34 Week Appointment

At this point in my pregnancy I'm going to the doctor every two weeks. Yesterday I had my 34 week appointment and while Colton's growth is looking great, we did discover that he hasn't turned yet and is breech. I sort of suspected this because I've been feeling what I thought were little feet in my left side.

The good news is that he may still turn on his own which I'm sure I will feel since he is now almost 5 lbs and 18 inches long. My doctor will check his positioning in 2 weeks with an ultrasound. If he doesn't turn, we have a couple of options: 1) We can manually try to turn him at 37 weeks with a procedure called external cephalic version (ECV) which is has about a 60% success rate. The procedure is low-risk but painful for me and could lead to an emergency c-section if fetal distress is detected. 2) We can try a Chinese treatment called Moxibustion which combines acupuncture and burning herbs and has a 25% success rate. 3) Do nothing and wait and see if he turns.

If Colton remains breech, we will have a scheduled c-section at 39 weeks. Doctors do not like to deliver breech babies vaginally due to the risks involved with the baby getting stuck in the birth canal. Since the head usually comes out first and is the biggest part of the body it helps to open up the pelvis. When the feet and legs come out first, there is risk that the baby could get stuck so a c-section is the safest option for delivery.

Surprisingly the news didn't upset me. I pray that he turns and I can go through the labor and delivery process but if he doesn't and I have a scheduled c-section all the matters is that he comes into this world safe and healthy. Please say lots of prayers!