Hi guys,
I had my 36-week doctor appointment and the baby was breech.
THE BABY WAS BREECH.
If that didn’t stop you in your tracks, let me explain:
A baby that is breech means his feet/butt are down and his head is up.
If he doesn’t flip over and go head down I have to get a cesarean section.
A cesarean (C) section is a surgery where they cut open your stomach to deliver the baby.
This is the complete opposite of how I’d like my childbirth to go.
When the doctor said the baby was breech I was unphased. Big deal? I have four weeks to go. That’s plenty of time for him to turn and find his way down to the “correct” position. But instead of assuring me, the doctor scared the living crap out of me.
She said, “At this point in the pregnancy he is growing half a pound a week. The bigger he gets, the less likely he is to turn.”
There were two possible positive outcomes:
He could turn on his own in the next week. (Yes, please.)
We could schedule something called a Version (EVC = External Cephalic Version)
During an EVC a doctor manually massages your belly in an effort to push and pull the baby into the right position. It has an average 50% success rate. We can try in one week. If it works, great. If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to schedule a C-section.
I went home and cried. It was an emotional day. This wasn’t part of my plan. This was bullshit. I wanted to do something to fix it. But all the doctor said I could do was drink plenty of water.
I felt powerless but at the same time responsible.
Everyone thinks I’m tough for wanting to have a natural birth but I’m not tough. I’m scared. I want this birth to be an experience for me, my baby, and my husband. A C-section is not an experience. It’s surgery and I want nothing to do with it.
So I’ll talk to the baby and coax him into the right position. I’ll drink water. And I’ll do ridiculous inverted poses that the doctor scoffs at and describes as Old Wives’ Tales. And I’ll get the EVC. And hopefully Baby Boy Bleecker will turn.
Blog of the Week
There’s nothing like finding writing inspiration in unexpected places. I spent a lot of time laughing at Alyssa Limperis’ mom videos before I discovered her writing and damn, am I glad I did.
I did a curation of her essays to showcase the best tips for anyone who wants to improve their writing. [Read the post here.]
BTW
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Until next week,
Charlie
Hi Charlie, read about Baby Bleeker. Hoping that he changes direction...he doesn't want leave yet. Not sure if you want to read about obstetrics from an accessible perspective but Atul Gawande's Better has an amazing chapter on it - you might consider using it as a reference for an article after you deliver. Sending good vibes your way!