Spontaneous birth of my first daughter from breech
From the beginning, my daughter was sitting in my belly. It was quickly decided that she should be born spontaneously. The spontaneous birth from breech presentation was scheduled.
At 38+0 we tried to turn her from the outside. But it didn’t work, she was too deep in the pelvis. I tried everything to animate the little mouse to turn. I did headstands, went to the swimming pool and tried various yoga exercises (Inic bridge), acupuncture but nothing helped.
At the University Hospital in FFM I went to the birth registration and consultation. The senior physician was very nice and took 1 hour for me and answered all my questions. They even did an MRI of my pelvis to make sure that the pelvis is big enough for the head to fit through. My decision was made to have a natural birth from a breech.
It is my desire that women be better educated about the possibilities of spontaneous birthing from a breech presentation. Of course, the widely used cesarean section is not the only possible way. Yes, such a birth also involves risks and is an exceptional situation, just like any other birth.
Water breaking
At 39+2 the water was braking. My pajama pants were completely soaked. I took off all the wet clothes and was going to go get fresh clothes, but I noticed that the water didn’t stop flowing at all. I laid down in bed because we didn’t know if our baby was deep enough in the pool yet. On the way to the hospital, I was already having strong contractions.
Arrival in the delivery room
I was examined by ultrasound and my first CTG was written. The little one lay with her bottom deep in the pelvis so that I could walk until the contractions had short intervals. The midwife applied Eipur solution to the cervix to speed up the contractions.
Contractions
For 3 hours I walked around the university hospital stair by stair. The walking meditation helped me to relax. The contractions came every 3 minutes and were so strong that I would have to stop to breathe them. I held lavender under my nose to calm myself. Loud breaths turned into long vowels.
Whirlpool bath
I spent 2h in the bathtub. The warm water allowed me to relax better, the contractions didn’t hurt as much and I was able to breathe them better.
Back in the delivery room
The pain was unbearable and the cervix was only 6 cm open. I was given painkillers Buscopan® and was able to sleep for 5h. At 5am the contractions came again but there was no downward pressure. The cervix had not opened further. Birth arrest. 1h later the doctor came and told me that my pelvis was too narrow and the head would not fit through, hence the birth arrest.
The spontaneous birth
She advised me to have a cesarean section. Suddenly everything went very fast and I was pushed into the operation room. The spinal anesthesia was in place and the surgery started. The head doctor asked my husband if he would dare to look over the surgical drape and see how she would give birth to our little daughter. She unfolded like a little butterfly, spread her arms, opened her blue eyes and screamed.
It was the most wonderful feeling in the whole world that now our little daughter was born. I was so relieved. The ceasarean section was half as bad. I am glad that our little daughter was allowed to decide for herself when she wanted to come into the world, as a finished package. Of course I wished for a natural birth but nevertheless I am not traumatized and the birth of my daughter was an unforgettable experience.