Early yesterday morning, I had a baby doctor check-up. I've started my rounds through the other docs in the practice just in case one of the other ones is on call when I go into labor. Of course, I hope it's Dr. Mac, but all the other ones are great, too. This time, I met with Dr. Handsome. Because he's quite handsome. Even David says so. He's definitely the McDreamy of the practice.
He asked what type of delivery I was thinking of for this time around and I told him I was hoping for a VBAC. My C-section could have not gone more smoothly. The recovery was stupendous. I really have no complaints at all. My sweet friend, Beth, told me after her C-section, the best thing she did was start walking around as soon as they let her get out of bed. A lot of times, people will stay in bed because yeah, it hurts to move around. But, force yourself to get up and walk. And I did just that. It was 24 hours before they'd let me get up and I kept asking, "Can I get up now?" Finally, the nurse helped me walk to the hallway. Yooooooowwwwwwuch. But, doing that and walking some every day was the best advice. So, thank you, Bethers!
HOWEVER, as mild as the incision was, no biggie at all, I'm a little leery about having staples and two almost 3-year olds running around. The same hoodlums that pack a mean run and hug you right in the gut. I'm just a little afraid I'll turn a corner and BOOM, hug, blood, hospital. So, I told him VBAC. He said I could totally do it. Yes. IF I can get Sutts to turn head-down before the last few weeks. Apparently, he's breech right now. I mean, I've still got 10.5 weeks, so there's time. But, I want this baby turned. So, yesterday, I Googled "how to get baby to turn" techniques. Some folks had some interesting methods out there.
Some were unusual, but I had heard of them before. Some were legit and medical. Others were...well, I dunno. In case you were wondering, here are a few of the methods.
1. Go to a chiropractor. I mean, that makes perfect sense. That's actually a good one. They know how to manipulate your hips and whatever other parts to give space for the baby to turn on his/her own. I know several people who have gone to chiropractors during pregnancy and have loved it.
2. Swim some every day. I like this one.
3. Lay on your bed with your knees tucked to your chest and your face/chest flat on the mattress. Stay like this for 15 minutes every 2-hour period of the day. Uh, if I've got time to do that every 2 hours of the day, I gone be nappin' ya know what I'm sayin'.
3. Get an ironing board and situate it at the end of a couch. "Make sure the ironing board is steady and secure." Are any ironing boards really steady and secure? Put your rump on the ironing board and the rest of your body on the couch, hips elevated. Stay like this for 30-45 minutes several times a day. I wish I had time to lay around on an ironing board.
4. Lay on your back on a bed. Have your husband put a towel under your hips, lift up, and gently shake your entire body with a back and forth motion. "This should be a relaxing experience for all." No...no, it won't be. That sounds like a ridiculous experience for all.
5. Lay on your left side when you have an empty stomach and...let me just stop you right there. There is never any point during the day when I have an empty stomach. Next.
6. Lay down, elevate your hips, put a cold compress or frozen bag of peas at top of your belly, and shine a flashlight at the top of your belly, moving slowly down the right side to the bottom of your belly. Keep doing this until your baby has turned. Okay........my kid is not a moth. And how do I know if he's turned? (However, I have read on several sites that this method does work. They're like baby sea turtles and attracted to the light or something. Aww, baby sea turtles. Squeeze. This might be the method I end up using.)
7. Visualize and use your mental powers to turn the baby. If you picture it, he will turn. Now, this is what I said on Facebook. If I have the power like Charles Xavier to mentally turn my baby...well, what if I only have a limited amount of that power...I'm not going to use it on trying to have VBAC. I'm going to have a C-section and recover at the beach house that I visualized.
8. My favorite. And I quote..."Load an MP3 player with classical music and put the headphones down the mother-to-be's pants. The baby will be drawn to the music and will turn." I hope those headphones at least took her out to dinner.
If you have any methods on how to turn a baby, I would absolutely be most graciously appreciatively thankful. Baby sea turtles.
That is great that your doctors/hospital will allow vbac. The hospitals around here won't so I have always been thankful that I didn't start with having to have a c-section. When I went in last week for my 32 week check up I asked if the baby was head down. It is but the dr. said that I didn't need to worry since babies still turn between 32 and 36 or maybe 38 (I can't remember now). So I thought about you. I was recently told my a lady at church that her daughter who is at about the same week as me finally had her baby turn when she was listening to a whitney houston song...so maybe you should try that method. :) I really hope Sutton turns for you so that you can experience both kinds of giving birth! I know in my what to expect book that it talked about the dr. having some methods to be able to help turn baby.
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