful birthing tubs... and 24 hour personal doulas.... and meal service from local restaurants. Oh yes.
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